President Bola Tinubu has demonstrated a steely resolve to rid the country of terrorists. This commitment to ending terrorism and making the country safe led to the appointment of Service chiefs, particularly, the decision to bring back from retirement Lt. General Christopher Musa. This has been hailed by observers as a masterstroke in the total war against insurgents. DAMOLA KOLA-DARE reports
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to fight terrorism till the end. The country’s helmsman is poised to work his socks off to get results.
His commitment to achieve unprecedented success over terrorism, banditry and all manner of societal ills has drawn praises from many.
In a bold move to match words with action, the President displayed a strong political will by appointing Service chiefs to strengthen the battle against terrorism.
Leading the pack is the career military combatant, Lt. General Christopher Musa, who was recalled from retirement to be Minister of Defence, having previously served as chief of Defence Staff.
Mayor of Urhoboland and former agitator, Dr Eshanekpe Israel, heaped plaudits on Tinubu for his unwavering determination to end heinous crimes and criminalities of varying degrees in the country.
Lauding the President for displaying a strong political will, the former militant leader described him as echoing “good governance, peace building, national unity, solidarity to the nation, growth and development.
This latest appointment by the President is a strong statement that he is determined to tackle terrorism. It sends the right signals to Nigerians, naysayers and development partners home and abroad that the Federal Government is committed to ridding the country of violence and high crimes.
The mayor, who recently received an honorary PhD in Leadership and Conflict Management from American Management University, views Musa’s appointment as an ambitious move by the President to genuinely tackle terrorism and bring lasting peace to the country instead of pampering terrorists, who are undermining national peace and progress.
Tackling insecurity
The current administration has shown great interest in combating corruption-fuelled insecurity since its inception. It would seem the United States has further propelled and subtly made the government raise the stakes.
The rejigging of the country’s security architecture by putting square pegs in square holes is yielding dividends.
The mayor argued that the Ministry of Defence, led by Musa, is currently taking the war to the insurgents, aimed at crippling their infamous activities.
Nigerians are beginning to see the effects of mathematical precision in the appointment of the right people into key positions.
Musa has shown capacity, expertise and the wherewithal to deal deadly blows to terrorists and their sponsors.
With President Donald Trump’s intervention and the deadly precision attack on the Sahel terrorists in Sokoto axis, seen as their harbinger, the military has taken the gauntlet of a seeming mop-up campaign across the strongholds of the insurgents through the most affected states in the North.
Across Sokoto, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Kwara states, among others, the military operations have whittled down the strength of the terrorists with clinical efficiency and accuracy.
Notably, since the appointment of Musa, collaboration among the Armed Forces, jointly coordinated by the Nuhu Ribadu-led Office of National Security Adviser to the President and renewed military understanding with U.S., leading to the Christmas Day bombing of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorists in Northwest, Nigeria, under Tinubu, has recorded tremendous progress in the terror war.
On December 31, the Air Force carried out coordinated strikes in Zamfara State, targeting entrenched terrorist logistics and command centres. This operation was part of a broader effort to disrupt terrorist activities, following the U.S airstrikes in Sokoto on Christmas Day, which targeted ISIS-linked camps.
Recent bombings
This month, the Air Force also bombed a terrorist camp in Borno State, specifically in the Timbuktu Triangle, as part of Operation HADIN KAI. The operation was intelligence-led and aimed at degrading terrorists’ capability and denying them sanctuary.
In addition, the military reported that it killed 50 Boko Haram terrorists in Northeast in October last year under the leadership of Musa as the chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The military also recovered arms and ammunition and rescued kidnapped victims.
“These operations demonstrate the military’s efforts at combating terrorism with support from international partners, such as U.S, all thanks to operators who have chosen to be selfless and unsympathetic to those criminals, unlike what it was in our past.
“Unlike the massive attacks on the hideouts of the ‘terrorist scums,’ a former minister was accused of telling the world that the terrain in the North is difficult to bomb due to the thickness of the area; a statement Nigerians deemed to be sympathetic to the insurgents, who killed and maimed Nigerians,” the mayor said.
He said such a statement made by a minister, who hails from one of the worse-hit zones by ISIS elements, is against the national interest.
The mayor equally condemned alleged community leaders aiding and abetting terrorists.
“Some community leaders are allegedly involved in aiding and abetting the criminals for fear of being attacked. Most people, allegedly through communal efforts, pay ransoms and taxes to terrorists, while some engage terrorists to secure their villages. The current military effort is removing all constraints to hit the location of the criminals. The success of the operations is due largely to the coordination and cooperation of the Musa-led military. No more information leakages to the criminals from the high echelons of the military, fewer compromises and betrayals.
“Musa has come to file the rough edges in planning and execution of the war, which is culminating in military success. Long before the change in security chiefs, we had reports of ambushes of the military by their targets, negotiation and payment of huge ransoms. All these are gradually fizzling out because the new sheriff in town takes no nonsense.
“These operations demonstrate the military’s commitment to dismantling terrorists’ networks and restoring peace to affected communities. The effectiveness of these efforts is amplified by improved intelligence fusion and international cooperation,” he said.
On the humanitarian crisis in the affected areas, he said the government is doing its best to ensure that survivors of the criminal onslaught are safe, adding that Tinubu’s administration is focused on addressing the needs of over three million internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by insurgency, banditry and communal clashes. International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and other partners are assisting with shelter, food, water, sanitation and psychosocial support.
As former Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, stated last year, this administration should not contemplate negotiation in any guise with the terrorists but go all out to exterminate them and make Nigeria uninhabitable for criminal elements. There is a need to fight the war dispassionately without anyone being regarded as a sacred cow.
“Be you a Christian, Muslim or traditional worshipper, the war must be total because bombs or bullets do not select who to hit. This is when the citizens should come all out, not only to commend but support our military in providing credible and workable intelligence for them to deliver. Necessary support in the form of availability of weapons of war should be given to our military to carry out the war,” Eshanekpe added.
He said: “As we speak, after years of fear, bloodshed, propaganda videos, and hollow threats, Sambisa Forest — the symbol of terror in Nigeria — has finally collapsed under the weight of a coordinated firepower. The Army has confirmed full control of the forest following weeks of relentless ground operations and precision aerial strikes.
‘‘Sambisa Forest is no longer a sanctuary for terrorists. It is now under the authority of the Nigerian state.
“For too long, Sambisa Forest was portrayed as impenetrable; a place where terrorists regrouped, trained, planned massacre and mocked the Nigerian state.
“That myth has now been shattered. This victory sends a loud and unmistakable message: There is no forest, mountain, border or hideout beyond the reach of the Armed Forces.
‘Those blackmailing the military action will be uncomfortable with this progress recorded by our military under the able supervision of the Musa-led Ministry of Defence. Those who romanticise terrorists will suddenly go quiet,” the mayor said.
Continuing, he said, Sambisa fell because force was applied; terrorists retreated because pressure was sustained, and Nigeria advanced because the military refused to blink.
“Peace does not come from negotiating with men who kidnap children and bomb markets. Peace comes when the state reclaims every inch of its territory.”
Eshanekpe noted that going by the confirmation of military authorities, troops remain actively deployed to hold the ground, secure communities, and prevent return of criminals.
He described it as crucial, adding the real danger is not the battlefield, but political hesitation, public distraction, and premature celebration.
Consolidating victory
The mayor noted that the victory, so far, must be consolidated. He said the pressure must be sustained, adding that terror must be denied oxygen —militarily, financially and digitally.
He said: “This development should mark the beginning of the end of terrorism in Northeast and the military should understand that security victories must be followed by strong governance and zero tolerance for sabotage from within.
“It is time for the country to move forward in the principle of a Renewed Hope Agenda.
“In 2027 elections, we need peace because only the living can vote. All being equal, Tinubu will be victorious against the conspiracy, called coalition. We are aware the so-called coalition is the gathering of former office holders, who were part of the ruins Nigerians suffer today.
“Fortunately, we have a nation-builder in the person of President Tinubu. The Renewed Hope Agenda is real; it’s gone beyond an agenda into a fullscale operational machinery for a new Nigeria. Across all sectors, well-meaning Nigerians are witnesses to the sweeping changes birthing a value and national reorientation.’’
