Go after terrorism sponsors, CUPP tells new Service Chiefs

…says approach best way to address nation’s insecurity

Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has said that the best approach the newly swore in Service Chiefs can address the insecurity ravaging the country and succeed where others before them had failed is to work on the loads of intelligence at their disposal and go after terrorism sponsors.

CUPP Spokesperson, Comrade Mark Adebayo, gave this position while speaking with our correspondent in reaction to the charge made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while swearing in the new Service Chiefs last week Thursday.

Recalled that Tinubu had, while swearing in the Service Chiefs, including the Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede; Chief of Defence Intelligence, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Undiendeye; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Kevin Aneke and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas as Chief of Naval Staff, charged them to intensify efforts to defeat terrorism, banditry, and other criminal activities across the country.

The president emphasised to the Service Chiefs that Nigerians now expected results and not excuses from them, saying that the citizens “cannot allow the crisis that began in 2009 to persist any longer.”

“I charge you, as the heads of our nation’s armed forces, to carry out your duties with patriotic zeal.

“Nigerians expect results, not excuses. I also urge you to be innovative, pre-emptive, and courageous. Let’s stay ahead of those who seek to threaten our peace. Let us deploy technology where necessary,” Tinubu charged.

Adebayo, however, said the new Service Chiefs would secure an overwhelming victory in the kinetic battlefields if they could work on the loads of intelligence at their disposal and go after terrorism sponsors, even as he noted that addressing the root cause of the complex security challenges confronting the nation in the manner that would totally deescalate the problem was deeper than merely changing service chiefs.

He posited that changing Service Chiefs every now and then was a mere administrative window dressing, saying that such would not “address the insecurity center of gravity which by definition are those sponsoring terrorism against Nigeria.”

This was just as he quickly recalled that a former senior officer had once went on air to expose that those sponsoring terrorism and insurgency in the country are well known to the government, querying what anybody had done about that information supplied by the concerned officer since then.

“This won’t address the root cause of the complex security challenges confronting this country in the manner that would totally de-escalate the problem. It is deeper than merely changing service chiefs.

“In the first instance, no change of service chiefs has ever significantly changed the tragic trajectory of insecurity in the country.

“The best thing that the new service chiefs can do to succeed where others have failed is to work on the loads of intelligence at their disposal and go after terrorism sponsors. Once they do that, they will secure an overwhelming victory on the kinetic battlefields.

“A former senior officer once went on air to expose that those sponsoring terrorism and insurgency in this country are well known to the government. He revealed some security reports that pointed accusing fingers at those in government. What has anybody done about that information since then?

“Changing Service Chiefs every now and then is a mere administrative window dressing that won’t address the insecurity center of gravity which by definition are those sponsoring terrorism against Nigeria,” he stated.

“Until the government develops the political will to go after the sponsors of these bandits and terrorists with the purpose of destabilizing this country, if you like, you can change service chiefs every day, you may still not solve the problem,” he added.

The CUPP spokesperson, however, expressed the hope that the latest change of guards would decimate terrorists’ capacity in the land, noting that Nigeria had one of the most professional armies in Africa, with the proficiency to defeat terrorism and banditry within a reasonable span of time, but “remain handicapped by political correctness of sacred cows and untouchables in the society.”

“We can only hope that the latest change of guards would decimate the capacity of the terrorists to continue harassing the country’s territorial integrity. Nigeria has one of the most professional armies in Africa.

“They have the proficiency to defeat terrorism and banditry within a reasonable span of time, but they remain handicapped by political correctness of sacred cows and untouchables in the society. If the army is given a free hand today to go after sponsors of terrorism in this country,  they will clear off those miscreants in a jiffy,” Adebayo said.

Adebayo, while congratulating the new Service Chiefs and welcoming “to this great service to their nation,” said Nigerians were waiting for results, and, therefore, prayed that God would “help them to give us good results.

“We congratulate them and welcome them to this great service to their nation. But Nigerians are waiting for results and may God Almighty help them to give us good results,” he prayed.