Memo to Army Chief, General Olufemi Oluyede, by Yemi Adebowale

My dear Chief of Army Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, kindly accept my condolences over the killing of 22 gallant soldiers last weekend by Boko Haram during a military operation by troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Malam-Fatori, an infamous terrorist throttlehold in Borno State. The Commanding Officer of the Army base in the town was among soldiers killed. Few weeks back, Boko Haram launched an attack on a military Forward Operating Base in Damboa, also in Borno State, killing six soldiers. This is to also condole with you on this. Many are happy that our gallant soldiers fought bravely in all these battles.
General Oluyede, I know that no Army Chief is happy losing men and officers on the war front. But you have to go beyond this. I want you to take the recent fatalities as a challenge to rejig the war against terrorists across Nigeria. You need to reset a number of things. I am not a military strategist, but I have done a lot of research on modern warfare; and I’m still doing this. As a result, I have a number of reservations about the leadership qualities of previous army chief, particularly in the last 16 years. I also have reservations about how officers and men of the Nigerian Army go about their operations since this war against Boko Haram started in 2009.
For example, why was there no air coverage for the soldiers during that operation in Malam-Fatori? That is one of the denotations of “modern warfare.” With modern warfare, our gallant soldiers also need drones, with monitoring and attack capabilities, to enhance field operations. General Oluyede, I doubt if there is anything like this in all your areas of operations.
Army Chief, morale is evidently low among officers and men on the war fronts. They often struggle for allowances and equipment. Contrary to the rules of engagement, many of them have overstayed on the war front, yet, they are not rotated. You must end these negatives. I also expect you to improve response to distress calls from communities when terrorists strike. Sometimes soldiers respond after the deed must have been done. In most cases, they don’t respond at all.
My dear General, the biggest drawback to the war against terrorism in the last 16 years is the unending lies by your predecessors. These precursors, whose opinions would have helped this country to tackle terrorism, became merchants of lies, rolling out imaginary security achievements. That was why killings and abductions by terrorists became a daily occurrence under them with no part of Nigeria spared. You have to be different. You must change these narratives.
Terrorists are very much alive and kicking all over Nigeria. This is the truth that must be told. It is the truth you must face head-on. Only this truth can set Nigeria free from the servitude of terrorists. You must push aside all the lies by previous army chiefs that terrorists had been degraded. ISWAP, Boko Haram and other terrorists across Nigeria are very much alive.
Dear Oluyede, our military needs assistance from experienced climes to end the war against terrorists. Previous army chiefs refused to face this fact. It is pertinent to state that technology, intelligence, quality equipment and quality manpower are necessities for taming terrorists in this modern era. Drones for intelligence gathering and attacks are also vital. Our security agencies lack these. They obviously lack the capacity to effectively monitor the movement of terrorists. This is why these guerrillas move around in hundreds undetected across Nigeria.
The advanced world is in an era of fighting with drones. The drone that destroyed late Muammar Ghadaffi’s convoy was fired from a station in Alabama, United States. Our security agencies are not in any way close to this. Our gallant soldiers are doing their best but they need to be assisted. So, this country needs help from climes that can provide these military necessities and manpower. Nigeria’s previous army chiefs refused to admit this because of ego and alleged personal gains. This is why Nigeria is in this tragic security state.
My dear General Oluyede, previous army chiefs presented mercenaries as an army of occupation. This is not true. They are engaged by countries for specific purposes, with deadlines. It is not a crime to have military contractors joining a standing army to tame terrorists. This is another meaning of “modern warfare.”
Even the United States engaged military contractors for its war in Iraq and some other locations. We can all see the sloppy result of claims that the Nigerian military can do the job alone.
The Nigerian Army must seek help from climes that have successfully tamed terrorists. This country must seek assistance from private military contractors from these climes. I will always recommend Israeli, Canadian or American military contractors. This is the way forward for Nigeria.