Enemy of the state: Understanding banditry and terrorism in Nigeria

The recent events in Owo, Ondo State, and other parts of Nigeria have proved that there’s more the Nigerian government can do to protect the country. Their measures against terrorism are insufficient, and citizens are tired of just thoughts, prayers, and well wishes.

Although there are inadequacies in the system, there’s still more that can be done with what is available. The enemy of the nation is also aware of these deficiencies and will exploit them for as long as the government permits. It’s time to put a stop to this.

In this article, I will analyse two crucial things the government must do to make visible progress in the war against terrorism.

If you do not know what your enemies want to achieve, it will be difficult to subdue them. Whether it’s the bandits, herdsmen, or terrorists, they have a mission, and they continue to penetrate different regions of the country

Nigeria must first understand who its enemies are and their end-state to defeat them. If you do not know what your enemies want to achieve, it will be difficult to subdue them. Whether it’s the bandits, herdsmen, or terrorists, they have a mission, and they continue to penetrate different regions of the country.

Although we may not completely understand what they want, it is clear that the enemies of Nigeria do not want it to stand together, at least from my point of view. Their tactics of killing, kidnapping, and requesting ransom have now begun to gain more attention.

One of the things they do to reach their goal is plant palpable fear into the hearts of citizens by destroying lives and properties. These terrorists understand the power of fear and use it to divide and conquer. It is crucial to understand that fear is only a tool, not a goal. Killing people isn’t the goal, it’s just a way to show power. Nigerian security operatives must identify their goal, stop it, and regain control.

Another thing the government should do is change tactics. For a long time, Nigeria has been offensive towards terrorist acts, and while this is not wrong, if a tactic hasn’t given you the results you require, it may be time to change it.

Using the wrong tactics, regardless of the weapons and technology, will only lead to failure. These terrorists are using tactical manuals and ambushes. It is dangerous to believe that they are primitive in their strategy because they’re not.

Getting the tactics right requires a lot of planning and understanding of the landscape and the enemy.

Unfortunately, the Nigerian formation is fighting against a guerilla war tactic.

You can’t fight a guerilla war with conventional tactics. You have to fight with equal tactics and have a superior understanding of the landscape to gain ground and achieve the objective.

Another method to stop their goal is by convincing them to change it. This is also called dialogue or negotiation. Although it is not a typical method, a few countries have tried this.

It is the responsibility of the Nigerian government to take a stand on whether negotiation is a plausible solution for the country.

The second and most important thing is to understand their supply chain and intercept it. You cannot eliminate the enemy if their supply chain works seamlessly. Supply chain controls operations – how they get weapons, and food supplies and how they communicate.

In understanding their supply chain, security agencies must track the borders where weapons flow from, and the road networks used to move them. These road networks existed during the old empires, and although they are not primarily visible now, still exist. This is why someone can be picked up in Lagos and ends up in Onitsha.

Read also: Britain, IPOB and terrorism

These road networks enable the enemy to get out quickly after committing heinous acts. Until Nigeria understands these intricacies, subduing them will be difficult. It’s time for security operatives to monitor these road networks If we can cripple their supply chain, we can bring them to their knees and reduce the number of victims in the country. No war or terrorist act will go far if it loses funding and supplies.

Now that we have discussed a few things the government and security agencies must do, let’s move to the people. Unlike what many believe, everybody has a duty when it comes to security – the people, government, and security agencies. We cannot leave it to the government alone to handle.

How can I be involved you may ask? This is the simple answer. When you see something strange, report it. Don’t keep quiet. If there is no one to report to, post it on social media. Only ensure that the information you are reporting is accurate, relevant, reliable, timely, and useful for decision making. With credible information, we can curb many crimes.

In conclusion, there is so much more the Nigerian government can do. If there aren’t enough security personnel, then recruit more people and train them effectively. Many countries have gone through what Nigeria is going through globally so there are a lot of opportunities to learn from them and see how they contained a lot of these security challenges.

Enough is enough.