Nigeria’s people say they are terrified of insurgents but they are also scared of the military.
Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, Major-General Christopher Musa, has urged all Nigerians to support counterinsurgency operations and to remain united to tackle the security challenges facing the country.
Since the emergence of violent conflict in Nigeria’s northeast, the military, political leaders, traditional institutions, the media, insecurity observers and other relevant stakeholders have been advocating for the support of local communities to help put an end to the security challenges plaguing the country.
But it’s not clear if people in the region really understand their role in supporting counterinsurgency operations.
RNI spoke to some to see if they really understood their role.
A Maiduguri resident, Ahmed Talib Babagana, said: “I don’t know what role I have in counterinsurgency operations. I am not a security operative, so I don’t think I have any role because it is the work of the military and the other security bodies to end the insurgency.
“Even if I have any useful information to give to the military, I don’t know how to inform them because I’m afraid of them. I would be happy if there was a convincing and safe way of reaching out to the military because that would make it easier for someone like me.”
Bulama Mustapha Dawud, who also lives in Maiduguri, said: “Some years back the Nigerian Army allocated a huge amount of money to be used to pay people who reported any suspicious movements or gave them secret information about the armed groups or criminals in the community. Indeed this is a good idea, but from all indications there is no protection for those who report secret information relating to insurgents. That’s why I’m afraid to talk about things related to insecurity.
“In the past many people were killed, communities were displaced by the armed groups and they [the armed groups] told the people categorically that they had attacked them for reporting them to the military. In whatever that I do, I prioritise my own safety first.”
Faruk Bala said: “We fear that if you report secret information in the end there is no guarantee that you will be protected. The whole community has been asked to share suspicious happenings but we are fearful. The questions are: Where do we report suspicious or secret information and will we be protected?”
While discussing the call for unity by the chief of defence staff, a security expert in the Lake Chad Basin region, Seidik Abba, said: “Defeating terrorists and terrorism at this time is not an easy thing. In the past anyone who committed a crime was known and would be detained easily by the local authorities because the population was small and people knew one another. But now everything has changed and the population has grown drastically.
“Therefore, the military must come back to seek the unity and trust of the people to show them that the fight against terrorism is paramount. They should understand that the peoples’ safety is even more crucial.
“Seeking community unity and trust is the easiest way to achieve the desired success,” Abba said.
“If people had trust in the military, this would allow the soldiers to get to know who the insurgents are.
“I am sure that if there is trust and unity between the army and the community, then the insurgents will be defeated. The people are afraid of the insurgents and the military too. They are left confused, so the only way to find relief is through unity and trust.
“It is necessary to provide effective protection for those who are dedicated to speaking out about private information – but, if the security agencies give more importance to accessing private information than to protecting the people who provided it, many problems will remain.”
Adamu Aliyu Ngulde
