Enemies Within: Death of Gen. Uba raises question over fifth columnists in military 

A string of deadly ambushes recently has claimed the lives of three senior military officers, raising concerns about the security situation in Nigeria, and giving credence to a growing belief of  the infiltration of the military by bandits and insurgents. The latest victims include Colonel Dahiru Bako, Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkusu, and Brigadier General M. Uba, who were killed in separate attacks in Borno State.

Analysts believe  that the terrorists seem to have access to the military’s itinerary, targeting top officers with precision. The attacks occurred in Sabon Gari-Wajiroko axis, Damboa Local Government and Askira Uba, highlighting the enemy’s ability to strike at will.

Prof. Ayodele Emmanuel, a sociologist says “The existence of fifth columnists can not be ruled out. Former President Jonathan mentioned it, and definitely it can not be denied, as some retired military top shots have alluded to it.

The loss of these officers is a significant blow to the military, and the growing suspicion of insiders’ involvement. If the military’s plans are, indeed leaking, it poses a significant threat to national security.

Report on Brig. Gen. Uba’s capture and execution revealed that he was in contact (walkie talkie) with the forward Base for a rescue team when he was capturing, raising concern his movement and hide-out may have either been disclosed to the insurgents or intercepted by them, both which bode trouble for the military and Nigeria.

Earlier, in the wake of the abductions of the Chibok girls , the then President Goodluck Jonathan had raised the alarm of the existence of Boko Haram elements in his administration. Not many doubted his claims giving an avalanche of Boko Haram’s successes and the uncanny precision of their strikes against targets, which seemed to suggest that they had first hand intelligence.

Unknown Enemies

Only recently, Ayo Balogun, a former Nigerian Air Force officer, raised alarm that terrorism in Nigeria is being sustained not only by illicit funding networks but also by deep-rooted religious loyalties within the security forces and political class, a dangerous mix he says is undermining national security and crippling the country’s decade-long fight against insurgency.

Balogun, who spoke recently in Abuja, said that while some military commanders have been accused of selling weapons to insurgents, the problem goes beyond corruption and points to divided allegiances within the system.

“Some revelations are coming out that commanders and top officials are actually selling weapons to Boko Haram. But the issue is deeper than just selling arms, religion has become a major factor keeping the insurgency alive,”Balogun said.

The retired officer noted that  unlike the Niger Delta militancy or other economic-based conflicts that could be resolved through negotiation and incentives, Boko Haram’s ideology is rooted in religious extremism, a problem, he said, “lies in the heart” of the crisis and is far more difficult to defeat.

“You can always talk your way out of economic insurgencies if you give people the right incentives. But when an insurgency is religious, it becomes a matter of faith and conviction. No amount of money can make an indoctrinated person drop that belief,” he said.

Role of Religion

He warned that religious and territorial conflicts are the most dangerous forms of crises, often tearing nations apart.

“If you are fighting because of land, it’s serious. If you are fighting because of religion, it’s even more serious. Those are the two types of problems that can destroy a country,” Balogun said.

Commenting on recent reports that some Nigerian Army officers were caught selling weapons meant for frontline operations to insurgents, Balogun said such betrayals thrive partly because some soldiers sympathize with the enemy due to shared religious beliefs.

“A soldier, who is a staunch Islamist may see insurgents as his religious brothers. There’s already a conflict of interest,. They are human beings before they are soldiers. That’s what makes this conflict very complicated.”

He added that this dynamic also extends to politicians and government officials, some of whom, he said, may be reluctant to confront insurgents decisively because of religious affiliations.

Balogun drew parallels with other global and local conflicts, noting that wars driven by economic interests, such as the civil wars in Sierra Leone and the Congo or the Niger Delta militancy, were easier to resolve through negotiations, incentives, or amnesty programmes.

“When the Niger Delta militants were fighting, the government offered training, compensation, and engagement. It worked because it was economic. If the Boko Haram crisis were economic, it would have been solved long ago,” he explained.

“The funders of religious fundamentalism are mostly from the Middle East countries. There is clear evidence of external influence. Even the Chief of Defence Staff once admitted it,” he said.

Officials like the former Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, and former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, have noted that the effectiveness of counter-insurgency operations is severely hampered by insiders, who leak sensitive operational plans to terrorists.

Also of significance is the remark of Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, who repeatedly alleged that some politicians and military personnel are leaking information to Boko Haram and has called for dealing with such saboteurs “ruthlessly”.

Some experts and critics argue that a lack of political will and corruption in the procurement process allow these issues to persist, as some individuals profit from the ongoing conflict.

Wrong Policy

Some sources suggest that Shrink Gumi is responsible for the policy of reintegrating “repentant” militias into the military could potentially introduce saboteurs into the ranks, a claim that has generated debate. Professor Ropo Atobami, a political scientist is of this view. He told Business Hallmark that  “some of these so-called repentant bandits are a decoy to get intelligence, which they eventually pass to their field commanders in the forest. They are like CIA station chiefs posted across embassies across the globe.

The immediate past  Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, had also previously alleged military sabotage in massacres and called for unity and vigilance.

The Nigerian Army has stated its operations are relentless and that it has arrested individuals suspected of belonging to terrorist logistics and intelligence networks.

There have been calls for severe penalties, including execution, for any personnel found culpable of collaborating with enemies to serve as a deterrent.

Speaking on an Arise Television program on Wednesday, June 23, 2023 Gumi, the Islamic cleric, who has visited the terrorists’ enclaves, had accused security personnel of providing arms to terror gangs.

“These bandits, if you don’t know, are cooperating with a lot of bad elements in our security system. This is a business. So many people are involved, you’ll be so surprised,” Gumi had said.

Berating the cleric’s claim, Onyema Nwachukwu, the then army’s spokesperson, in a statement said while the army will not excuse the possibility of “black sheep amongst its fold,” it does not condone acts sabotaging its efforts as provided in the  Section 45 (1) of the Armed Forces Act CAP A 20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Nwachukwu said the allegation was a calculated attempt to denigrate the Nigerian military and undermine the sacrifices of “patriotic troops, who are working tirelessly to restore peace and stability across the country.”

“It is essential to remind ourselves that these same military, being accused of collusion, are the ones, who recently put their lives on the line to rescue abductees of the Government Secondary School, Birnin Yauri, from kidnappers,” he said.

In a disturbing  and deeply revealing letter to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, retired Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi had thrown  light on what he  termed a disturbing turn of events following a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.

According to the retired senior officer, after successfully leading an elite task force that apprehended key figures within the Boko Haram insurgency-including what he called the “real leader” of the terror group-he was not celebrated, but instead met with retaliation: compulsory retirement, arrest, and 64 days of solitary confinement.

Ali-Keffi, who once commanded the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division and served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC), was handpicked to head “Operation Service Wide,” a presidentially sanctioned counter-terrorism investigative team.

The operation reportedly uncovered not only the masterminds of Boko Haram but also a network of financiers, including senior government officials, military officers, and top financial institutions.

“The moment we arrested some of these individuals and started exposing the financial pipelines of terror, the backlash began,” Ali-Keffi revealed in his correspondence. He contends that powerful interests within and outside the government moved swiftly to suppress the operation and silence those behind it.

Even more shockingly, the General raised concerns about the tragic death of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, late Chief of Army Staff, who died in a plane crash in 2021. According to Ali-Keffi, the late COAS was determined to go after terror financiers and had endorsed the work of Operation Service Wide.