Encouraging Score Card from GTI
In the 2022 Global Terrorism Index rating of Nigeria, there is a green arrow pointing downward on the sixth number out of 164 countries. Last year, it was a red arrow at number four and had been so for five years beginning from 2017.
The understanding is that the lower countries go in the rating, the less impactful are terrorist activities in the same country. At number four for years, it means that Nigeria was seriously impacted by activities of terror squads and bandits. Now in the sixth place, it shows that things are looking up as far as security issues are concerned.
The north east is by far less combative than it was a few years ago, less prone to invasion from terrorists and bandits. A good pointer is shifting their attention to the north central, particularly Benue, Kaduna, Katsina and Plateau states, where they carry out sneak attacks now and then. The most recent example is the attack on an Abuja-bound train from Kaduna when terrorists ambushed it, killed eight passengers, wounded some and abducted many more.
Even so, security analysts insist GTI’s recent rating is an improvement for Nigeria. GTI itself marked it with a “positive decrease” while fellow West African country, Mali has a red arrow pointing upward signifying “Negative increase.”
The Institute for Economic & Peace (IEP) in London produces the GTI report every year to analyze “the impact of terrorism for 164 countries covering 99.7 per cent of the world’s population.” GTI has been thus engaged since 2000 when it began tracking the impact of terrorism on countries of the world.
The implication of the GTI report shows one thing and one thing only: the military is working to contain the terrorists and bandits although with the spate of attacks, it might not readily appear so.
Of course, military brass know too well the war on insurgents has decimated the terrorists greatly, which is why they carry out isolated attacks. No other person than the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Farouk Yahaya admitted as much in an interview with The Nation of March 28, 2022.
Stating that the military “will not let the country down,” Yahaya cited the GTI report commending the country’s effort. “In other aspects of banditry and kidnapping, we are achieving successes in the Northwest, Northeast and North central and across all tiers, even in the Southeast where we are confronting secessionists.
“We have achieved a lot of results,” the Army chief declared. “Like I said, it is not as if there are no isolated incidents here and there. But those also we are tackling with the support and commitment of the President and the synergy between the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, other security agencies and all stakeholders. We won’t let the country down.”
“We won’t let the country down.” Such reassuring words are not mere boasts from a soldier who has been in the forefront battling insurgency for decades. He was deeply involved in war sorties as Theatre Commander Operation HADIN KAI, responsible for Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency operations in North East Nigeria before his elevation to the position of COAS.
And now as the head of the NA, Yahaya’s commitment is no less so. If anything, it has been much deeper which prompted the brass in another interview to quip thusly: “We are taking the security restoration battle to the doorstep of bandits, insurgents and identified enemies of the country,” insisting that the NA “will not give any breathing space to enemies of the country perpetrating crises.”
Aware as any service chief that the reason for the crushing and strategic victories against insurgents and terrorists is the collaboration with other arms of the military and security agencies which is not going unnoticed.
“Our modest successes against terrorists in the North East are being recognised and applauded in the global index,” Yahaya said. “Our untiring efforts and gains against bandits and other violent criminals in the North West and North Central, secessionists in the South East and other criminals in other geo-political zones are also gaining success. These were achieved through increased synergy with our sister services, other security agencies and stakeholders.”
The military has also benefitted immensely from “the re-equipping and increased deployments of troops” leaving the “Army in a better stead to confront security challenges facing the country. This has been largely achieved with the increasing re-equipping of the Nigerian Army which has made the force better poised to tackle the myriad of contemporary and emerging security threats.
“The increased deployments of NA troops in various theatres of operations across the country as well as creation of new units and forward operating bases have provided the much-needed impetus in our operations with several successes recorded.”
“Our operational successes in the North East, North West and other theatres of operations, etc already attest to this fact. In the face of this success, however, we have also come to the realisation that the efficacy of our forces alone is not sufficient to achieve the desired strategic end. Our public image among Nigerians does not match the debt of our commitment and service to the Nigerian people,”
Just as the COAS rightly said, there are very few Nigerians today who will give the military kudos for the job it has been doing in tackling insurgency. But it is true they are doing their best, especially under the new leadership, to bring peace to Nigeria, to secure live and property of the citizens.
One thing often overlooked however by Nigerians themselves is the military is not designed for keeping the peace internally. It is the duty of the police to do so. As most people know, the army are to confront and tackle external aggression.
Even so, they have committed to fighting terrorism as professionally as they can under Lt. General Yahaya’s command whose avowed mission once he took over as COAS is a man on a mission to degrade terrorists. Has he succeeded in his mission so far?
Yes, of course. For one, the recent GTI rating is a pointer. Two, there have been several arrests of insurgents ever since he came on board. Months ago, for example, this online publication reported how members of Boko Haram and Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP) surrendered unconditionally to the military.
Writing about the capitulation then, a reporter described the surrender as a routine scenario in much of the Sahel region. “What has become a routine scenario played out in the harsh and inhospitable sahel region between the Nigeria Army and members of Boko Haram and Islamic State for West Africa Province (ISWAP). Before a phalanx of the NA were men and women of the terrorist organizations. The men wore long gowns with bowed faces. Sitting cheek by jowl, the women were in burqah, idling away or chewing groundnuts. There were children, as well. They had all surrendered to the superior fire power of the Nigeria Army.”
Much of that victory and development, taking the fight to base of terrorists as the COAS chest-thumped, “illustrates the success of the army’s new, aggressive approach of ground troop deployment and aerial bombardment in Borno, including an increased troop presence in the south of the state to beat back the insurgents.”
This strategic deployment of troops, the journalist continued, was achieved by Lt. General Yahaya. “it is the change in strategy by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Farouk Yahaya, that is largely responsible for these successes. The COAS spoke to officers and men of the NA about the change in strategy last November. The plan of action combines sustained airstrikes with Tucano aircraft and heavy artillery bombardment, utilizing synergy between the army and the air force in its offensives while enhancing intelligence assets, elements absent in the past.”
As it is, the war on terrorism continues and Nigerians hope that Lt General Farouk Yahaya will live up to his promise that the “NA will not let the country down.”
