An Expert in Military Studies, Dr Muhammed Abubakar, has lauded the efforts of the military and other security agencies in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other security challenges in 2023.
Abubakar, gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday, in Abuja.
Abubakar is also the publisher of Our Nigeria News Magazine,
He said being from the Northeast had also positioned him to have in-depth knowledge of the nation’s security challenges, especially the menace of terrorism in the region.
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Abubakar said the military and other security agencies did their best in 2023 especially before, during and after the general elections that produced a new government at all levels.
He said a high rate of dissatisfaction and frustration in the country before the election created a lot of tension that threatened the peace of the nation.
Abubakar said: “Even though we had pockets of challenges here and there, I would say, the country fared well in 2023 in terms of security.
“Don’t forget, it was in 2023 that Sudan collapsed because of what I called poor security sector governance as well as other countries.
“So, we should give our military a pass mark but that does not mean we could not have done better.
“I heard from the Defence Headquarters that over 6,000 terrorists and bandits where neutralised in 2023 alone by the military with almost 5,000 arrested. Then the Borno State Government is saying about 160,000 have surrendered.
“Sometimes you look at these parameters, then we juxtapose them and I think it is something to commend them for”.
The expert said the nation had been grappling with insurgency since 2009 while banditry, farmer-herders clashes, secessionist agitation and kidnapping became rampant since 2015.
According to him, suicide bombings, the IED detonation and all that have reduced and even eradicated.
He said: “I think there was a time in Borno, Maiduguri in particular, that you cannot see people moving around anything past 7.00 p.m. but now that has changed.
“That does not mean the remnants of the terrorists are not lurking around on the fringes of the state, the border between Nigeria and Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad.
“By and large, we have seen great improvement in the Northeast and I will give credit to the military”.
Abubakar urged the Military to be more proactive and strategic in deployment and intelligence gathering and sharing to be able to deal with the challenges.He also called for more funding and procurement of more and better equipment for the Military as well as enhanced welfare to enable them to operate optimally in 2024.
