When news emanating from unknown circle break, most often such news report is either rejected with the wave of the hand , or is received with no attached seriousness, but when such news emanates from either government or security circle, it raises eye brow depending on the importance, then tongues would wag .
That was the situation on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 evening, when armed men made a caricature of Nigeria’s highest security institution; the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna. Report has it that the acedemy was first named the Royal Military Forces Training College (RMFTC) and after lndependence , the name was changed to Nigerian Military Training College. Again, the military institution name was changed to its present name, Nigeria Defence Academy .
Reports say that unknown gun men had compromised the security set up in the institution and gained unhibited access into the residential area of the Academy, killed two officers; Lieutenant Commander Wulah and Flight Lieutenant CM Okoronkwo, while Second Lieutenant Onah sustained gunshot wounds and Major Christopher Datong was kidnapped but was later released. As was expected the news sparked reactions from every quarters. One of such reaction was from the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky lrabor who described the attack as “madness” promising to stop such future attack.
Three months after the attack, another gladdening but surprising news emanated ffrom the same military source, that a collaborative effort between the
Nigerian military and intelligence services were able to uncover One of the collaborators of the criminal act in the academy. The personnel fingered is a member of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). He is Sergeant Torsobo Solomon, currently attached to the Air Force Comprehensive School, Yola. Further insight about him shows that ,he was arrested in Yola, Adamawa State and flown to Kaduna, after enough proof of his involvement having discovered his deals with arms and links with the perpetrators.
He acted as a mole in the body of military institution. The web dictionary described “mole “ thus “They often appear as small, dark brown spots and are caused by clusters of pigmented cells. Moles generally appear during childhood and adolescence. Most people have 10 to 40 moles, some of which may change in appearance or fade away over time”. Such characters exist in every security institutions. They are the evil planners, who disguise with dangerous motives. Like Judas lscariot ,who walked around with Jesus, listened and observed every of his modus of operation and later gave him away to. his enemies. Moles always act to take lives. They often operate as double agents to the detriment of their institution. There major interest is the financial gain or otherwise after their action.
Security agencies like the police had over the years been habouring human moles that not only constitute nuisance to the Police but are clog in the wheel of operational progress. They often times leak out operational information and strategy to armed robbers who would lay armbush against police officers combating robbers. Record shows cases of such operational betrayals that had resulted to heavy casualties. On the part of the military, security moles usually exercise patience and until the matured date for the execution of their dastardly act. More than twice troops heading to the war front, had been armbushed and either the commander or many members of the battalion are killed like unprotected Chicken. On September 20,2020 at about 10 am , Colonel Dahiru Chiroma Bako, the Commander 25 Task Force Brigade (Operation Lafiya Dole ) was returning with his gallant troops from Sabon Gari-Wajiroko axis near Damboa when they ran into an enemy armbush and was injured, when his patrol team after routing out a dangerous group of the lSlS led Boko Haram before they could assemble to carry out a planned attack. An operation he personally led only to bumb into a well coordinated ambush as he was returning heroically with his troop carrier . He and other injured soldiers were evacuated from the scene of ambush and successfully resuscitated and operated upon, by a team of doctors from within the military and were already in stable condition and even performed his early morning prayers before he passed on. That armbush could be the handwork of a human mole.
Again lastweek,there was mourning in the Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State where the military base for the 28 Task Force Brigade for Borno State, northeast Nigeria, where Brigadier General Dzarma Kennedy Zirkushu was the Commander. Unfortunately, he was killed together with three of his troop in an armbush attack by Suspected fighters of di Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP). This group is known for planting human moles in areas they have strategically planned to attack.
The group history is replete with such surprise attacks by planted human moles at all its operational zones across the world.
Armbush is a military strategy whereby human moles are used to obtain classified informations from the opponent for offensive attack.
The same human moles are used in the intelligence circle, where such agents are planted in targeted interest or enemy platforms. Infact human moles can be sponsored for employment or recruitments by an opponent for either immediate or for future assignments . In the circular world of business, human moles can be engaged as spies. This is why, security agencies should tighten up their recruitment exercises. In2002, President Olusegun Obasanjo decried the recruitment of suspected armed robbers into the Nigeria Police. Although many have been identified and dismissed over the years .
These human moles still exist in the police. They are the information leakers. They don’t easily disclose their identity nor mission. They are like rattle snake that gained access into a house, it does not strike immediately but waits for the alppropriate time to strike. Security experts have severally warmed the Federal government and the military to be extremely vigilant with the sudden surrender of both Boko Haram and lSWAP members.
This writer had in his column titled “De- radicalization of Boko Haram”, warned that some of the so described repentant terrorists are human moles dispatched for a dangerous mission.