Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, has said that the Nigerian military only recently woke up to its responsibilities in asymmetrical warfare and against the unpredictable attacks by insurgents after over 10 years of fighting terrorists such as Boko Haram.
Musa, in an interview with Al Jazeera on Sunday, said that the Nigerian Army had been confronting Boko Haram, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other terrorist groups in the country through conventional means.
He also stated that they recently realised that the war against insurgents in Nigeria can only be combated from a societal approach and that it is still a work in progress.
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Musa said this in response to a question about the direction Nigeria took to tackle the decade-long insecurity challenge.
“Since inception, it has been in and out because of the challenges attributed to warfare. You know the armed forces of Nigeria have always been a conventional armed force, so fighting asymmetrically came as a surprise, as it would for all armies,” Musa said.
“But we have woken up to responsibilities, ensuring that asymmetric warfare needs an all-of-society approach. It is not only military; it has to do with the kinetic and the non-kinetic, working hand-in-hand to ensure that we succeed.
“Where we are now, we are a lot better than we used to be. Last year, when we took over, this year has seen a lot of improvement. A lot of work is still ongoing, and we will continue to do that.”
The Chief of Defence Staff also said that while Nigeria has been able to restore peace in other African countries, it has faced difficulty keeping its home front safe.
He stated that the ideologies of the several groups have made them difficult to eradicate from the country.
“Like I said, asymmetric warfare is difficult. I will advise any country: don’t allow it to start. It is difficult to eradicate because you are dealing with people who have a sense of belonging and believe that what they are doing is right — an ideology,” Musa added.
“You don’t see it on their foreheads; you don’t know who they are. They are just like normal human beings, and because you have to respect human rights, taking up the laws of war makes identifying who the enemy is more difficult. Unlike the conventional type, you see him, you know him. And they are your own people from within.
“We have been in Liberia; we have been in Sierra Leone. We have fought in other countries; we have restored peace, so it is always a surprise that we are still having this issue (in Nigeria). But it shows you the difficulty. Most times, when we have issues and want to strike, they are embedded with civilians, so we have to call off the strike.”
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The military chief added that while the army was yet to attain success in ensuring that people affected by the activities of these groups get their lives back; the displaced persons return to their homes; children are able to return to schools and Nigerians are able to live safely, he believed that the armed forces were on the right track.
“You measure success when you start getting lives back, IDPs returning to camps, schools reopening, markets working, and people being able to work. I think that is success for us. It is a work in progress. We are not where we were, but we are heading there, and we are sure we are on the right track,” he said.
Nigeria has fought different insurgent groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Ansaru and many more for about 15 years.
The insurgency has forced more than two million people to flee from their homes and it has killed tens of thousands of people. While the Nigerian Army has attained some success, it has also lost on several fronts.
FIJ reported on Monday how terrorists suspected to be affiliated with Boko Haram killed soldiers and set a base ablaze in Sabon Gari Damboa Local Government Area in Borno State on Saturday.
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