“No guts, no glory.” –General Frederick C. Blesse

Truely, bandits’ criminal activities, apart from adding impetus to insecurity in Nigeria,  creating a rowdy atmosphere, initially overwhelmed the Federal Government that was unsure of the decision to take and completely left the police that ought to secure the states gasping for knowledge on how to tackle them.  All due to the indiscretion and lack of security ideas by the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Adamu Mohammed.

As the bandits killed, maimed and kidnapped innocent Nigerians, which triggered public uproar, government woke up from slumber on March 4, 2021, when Presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu said that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed security agencies to shoot anyone seen bearing AK-47 rifles. 

But it was a misplaced presidential directive. Nowhere in history had a democratically elected President mandated his spokesman to issue such statements, instead of any of his top military chiefs or himself. However, from that point, with the new military leaders, under General Lucky Irabor, the war against bandits, Boko Haram and killer herdsmen drastically changed. The first positive outcome was that of General Officer Commanding (GOC) Usman Yusuf, in an operation that lasted from March 23 to April 2 in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Many bandit camps in Jaya, Kadaya and Bayan Ruwa, among others, were smashed. The troops  also neutralised 48 bandits, while a bandit leader in the area known as Jummo sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. According to military report, troops rescued 18 victims from the bandits’ enclave and recovered eight AK-47 rifles, one G3 rifle, one PKT and a machine gun from the bandits.

The military, in the second phase of the operation, sacked several other bandit camps around Gabiya, Bozaya and Mereri and the adjoining forests in Maru Local Government Area.

The dictionary defines the word ‘history’ as “a continuous, typically chronological, record of important or public events or of a particular trend or institution.” The determination of the Nigeria Army to root out every trace of criminality and terrorism has once again reaffirmed the confidence the United Nations reposed in the military, that warranted invitions to many conflict areas of the world. With the new determination of the Federal Government to secure the country at such a late hour, knowing fully that election year is around the corner, one is bound to ask some critical questions about the invasion of these bandits into the country.

According to security history, the “bandit” were first noticed in 1885, defined as “one who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, Iran, and Turkey.”

How come these bandits chose the administration of President Buhari to invade the soil of Nigeria? Since the country embraced democracy, four Presidents have been elected, two Christians and two Muslims, and it is baffling that these bandits chose this time to infiltrate the country with death and destruction in their hands. Their presence was felt even more as the Buhari administration entered its second term in 2018, only to wait until 2021 after hundreds of innocent Nigerians had been mercilessly murdered and properties worth billions of naira destroyed.

It is argued that climate change may have chased both the bandits and herdsmen out of their arid countries into Nigeria. Be that as it may, the question persists: why during Buhari’s administration and why not during the time of Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan? Were we not experiencing climate change during their administration and was Yar’Adua not a Muslim like them? So, why during Buhari’s administration?.

Like honey attracting soldier ants, there are postulations that the affiliation of the President as a ‘herdsman’ could be the reason for their infiltration. However, with the recent shoot-on-sight pronouncement, the ball is now in the court of the military to score the final goal by completely eliminating every trace of Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers and local criminals tampering with the peace of the nation.

Among his numerous war quotes, American General Frederick C. Blesse said, “No guts, no glory.” The Nigerian troops should be encouraged to boost their guts to either chase these terrorist-bandits out of the country or have them eliminated, since they have in their custody illegal AK-47 rifles.  The encouraging  news  from  the Defence Headquarters has said that the military has sustained the onslaught against bandits, kidnappers and other criminals by denying them freedom of action in the North West and North Central zones of the country.

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Brigadier General Bernard Onyeuko, Acting Director, Defence Media Operation, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the military’s operations across the country between June 3 and June 16.

Onyeuko said troops had continued to carry out ambushes, aggressive fighting patrols, air raids, sustained air intelligence surveillance reconnaissance patrols as well as cordon-and-search operations.

He said troops had, on June 3, intercepted and neutralised some gunrunners who were in possession of assorted arms and ammunition, between Naimaimai Village and Sabon Birni, in Sokoto State.

He also disclosed that the air component conducted air raids on bandits’ enclaves at Jibia area of Katsina State on June 6, killing scores of bandits.

“In the same vein, troops, while on aggressive fighting patrol, arrested some kidnappers and rescued some of their victims at Bena Market in Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi.

Even as I write this column, another cheery news broke about the vigorously sustained attack on the bandits in Yobe State, where over 20 of them were eliminated. The troops should be fully encouraged for this patriotic national service. There shouldn’t be any clog in their wheel of progress. This is no time for flimsy political interference and this should not be allowed nor entertained. The troops and their commanders should continuously be hailed and encouraged. Hopefully, the country would soon breath the air peace, as our military embraces the winning cup of glory.

(Concluded)

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Security  Advice: The impressive and sustained onslaught by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against drug userd and peddlers should be encouraged by all well-meaning Nigerians. Report anyone involved to facebook:@ndlea01

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