New Telegraph

Army played into hands of bandits by attacking Benue communities, says Ladi Thompson

…regional security politicised, not solution to insecurity

Rev Ladi Thompson has faulted the recent military invasion of a community in Benue State, following the killing of an officer and 10 soldiers by yet to be identified gunmen, saying that the army has played into the hands of the bandit by the attack. This is even as he said that the setting up of security outfits by the various regions has been politicised, disorganised and ill-defined, fearing that this would never achieve the intended purpose. He adds that Nigeria is yet to understand the nature of the war confronting it on all fronts.
According to Thompson, who is also clergy strategic consultant, ‘‘the military action to retaliate the killing of its soldiers in Benue is just another symptom of this cruel, unrelenting and calculated predator. “Somebody is tightening the noose in the Middle Belt. ‘‘It is becoming glaring that we all are taking too long; I mean, the government, the media and other institutions, to accept the fact that our nation is at war.

“It is a new war form that engages asymmetrical warfare and hybrid threats. It flouts all old conventions of war and thumbs its nose at the traditional command structure. ‘‘We have said over and over again that it is a highly intelligent and hydra headed war machinery that has studied all our differences and fault lines. “It is extremely opportunistic and loves to generate chaos in order to collapse the nation from within.’’

Thompson however calls for a more intelligent and strategic move on the part of the government, saying that, ‘‘to resolve this type of attacks we need to calm down, knowing that the media is a force multiplier that the terrorists can use to further confuse us. ‘‘Until Nigeria undertakes a cleansing exercise to flush out moles in high places across the government offices and all other institutions, we will continue to go round around in fruitless circles. ‘‘One intelligent terrorist in high places is more dangerous than a whole battalion of Shekaus.

“The Nigerian government cannot take things for granted because this war form normally infiltrates the corridors of power to plant its spies. ‘‘We must be careful to defend the unity of the Nigerian Army even in the face of the Benue retaliation or else the terrorists would have scored a greater victory than the murders reported.’’ To put an end to these killings, he says attention has to be on flushing out the moles in high places. He said: ‘‘When we flush out the terrorist moles in high places, these kinds of attacks will cease completely.’’

On the regional security outfits put in place by the South-west and South-east, Thompson, who says he was one of the proponents of regional outfit, expressed displeasure over the way it is being handled as he believes it is now politicised.

‘‘Unfortunately, the efforts have been politicised and watered down to produce further confusion. “The so-called regional forces are ill-defined, loosely welded and highly disorganised para-military arrangements that don’t have the intelligence to tackle the new war form.’’

Though it gives the people some sentimental and psychological fulfillment, however, Thompson says it is not the solution to the security challenge. ‘‘They have a feel-good psychological factor but ultimately Nigeria will discover that this mode of construction of the regional security efforts will make them catalysts rather than retardants to the victory of terrorism,’’ he says.

Adding, ‘‘there may be nothing wrong with Nigeria’s security if we accept that a nation divided against itself cannot stand. “There are a few things that can be used to turn the tide of the terror war but it is all a waste of breath prescribing them as long as the government is not prepared to face the enemies within. “Wearefacinganenemythat has a global reach even though it shows us its local faces.’’

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