FG reveals the 2 reasons why it cannot hire mercenaries to fight insurgents
- The federal government has disclosed its stand on the use of mercenaries to fight insurgents
- The national security adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, explained why the president does not support the call for the use of private armies
- The Nigerian government has faced criticisms over the rising security challenges in the country
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Nigeria’s national security adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, has disclosed that the federal government is not keen on hiring mercenaries to fight insurgents.
Monguno made the disclosure on Thursday, March 11, during a briefing with journalists at the presidential villa in Abuja.
Source: UGC
According to a video posted by the presidency, the security adviser told journalists that President Muhammad Buhari has directed that mercenaries should not be used to fight Nigeria’s insurgency war.
He said the commander in chief stated that Nigerian forces should be used in securing the country.
Monguno also stated that the issue of mercenaries has been discouraged because of the issue of national pride.
He argued that Nigeria has the resources to deal with the insurgents. He, however, pointed out that the misapplication or under utilisation of these resources has hampered security efforts.
The NSA also confirmed that he met with Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric with a view to tackling insecurity in the country.
Monguno said the Islamic cleric has offered to help the government in tackling attacks by bandits.
He said he is waiting to see how the cleric could help the government.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has opened up on how he effectively engages bandits in the north in the search for a middle ground between them and state governments.
The famous Islamic scholar said he and his team approach the criminals as clergymen not as an authority because this will make them more relaxed and confess their crimes, Punch reported
Gumi said he does this from an understanding of the fact that the bandits are loyal to religious and spiritual influences, adding that if approached by security forces, the criminals will become defensive and hide a lot of information during interrogation.
Kess Ewubare is a senior political/current affairs correspondent at Legit.ng. He has both a BSc and a Master’s degree in mass communication. He has over 10 years of experience in working in several fields of mass communication including radio, TV, newspaper, and online. For Kess, journalism is more than a career, it is a beautiful way of life.
Source: Legit.ng
