Senator Ali Ndume, representing Southern Borno, has credited former President Goodluck Jonathan with effectively driving out Boko Haram insurgents during the final months of his administration by utilizing the services of a Private Military Consultant (PMC).
Ndume recounted this success story during a discussion with journalists at the 10th Senate retreat of the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, recently held in Kano.
He recalled how the collaboration between South African PMCs and the Nigerian Army played a critical role in pushing insurgents out of Maiduguri in 2014, significantly contributing to the counter-insurgency efforts at that time.
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He said, “I have been Chairman of the House Committee on Army and I am from Borno State where it all started. We fundamentally have three challenges in the country, Boko Haram, Bandits or Kidnapping and IPOB. All these three, interacting with all security agencies, if the government is very serious about these, it can be addressed in six months and at most one year.
“These bandits are not trained and not equipped. Most of the equipment they used is that delivered to them or taken over from our armed forces. In today’s technology, with advancement in ICT, if they can trace where an individual or politically exposed persons effectively, what stops you from tracing where Turji or other criminals are? So there is something fundamentally wrong there.
“And I commend the Chief of Army Staff who cried out to say that with the meagre resources, put together the security agencies, securing 230 million people is unrealistic. So, the response to it immediately is to recruit more people into the Nigerian Army. We have the youths who are willing to serve but no opportunity or encouragement. We can’t move forward when 70 per cent of our population are the youths and mostly from the poor. And they are losing faith in the country and being too desperate. Before our forefathers were captured to go and be sold as slaves. Today, our youths are taking the risks of going to Niger and others to go and become slaves on their own. They even pay for it.
“I have been advocating for one thing. Boko Haram reached its last peak in 2014, during the last days of Jonathan and somebody advised him to engage Private Military Consultants, (PMC) from South Africa and they entered agreement with them. They said they should give them two or three months to flush Boko Haram out and they did.
“When the consultant came, they were 14. They collaborated with the Nigerian armed forces and recruited from the youths, the civilian JTF who knows the bad guys and went after them to pick them up. And that was when you heard Boko Haram ran away from Maiduguri. Otherwise, there were some areas that in the afternoon you dare not go there. But Alhamdulillah, it has gone down in Maiduguri to three spots, Lake Chad region, Mandara mountain and Sambisa. So operating in those areas, if you have men on the ground, drones, Boko Haram will be history.
“These bandits go to the extent of recording themselves and broadcasting it, yet all the service Chiefs and ministers were in Sokoto, and could not get Turji.”
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Senator Ali Ndume emphasized that the Nigerian Armed Forces have the capacity to address the nation’s security challenges, stating that with a commitment to increasing personnel numbers and providing the right equipment, the current insecurity can be brought to an end.
He added that integrating modern technology would also significantly aid in combating banditry across the country.
“The Nigerian army is known for their agility, professionalism, competence and commitment but once you don’t have enough personnel, good training, equipment, arms and ammunition, there will be no result and no magic. If you give them (Service Chiefs) what it takes and give them a deadline, they will achieve it, especially when you give them the special forces and give the PMC the contract.”
“You have the terrorists, Boko Haram having the more sophisticated arms, and I go round and I observe I have not yet seen a Nigerian Army in any formation having enough number of new AK 47 not to talk of AK 49. The only time I saw new AK 47 and AK 49 is in Abuja whether in presidency or escorting a General at the front. Let us be serious. Let us concentrate on the security and welfare of the citizens. Let us not treat our problems superficially by pretending. There is hunger in the land. We have not cultivated 5 per cent of our lands in Nigeria.”
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