Nigeria must go beyond rhetoric, declare war on terrorists – Ex-CDS Irabor

Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd), has called on the Federal Government to formally declare war on bandits and insurgents responsible for widespread violence across the country.

He argued that such an official declaration is crucial for achieving a decisive and coordinated victory against terrorism.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s “Politics Today” on Monday night, General Irabor noted that while Nigeria continues to battle severe insecurity in various regions, there is no existing legal framework declaring the nation to be officially at war.

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“There are no legal instruments indicating that Nigeria is at war. There’s none; we’re only assuming that we are at war,” the former defence chief said.

According to him, declaring war would allow the government to mobilise and coordinate the full elements of national power toward a unified war effort.

“Of course, there is a need to declare war in order to aggregate the elements of state power directly to the war effort,” he explained.

Irabor argued that such a declaration would ensure that resources were properly channelled and accountability strengthened within the security sector.

“It will make a huge difference because resources, of course, will now be properly channelled, and then accountability frameworks can now be properly outlined in such a manner that we’re able to see results for some of the expenditures that we make,” he noted.

While acknowledging that maintaining security is expensive, Irabor dismissed public perceptions that the military was profiting from the prolonged insecurity in the country.

He further emphasised that tackling insecurity requires more than just military intervention, urging the government to deploy other instruments of state power through sound policies that address the root causes of violence.

“By the way, let me also say that it is not just the military line of operation. We’re talking about the aggregate of the deployment of the elements of state power beyond just military power that will help us,” he added.

Citing insights from his new book, “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum”, the retired Army general called for the adoption of inclusive social and economic policies to mitigate the risk factors that fuel insecurity.

“In my book, I have advocated for a pivoting away from the preponderance of military or, if you like, high power, to utilising other elements, which involve majorly government policies,” Irabor said.

“If we’re able to reduce the number of out-of-school children, those who are vulnerable to criminals to employ, those who do not have jobs, and so many other things, then of course we’ll be reducing those who, perhaps, the criminals want to recruit.”

He also cautioned political leaders against politicising security issues, warning that their actions and inactions continue to contribute to the nation’s insecurity.

Nigeria has continued to grapple with recurring attacks by bandits and insurgents, especially in the northern regions, leaving hundreds dead and displacing thousands.

Recall that President Bola Tinubu, in his nationwide broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day anniversary, maintained that the military was winning the war against terrorism and restoring peace to previously troubled areas.

“Peace has returned to hundreds of our liberated communities in the North-West and North-East, and thousands of our people have returned safely to their homes,” Tinubu said.

“They are winning the war against terrorism, banditry, and other violent crimes. We see their victories in their blood and sweat to stamp out Boko Haram Terror in the North-East, IPOB/ESN terror in the South-East, and banditry and kidnapping.”

However, opposition parties have dismissed the President’s claims, arguing that insecurity remains a major challenge in many parts of the country.