Former navy intelligence officer, Group Captain Sadeeq Shehu (Rtd), has mentioned that the majority of Nigeria’s safety challenges are pushed by inner elements, stressing the necessity for sincere reflection and locally-driven options.
Talking in an interview on ARISE Information on Saturday, Shehu mentioned, “I feel I can say 80 or 90 % of the issues, whether or not within the Northeast, whether or not within the North Central, whether or not in Kwara State, it has to do with a neighborhood drawback, and it’s a homegrown drawback.”
He made the remarks whereas reacting to the latest assault in Jos, Plateau State, which claimed a number of lives and marked a shift from rural to city violence.
Based on him, the incident in Jos must be deeply regarding for authorities, significantly as a result of it occurred inside a significant metropolis and close to a navy formation.
“The Jost incident, which occurred in Anguwa-Rukuba… is the world the place the third Armored Division is situated. So it’s actually, you recognize, scary that an assault can occur in that space within the metropolis of Jos,” he mentioned.
He added that whereas hypothesis has surrounded accountability for the assault, there’s nonetheless no confirmed perpetrator.
“Primarily based on the obtainable info on the bottom, we have no idea who was answerable for that assault,” he acknowledged.
Shehu, nevertheless, rejected makes an attempt to border the violence strictly as terrorism, arguing as a substitute that the disaster in Plateau displays deeper communal tensions.
“I nonetheless assume it… is an intercommunal violence between people who haven’t agreed to reside amongst themselves and to reside and permit different folks to additionally reside,” he mentioned.
He urged stakeholders inside Plateau State to take accountability for resolving the disaster, noting that over-reliance on exterior explanations undermines real options.
“There may be this tendency that I see typically when a safety drawback overwhelms our safety forces, we’re at all times on the lookout for exterior actors,” he mentioned.
“We’ve to be very sincere with ourselves and search for homegrown options, whether or not they’re in governance, whether or not it’s in intelligence.”
Past the Jos assault, Shehu additionally addressed broader regional safety efforts, significantly the challenges going through the Multinational Joint Activity Power (MNJTF) combating Boko Haram within the Lake Chad Basin.
He described the power as mandatory however structurally flawed, noting that it lacks true operational unity.
“It isn’t but a joint process power, you recognize, per se… the troops are working inside its personal borders,” he mentioned.
He identified that restrictions tied to nationwide sovereignty restrict the power of troops to pursue insurgents throughout borders.
“If Nigeria is pursuing a ban on Boko Haram, as quickly because it crosses into Cameroon border, the pursuing forces need to cease,” he defined.
Shehu additionally highlighted funding challenges, noting that Nigeria typically bears a disproportionate burden in sustaining the power.
“Generally, Nigerian authorities, whether or not it’s introduced or not, we’ve to pay via the nostril to subsidize these international locations to proceed their collaboration,” he mentioned.
He additional criticised frequent management adjustments inside the process power, warning that brief tenures weaken operational effectiveness.
“Hardly you’ll discover a commander… that stays greater than two years,” he mentioned.
On the federal government’s response to the Jos assault, Shehu faulted each federal and state authorities for poor communication and lack of empathy.
“Everytime you emit a communication, and you discover that after two days or three days, you must come again and make clear… then your communication could be very poor,” he mentioned.
He pressured that disaster messaging should be rigorously dealt with to keep away from deepening public frustration, particularly amongst grieving communities.
Regardless of acknowledging some enhancements in official responses, Shehu insisted that extra work is required to align communication, logistics, and management actions throughout nationwide tragedies.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Times Nigeria