The Chief of the Army Staff, Lt General Azubuike Ihejirika, at the weekend, disclosed that the Army is to set up a Special Task Force to confront emergency security challenges in the country, particularly 'terrorism'.
Ihejirika made the disclosure while speaking at the graduation ceremony of the 'Basic Counter Terrorism Course' at the Nigerian Army Training Center, Kontagora where a total of 2094 young soldiers -1869 males and 225 females- graduated.
According to the Army Chief, the Special Force, once established at the Army Headquarters, would not be involved in peace keeping operation or internal security operations but specialize in training and confronting any case of emergency whether within or outside the country.
His words, "The Special Force is important to both the Army Headquarters and the nation in the sense that, if there is a situation whereby there is an emergency, we have a force you call upon and deploy immediately whether it is internal or external."
He explained that about 600 counter-terror soldiers would form the base while some senior officers would be posted to form the force properly, adding, "They are not likely to be committed to the peace keeping operations and internal security but to be trained for attending to emergency cases."
Recalling that the establishment of the Army Training Center was based on his vision "to transform the Nigerian Army into a force capable of meeting contemporary security challenges", Ihejirika listed the emergency special security challenges the force will be deployed for as terrorism, armed banditry, kidnapping and criminal activities perpetrated in the form of armed robbery, illegal refining of petroleum products and pipeline vandalism.
To the graduands, Ihejirika said, "With the completion of your training, you will be deployed into the field. As you go into the field, you must put into practice all that you have learn't during the training so as to reflect the hard work which your instructors have put into the training. Tackling current security challenges indeed requires competent soldiers in all aspects of internal security duties.
"It is imperative therefore that you utilize all the combat proficiency skills you have acquired during these few weeks of intensive training to exhibit high sense of professionalism in the conduct of your assigned tasks. In doing so, you must adhere strictly to the rules of engagement".
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The police are becoming militarised as we see. The armed forces now man most of the major checkpoints on the nation's roads. None of this has stopped terrorist attacks yet the government keeps advancing the idea that more military in domestic affairs is the answer. Is this really for security, or is this a new form of military government we thought we had ended?
How should we fight criminals, given that the police was about to be overran by the criminals ? The only solution was to use the armed forces. And your argument doesn't make any sense, what you are saying is that because terrorists have bombed civilians even after soldiers were deployed that we should just say, lets hand Nigeria over to the terrorists. You are brainless, boko haram is dead, that is a known fact. Isn't it boko haram that is now begging for "cease fire" and compensation ? The method is working and is desperately needed to save Nigeria. So wake up. Brainless child.
Prologigbinoba, it is clear that you do not understand my post. I was asking a question first of all. Also, don't you think I have the right to question the tactics of the federal government as a citizen of a nation we know as a democratic state? Do you remember last year when Jonathan ordered troops into Lagos to try to suppress the 'Occupy Nigeria' protests? Have you seen the president on at least a few occasions wear a military uniform even though he has never served in the military? Do you remember the decisions the president took that resembled that of a military dictator (Fuel subsidy removal, renaming of UNILAG, being ready to introduce the ₦5,000 bill before succumbing to domestic pressure not to)? Are you aware that there is talk of another economic crisis occurring in the West within the next few years, and the rest of the world will be affected enormously by it, including Nigeria? Now you call all of these things 'brainless'? Please see the connection that I am making. I may be wrong in the final equation and I really hope so. However, with all these things plus the militarisation of the police is leading Nigeria into a new form of authoritarianism if not a full blown military dictatorship with the military as the enforcers. Also, I believe Boko Haram is a controlled group by and large and is used for political proposes much like the riots we saw during the Obasanjo era. Some who are in Boko Haram may really hate Christians and Western institutions, but there are other interests at work within and outside the structure. I hope you have seen my point of view now.