BY BRIGHT JACOB
Perhaps, feeling the heat and the effrontery of daredevil terrorist groups in different parts of the country, and most recently, in no other place than the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, minority Senators in the National Assembly have presumably woken from their proverbial slumber and instigated impeachment threats against the President, Muhammadu Buhari, and called for measures aimed at preventing the deteriorating insecurity in the country from turning the seat of power into the new battleground for marauding terrorists.
The Senators, led by Senate Minority Leader, Phillip Aduda (PDP, FCT) also staged a walkout after Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, vetoed a move to debate the recent security challenges sweeping across the whole country.
The disgruntled lawmakers went ahead to give the President a six-week ultimatum to address the current state of insecurity or risk impeachment.
However, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Muhammed, after last week’s Federal Executive Council meeting at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday, stated that the Federal Government was already dealing with the situation.
The following day, the President summoned an emergency meeting of the National Security Council at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, to review the security situation and proffer solutions.
Indeed, while the aggrieved senators who threatened to impeach the President may be having firsthand experience of the kind of “war” bloodthirsty terrorist groups are waging against the nation could have, ordinary citizens, have become nervous wrecks because of the activities of the same terrorists, known locally as bandits. The citizens may now heave a sigh of relief that the so-called high and mighty political elite have also been ticked on the checklists of terrorists, and included among those who will suffer their wrath. Now that the fire is burning too close for their comfort in Abuja, it is hoped they will do everything possible to proffer quick solutions to the menace.
Albeit, while Nigerians await the “miracle” solutions to the debilitating problem and possibly a total eradication of those described as “enemies of the state,” threats and planned attacks have continued to come the way of poor and hapless citizens.
For instance, the terrorists allegedly wrote a letter threatening to attack the Nigerian Law School in the Bwari area of Abuja. They disclosed the school was on its radar for imminent pillaging and unrestricted wanton destruction.
As a precautionary measure, the Nigerian Army deployed its men there to prevent any senseless killings and stop anyone who wanted to foment trouble. Sadly, the military personnel unexpectedly encountered well-equipped criminals and harbingers of death who confronted some of the gallant Nigerian soldiers at the Law School killing three.
Now, it is necessary to state that before the confluence of terrorists in Abuja, their operations were limited mainly to states like Niger, Benue, Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Adamawa.
To refresh our memory, early last month, a convoy carrying an advance security team for President Buhari was attacked in Katsina State, and the Presidency told Nigerians that only two people sustained “minor” injuries.
Various schools, secondary and tertiary, have also become unfortunate “theatres of war” where terrorists shoot sporadically into and kidnap students. Schools like Greenfield University in Kaduna State and Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, have experienced terrorism at its worst.
Also, the horrifying fallout from the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, where passengers have been in captivity since March, remains a nightmare, especially to families whose loved ones were either killed or captured.
The terrorists who set free some of their captives whose family members may have paid a ransom for their release were seen recently in a viral video flogging some passengers whose families and the government haven’t met conditions for their release with crude barbarity.
In their hideout somewhere in a forgotten forest in Nigeria, they (terrorists) audaciously threatened to abduct the President and Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as well as other prominent Nigerians if their demands were not met. They also remarked that they would kill and sell off some of the abducted passengers.
One terrorist said, “This is our message to the government of Nigeria and just as you have seen these people here, by God’s grace, you will see your leaders, your Senators and Governors will come before us. These ones you are seeing here, we will keep some as our slaves and sell them off just as our Imam told you in the past.
“Just like the Chibok girls that were sold off, we will equally sell these ones as slaves. If you don’t adhere to our demands, we will kill the ones we need to kill and sell the remaining. By God’s grace, El-Rufai, Buhari, we will bring you here.”
“The terrorists who set free some of their captives whose family members may have paid a ransom for their release were seen recently in a viral video flogging some passengers whose families and the government haven’t met conditions for their release with crude barbarity”
Now, it is likely that other terrorists groups, buoyed by the bravado of the Abuja-Kaduna train attackers, have mapped out Abuja for a violent attack. They have brazenly walked into the once fortified capital territory, and already begun to carry out their nefarious operations, and then in true commando-style, either ride or drive out in blood-curdling triumph.
On the day the Presidential convoy was attacked in Katsina State, a Medium Security Prison in the Kuje area of Abuja was attacked. While that operation lasted, gunshots rattled the peace of the Abuja night, even as explosive devices which caused heart-thumping experiences were used to level prison blocks.
In the end, more than 800 inmates, Boko Haram members inclusive, were set free, and though the authorities announced it had recaptured more than half of the fleeing inmates, many others would have likely made their way back to the “trenches” for a reunion with other terrorists and kidnappers they share a violent camaraderie with, to continue to execute their radical and extremist intention to cripple the nation.
Then, to resonate with the fears of Nigerians regarding the safety of lives and properties in Abuja, soldiers of the 7 Guards Battalion of the Nigerian Army Presidential Guards Brigade were on July 22 ambushed by terrorists with two officers and six soldiers making the supreme sacrifice.
Reacting, the Army, through its Director of Defence Media Operations, Bernard Onyeuku, said in a press conference on last Thursday, that about 30 terrorists out of those who carried out the atrocity had been “neutralized”, after a combined team of military personnel from 7 Guards Battalion and 167 Special Forces Battalion in conjunction with the air component of “Operation Whirl Punch” destroyed the terrorists’ enclave and hideout between Sunday, July 24 and Tuesday 26 July, 2022.
According to Onyeuku, “Troops of 7 Guards Battalion and 167 Special Force Battalion in conjunction with the air component of Operation WHIRL PUNCH conducted a clearance patrol around Bwari general area between 24 and 26 July 2022.
“Troops successfully clear Kawu and Ido villages. Consequently, about 30 terrorists were neutralized and their enclave and hideout destroyed. Ground troops also recovered 6 x motorcycles, 2 x AK47 rifles, 1 x fully loaded LMG magazine amongst others during the mob up.
“The hierarchy of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies wishes to re-assure Nigerians of its commitment and pact with all Nigerians.
“With the recent operations carried out from July 24, we wish to assure residents of FCT in particular that we are undaunted and unrelenting in our efforts to ensure the safety of lives and properties.
“People should go about their normal business as their safety is guaranteed. The support and cooperation of all Nigerians is hereby solicited as security is everybody’s business.
“Citizens are encouraged to report unusual persons in your community to security agencies. If you see something, say something,” Onyeuku, a Major General in the Army, said.
In a voice note allegedly made by an injured soldier who was part of the Guards Brigade and who claimed he was recuperating at the National Hospital in Abuja, a letter was purportedly written by the terrorists to the Nigerian Law School, Bwari, where the terrorists threatened to attack the school.
According to the anonymous soldier, his battalion, the Guards Brigade, was informed of the looming attack, and immediately “we went there and started an all-round defence deployment.”
Continuing, the soldier said his battalion got suspicious of the terrorists’ plans, and thought it was possible they had a plan B to attack another “prominent target” in the area. After a careful assessment, Veritas University, which is some 3.2km away from the law school, was pinpointed to be the likely actual target.
“We went there (Veritas), too, to create all-round defence, and we have been there for over two weeks now before this attack happened on Sunday,” he said.
Explaining further, the soldier said it was while at Veritas University they observed flashlights in the bushes at night, and after they enquired from the school’s security unit about the source of the light and got no satisfactory answer, his battalion decided to venture into the bush at dawn.
“Daybreak, we advanced into the bush. It was on Sunday, and I went there with them. When we got there, we saw where they were smoking, where they killed a goat and were eating. That was when we realised these people (terrorists) were in the bush.
“We now reinforced. We called for backup and they brought APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier), they brought gun trucks, and they also brought the artillery team. We advanced into the bush (once again) searching for them,” he declared.
Still narrating, the wounded soldier said it was after they got to a particular part of the forest where there was water and rocks, and “the gun truck cannot channel through” that they decided to park and leave behind their military hardware.
“We parked the AA (Anti-Aircraft), GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) and gun trucks because they couldn’t advance. We only went into the bush with our AK-47 rifles we were all carrying…that’s all. We didn’t even carry RPGs (Rocket-Propelled Grenades), thinking there would just be a pocket of terrorists, not more than 20 or 30 (of them),” he said.
In his view, that was the reason they recorded the casualties they suffered as the terrorists were the first to notice them from afar, laid ambush for them by flanking them from left and right, and immediately they were within range, engaged them in a gruelling gun battle.
On the casualty figure suffered by the three Army units mustered to go into the bush for battle with the terrorists, he said “It was 3 units that went there, 177 and 102 from Keffi, including my own unit, 7 Guards battalion.
We lost four soldiers in my Unit. They dislodged us because they were fully prepared. They shelled mortar and IED, but we still managed to kill almost 12 of them.
“They succeeded in killing a Captain, a Lieutenant and two soldiers in my unit, and the rest of the Units, I think they lost one soldier each,” he said.
Narrating further, the soldier stated that after reinforcement came, they “dislodged” all the terrorists from the bush, and added the quick intervention of the military prevented the Law School from being overrun.
Concerned that there are different versions to what happened in Bwari, the soldier put a seal of validation on his own story, and said, “Any other narration in the news (about the attack) is a lie. Everybody is just gathering information to say many things that are not real.”
Meanwhile, the ECOWAS Commission has issued an Immediate Security Advisory to its entire Staff “to adhere with the current state of insecurity sweeping across the country lately.
The advisory highlighted that “intelligence reports warned of plans by undesirable elements to infiltrate various parts of the country, particularly state capitals, including the FCT, with the view to perpetrate crimes such as abductions and kidnappings for ransom, or as means of getting recruits for terrorist activities.”
On his part, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has lamented the raging insecurity in the country, saying “Nigeria is in a critical moment where misguided and terrible actors attempt to destroy social harmony and reign violence on us all.”
Tinubu lamented the raging insecurity in the country, said “Nigeria is in a critical moment where misguided and terrible actors attempt to destroy social harmony and reign violence on us all.”
He stated this in a statement by his Media Adviser, Tunde Rahman, in which he congratulated the newly-elected President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Daniel Okoh.
Consequently, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has approved a shake-up in the Nigerian Army amid the rising wave of insecurity in the country.
“Intelligence reports warned of plans by undesirable elements to infiltrate various parts of the country, particularly state capitals, including the FCT, with the view to perpetrate crimes such as abductions and kidnappings for ransom, or as means of getting recruits for terrorist activities”
Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director Army Public Relations, announced the posting and appointment of some senior officers of the Nigerian Army to command, instructional and staff appointments across army formations and units.
He said the move was part of the effort to reposition the Nigerian Army for operational efficiency and proficiency.
The army spokesman quoted the Chief of Army Staff as directing all the newly appointed senior officers to redouble their effort and commitment to duty in tackling the security challenges bedevilling the nation.
“Those affected in the redeployment released on Thursday 28 July 2022, include some Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, General Officers Commanding, Corps Commanders, Commandants of training institutions, Brigade Commanders, Commanding Officers, amongst others,”Nwachukwu said in a statement.
“Some of the senior officers appointed as General Officers Commanding (GOCs) are Major General UT Musa from Headquarters 81 Division to Headquarters 82 Division and appointed GOC, Major General TA Lagbaja from Headquarters 82 Division to Headquarters 1 Division and appointed GOC, Major General OC Ajunwa from Nigeria Defence Section Brasilia to HQ 81 Division and appointed GOC , while Major General AS Chinade was redeployed from Depot Nigerian Army to Headquarters 2 Division and appointed GOC.
“The newly appointed Army Headquarters Principal Staff Officers include, Maj Gen OW Ali, from Headquarters Command Army Records to Army Headquarters Department of Army Administration and appointed Chief of Administration (Army) Maj Gen S Muhammed, from Defence Headquarters to Department of Army Standards and Evaluation and appointed Chief of Army Standards and Evaluation (Army), Major General JA Ataguba from Army Headquarters Department of Army Standards and Evaluation to Defence Headquarters and appointed, Director Peacekeeping Operations, Major General AA Adesope from Headquarters Nigerian Army Finance Corps to Defence Headquarters and appointed Chief of Defence Accounts and Budget, Major General US Mohammed from Army Headquarters Department of Administration to Nigerian Army Resource Centre and appointment Senior Research Fellow.
“Other senior officers affected in the redeployment are Major General PB Fakrogha, from Defence Headquarters Garrison to Defence Space Agency and appointed Director Policy Plans and Research, Major General MO Enendu, from Nigerian Army College of Logistics to Defence Headquarters and appointed Director Psychological Warfare, Major General AE Attu from Defence Headquarters Department of Defence Training and Operations to Defence Headquarters Garrison and appointed Commander, Major General BE Onyeuko from Defence Headquarters Directorate of Defence Media Operations to Defence Headquarters Department of Logistics and appointed Director Procurement
“The newly appointed Corps Commanders are, Major General AM Alabi, from Nigerian Army Ordnance School to Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps and appointed Corps Commander Ordnance, Major General A Mohammed, from Nigerian Army Farms and Ranches Limited and to Headquarters Nigerian Army Electrical Mechanical Engineers and appointed Corps Commander Electrical Mechanical Engineers, Major General E Akerejola from Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport to Headquarters Nigerian Army Corps of Transport and appointed Commander Corps of Supply and Transport, Major General AA Fayemiwo from Nigerian Army Welfare Holdings Limited by Guarantee to Headquarters Finance Corps and appointed Chief of Accounts and Budget (Army).
“Senior officers newly appointed as Commandants of Nigerian Army Training Institutions are Major General PI Eze, from Defence Headquarters Department of Procurement to Nigerian Army Ordinance School and appointed Commandant, Major General AA Adeyinka from Army Headquarters Department of Army Logistics to Nigerian Army College of Logistics and appointed Commandants, Major General PP Malla from Army Headquarters Department of Army Administration to Depot Nigerian Army and appointed Commandant as well as Brigadier General UT Otaru from Defence Headquarters to Nigerian Army School of Supply and Transport and appointed Acting Commandant.
“The newly appointed Brigade Commanders are, Brigadier General DH Ndahi, from Nigerian Army Resource Centre to Headquarters 4 Brigade and appointed Commander, Brig Gen FS Etim from Amphibious Training School to Headquarters 6 Brigade and appointed Commander, Brigadier General EA Orakwe from Headquarters 6 Division to Headquarters 19 Brigade and appointed Commander, Brigadier General JO Are from Army Headquarters Department of Army Standards and Evaluation to Headquarters 3 Brigade and appointed Commander, amongst others.”
