To achieve peace in Nigeria,the government must combat the fundamental issues that fuel insecurity, such as corruption and poverty, a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Agwai, has said.
He was the guest speaker at an event organised by the Military Law Forum of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) at its Annual General Conference in Calabar.
He warned that use of force alone without dealing with the security of the individual against want could lead to more strife.
The greater risk, he said, is that the armed forces, in a bid to suppress internal acts of terror, could be stretched beyond their capacity to protect the nation against external aggression.
There is also need for synergy among the security agencies, as well as increasing their capacity to function, he said.
Other speakers included Chairman Senate Committee on Defence, Senator George Sekibo, who chaired the event; the forum’s chairman, Air Commodore Ibrahim Shafii, and an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, who represented the Inspector of Police.
Among lawyers who spoke were Chief Solomom Awomolo, who represented NBA President Okay Wali (SAN); Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN); Chairman of Council, National Human Rights Commission, Prof Chidi Odinkalu, activist-lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN), and former Kaduna State Secretary to the State Government, Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, among others.
Agwai, who as the guest speaker, said the deployment of soldiers in the northern states following a declaration of a state of emergency could have repercussion if the mission fails.
“We have already sent our first eleven and if our first eleven is defeated, I don’t know what will happen,” he said.
To him, the fundamental issues that fuel insecurity must be tackled, even as he called for better synergy among the armed forces
“Touch and go will not solve our security problems. The underlying issues must be addressed.
“The only way we can have lasting peace is like a fish in the water. You must remove the fish in the water, or else as long as there is water, the fish will survive.
“If you want to kill a tree, you must go to the root. If you cut the branches, the tree will get up and even be much bigger than it was before. Go to the root causes. Address all the root causes of our challenges.
“We need a dialogue. It’s not fault-finding, saying you are right and I am wrong. It’s to examine what the grievances are. Security is not only physical. It your security, my security, the villager’s security.”
Aqwai also blamed insecurity on poor intelligence management, saying: “If the security agencies get their intelligence and information right, then you have done part of the work.”
He said development without security is not possible, but human security is even more important, “else the balloon will burst.”
Falana said soldier gets involved in internal security matters because for 30 years, military regimes progressively weakened the ability of the police to provide effective security.
Poor funding, he said, remains a problem, as out of N93billion voted for the police in the budget, a whopping N89billion will go for recurrent expenditure.
“No police station is allocated any money. They depend on bribes. You pay for charge sheets, and despite claims that bail is free, you pay for bail. That is how they fund the stations.
“All the tables and televisions you see in the stations are exhibits. With all of this, the military will continue to be involved in internal security.
“It is not the business of the military to handle internal security. It’s the primary responsibility of the police.
“For the police to do that, we must empower them, we must equip the police, we must train the police and give the police all the necessary tools and conditions to perform that role.
“The armed forces are meant by the Constitution to play a secondary role, and that’s why it used the phrase: ‘In aid of civil authorities.’ But that has been subverted, and that’s why we’re in this mess.
“Today, the armed forces are in 28 states and Abuja. The military is now involved in election monitoring. It should not be tolerated.”
Falana said even men of the armed forces are not spared the effects of bad leadership, adding that “the military is being dehumanised by the authorities.”
According to him, when a Nigerian soldier is killed while on foreign operation, their bodies “are brought in at night and buried” rather than celebrating them as the United States does when its soldiers are killed.
“When soldiers are killed on duty, contact and compensate their families and give them heroes’ burial,” he said.
Azinge said the military should be trained on how to handle internal security without usurping the duties of the police.
“The military should realise that when they are handling security situations within their territory, they should not treat them as they would treat external aggressors.
“Why do they do well in peace-keeping operations but not do so well in internal security? This is what the military must interrogate,” he said.
Odinkalu said there is a sense of competition among the security services, which does not help the country’s safety.
“No agency is more patriotic than the other. They are serving the country,” Odinkalu said.
