Rising insecurity: Buhari may axe security chiefs

President MuhammaduBuhari has come under intense pressure even from within the All Progressives Congress to sack his service chiefs in the face of renewed Boko Haram attacks. OLUSESAN LAOYE, EZUGWU OBINNA and OKUNADE ADEKUNLE report

In view of the recent upsurge in the activities of Boko Haram terrorists, some notable Nigerians are beginning to put pressure on President MuhammaduBuhari to get rid of serving military chiefs in the country and appoint officers with fresh ideas.

Already, Buhari’s young administration is facing growing criticisms for its inability to tackle what have become daily onslaughts by the terror group, with many observers noting that the attacks have escalated under the new President. This indeed ridicules Buhari’s assurances during the electioneering campaigns that he would flush out the insurgents soonest if he was elected into office.

In the past one month alone, the insurgents have carried out series of attacks in states like Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Kano, Kaduna and even the North Central State of Plateau which had witnessed relative peace for some time. The terrorists have also increased their attacks in neighbouring countries such as Chad and Niger with 19 people killed last week in those two countries.

Attacks in various states in the country over the past one month have also led to the death of hundreds of people, prompting fresh fears over the capacity of Buhari’s government to end the carnage. Recently, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu reportedly took a swipe at the President by reminding him that Boko Haram’s attacks have got worse under him. Although Ekweremmadu later clarified that he was quoted out of context, the alleged claim is nonetheless, not out of tune with the perception of a good number of Nigerians in that regard.

Other notable Nigerians have also at one point or the other expressed worry over the increasing attacks and of course the President is being berated by concerned individuals on various social media platforms for failing to tackle the situation.

These developments, Hallmark learnt are already becoming a source of worry to the President A source close to the corridors of power in Aso Rock disclosed to our correspondent that the President has become very uncomfortable with the spate of attacks and is considering a military shake up as a way forward.

“Of course the President is disturbed by the developments; Nigerians are being killed by these mindless people. It is so unfortunate, but measures are being put in place to put an end to it. Just like he has promised, Boko Haram will soon be history,” the source assured.

He further explained, “The move (changing military chiefs) is on the cards, it is possible but I am not in a position to give further information on that.”

Such move may not however, come as a surprise considering that the service chiefs were inherited by Buhari from the last administration and in fact, part of the argument of those who are pressuring the President to make the move is that since the current military chiefs were appointed by the former president, Goodluck Jonathan whose administration was largely adjudged to have failed to end Boko Haram, he should get his own people to lead the fight against the insurgents.

The call for the removal of the security chiefs did not just start today; it has been on since the tenure of President Jonathan, when the insurgents were taking over territories and annexing towns and villages. It was also at the same period that some of the soldiers, were refusing to go to the war front because of complaints that they were not being provided with good ammunitions to fight the insurgents. Their actions became controversial and led to a big national debate. What also gave Nigerians concern was the trial and court-martial of the erring officers and men. Some of them have been tried and sentenced to death, while others still have their fates hanging on the balance.

In the opinion of Mr.AdetokumboMumuni, the Executive Director of the Socio-Economic and Accountability Project (SERAP) for instance, there was an urgent need for Buhari to change the current service chiefs. According to him, since the said officers were appointed by Jonathan and have stayed in office for more than a year without making much impact, it is suggestive of the fact that they have run out of ideas.

“Changing of serving military chiefs will be a perfect suggestion because the current set of service chiefs have been in office for a year and above and in spite of being in office for so long, they have been grappling with the terrorists without much success, so they don’t have anything new to offer. Let a new set of service chiefs be appointed,” Mumuni suggested.

In his own remarks, former Special Assistant on Education to the immediate past governor of Lagos State, BabatundeFashola; OtumbaFataiOlukoga insisted that there was no point leaving the current service chiefs in office. He opined that they ought to have been removed since, and in his assessment, their continued stay is part of what is giving the insurgents the morale to attack Nigerians. “The insurgents know the service chiefs are not doing much to curtail them,” he said.

There are those who believe, however, that the president should go beyond the removal of service chiefs as only that will not address the key problems confronting the army in the effort against the terror group.

In this school of thought is Mr. Wale Okunniyi, the spokesperson of Pro-National Conference (PRONACO). According to him, there is a fundamental problem affecting security institutions in the country which cannot be separated from the issues besetting the nation in the areas of politics and its constitution.

Okunniyi noted that sacking of service chiefs will only be a palliative move but not the major solution to the real issues. He called on President Buhari to, not only sack the military chiefs but also restructure the security institutions while also reminding him of the pressing need for constitutional reforms.

Also speaking in this regard, Dr. Greg Ezea, the Head of Mass Communication Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), advised Buhari to crosscheck the security apparatus in other to find out if there was indeed sabotage.

Ezea called to question the intelligent gathering capacity of the military, suggesting that it had been below par probably because there are people leaking information to the terrorists. “The insurgents are probably daring the president because of the promise he made in his inaugural speech to flush them out. It goes beyond military checkpoints.

“Buhari should look inwards to find out if there is sabotage. Crosscheck the security apparatus to fish out any bad eggs. Where do they stay and plan these attacks, where is the intelligence, why are they not being discovered in their hideouts?” he wondered.

Nonetheless, Buhari is said to be uncomfortable with the appointees of the former president; service chiefs inclusive, which is supposedly why he thought it necessary to get rid of individuals like the former Director of the Department of State Security Service, ItaEkpeyong as well as demote other’s like the agency’s spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar. It would be recalled that speculations had emerged following Ekpeyong’s removal that the president was also about to remove service chiefs.

Already the President has announced the withdrawal of Ambassadors including chief OjoMaduekwe and Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu as part of efforts to reposition the country’s foreign policy. However, only non-career Ambassadors were affected by the recall.

The said service chiefs are the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Major General Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral UsmanJibrin as well as Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall AdesolaAmosu, are said to be aware of the impending developments. Hallmark sources gathered that some are now lobbying close associates of the president in a bid to keep their jobs.

In his reaction, a governorship aspirant of the PDP in the last election in Oyo State, Engineer Femi Babalola said that there was the need for the present government to do what is right to curtail insurgency and to put adequate security in place. He was of the opinion that if changing the security chiefs would give the country the desired change on security situation in the country, it could be done. The senator representing Kaduna Central and an activist, ShehuSani said that in as much as the country is suffering from security challenges, the President should not be stampeded into taken rash actions that would not be in the overall interests of the entire country.  He stressed that virtually all the security chiefs in the country were inherited from the previous government.

The President of the voters’ assembly, comrade MoshoodErubami said that changing of the security chiefs by a new government is not a new thing in the country.

Also, Bishop DapoAsaju of the Anglican Communion said that for the country to overcome the security challenges, the whole country must be full of prayers for the present government, whether there is a change in the security outfit of the country or not.

Meanwhile Lagos lawyer Femi Falana recently castigated President Buhari for attending the last G7 meeting and the assistance he went to seek over security and economic problems facing the country.