Niger Delta Avengers, Nigerian Armed Forces, Rule of Engagement and Nigerian Government

By Adetola Ogunsola… “I will shoot you all like Boko Haram! Do you know how many people I’ve killed!?”

 

The words of a soldier in the Nigerian Army doubling as human right abusers according to Amnesty International after they accosted some U.S returnees enroute Ibadan via Lagos – Ibadan express way.

 

The soldier did not only made them lay on the road while pointing a riffle to a minor’s head threatening to shoot her first but also made them offload their luggages on the road while stepping on it all. It took the “timely” intervention of the commanding officer who managed to peep from the Hilux van ordering the soldier to let go of them.

 

Their offence? They were all comfortably seated and have the guts to laugh while their driver was attending to the soldier. Esther recount.

 

It should be noted that enrolment into the Nigeria Armed Forces is not in anyway based on merit echoed ‘Detola while giving an insight on what he went through;

 

“2013 will mark my seventh attempt in joining any of the Armed Forces (Navy, Airforce, Army) through either the Nigeria Defence Academy or the Nigeria Navy Basic Training School.” He went further to explain;

 

“I was part of the final 30 out of about 15 thousand at the NNBTS 19  but I was shocked when I noticed my name has been replaced in the final list which I checked online with someone else’s name who never participated in the recruitment process”

 

Should one expect more from an organisation that thrives on nepotism?

 

It is a known fact among military forces of the world and when by military forces, I mean standard military forces that in any conflict situation, (Guerrilla warfare,internal conflicts, external conflicts) a certain amount of rules of engagement must be observed to prevent;

1. Collateral damage
2. Civilian casualties
3. Bad pubic relations

 

 

General Suntzu once said if your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him, if he is in superior strength, evade him, present to be weak that he may grow arrogant, if he is taking his ease, give him no rest, if his forces are united, separate them!

 

I think our military forces should read the book “The Art of War” and learn military strategy not the absurd “Tom and Jerry” strategy of chaos they keep using against the said militants or freedom fighters as the case may be when you keep giving them “Martyrs”.

 

One thing I have learnt from history is that when a member of a group is willing to die for the believe of the group, you shouldn’t kill him a Martyrs and once people have Martyrs, they tend to become suicidal  wanting to become Martyrs themselves.

 

Our dear Christian religion is a ready witness to this theory. The Roman kept persecuting and giving the early church Martyrs.

 

Today, Rome itself is the center of Christianity.

 

Another example is the persecution of the blacks by the whites minority and the white majority in South Africa and United States respectively. With all the brutal forces, assassinations, imprisonment and lynching of blacks, the people were willing to die and suffer for a “just cause” and the whites only ended up giving them national and international Heros like Nelson Mandela, (who was initially branded a terrorist by US) Marcus Garvey, Malcolm IX and a host of others.

 

Flash back to the militants under Jonathan’s government. Jonathan for all his faults understood the ancient theory that “hope is stronger than fear.” That was why unlike President Buhari his predecessor, he didn’t flex muscle with the militants, instead gave them hope of a brighter future and sustained the Amnesty program and all its benefits.

 

Apparently, 16 years of PDP’s misrule could have been made right by APC as they are old wine in new bottles. To more trigger the militia, the political class and their children have taken to social media to flaunt their Ill gotten wealth leaving the hard working populace scrambling for crumbs.

 

The impatient ones either arm themselves to demand for their chunk of the commonwealth or threaten to secede their region from the country knowing fully well that their region is the economic hub of the country while the patient ones sit quietly while their right is being trampled upon awaiting the arrival of the “Messiah” who will lead them to “Zion”

 

It took President Buhari weeks to partially condemn Fulani herdsmen attacks but he was swift to condemn attacks on oil installations. Shows how much value he places on human’s life.

 

Regarding the killer herdsmen as foreigners means the president to whom the statement was credited has failed in his primary responsibility – To protect the territorial integrity of the state.

 

In the last words;

“Never think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday” – Abraham Lincoln.

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