He made the call during an inter-denominational Church Service marking the 2020 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church, Rumuepirikom on Sunday,

The Governor, who urged members of the armed forces to be professional, praised them for the roles they have played in preserving the unity of the country.

“But for them, kidnappers, cultists, insurgents and armed robbers would have taken over the country. I urge members of the Armed Forces to choose the right path in the interest of the country,’’ he said.

In a sermon, Venerable Samuel Chimele, called on soldiers to be professional in the discharge of their duties to the nation.

“As we remember our fallen heroes, be professional. There are temptations to the military to be unprofessional, but strive to be professional,’’ he said.

He said that soldiers who engage in unprofessional acts will go unrecognised in the long run, even when they enjoy earthly promotion.

The cleric urged the Nigerian armed forces to focus on providing security and defending the nation’s territorial integrity.

Chimele also warned soldiers against misuse of power against national interest, in the sermon with the theme, “Faithfulness in Service: The Hallmark of a True Soldier’’. Prayers were said for the fallen heroes and God’s blessing upon their families, the Government and people of Rivers, the Federal Government and the Armed Forces.

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Borno Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara alleged that soldiers and policemen manning Borno highways are extorting his people.
The governor, who was apparently annoyed to find numerous motorists stranded on getting to Njimtilo where a gate has been constructed on the highway to check people coming and leaving Maiduguri.
Umara alleged that security personnel of the Nigeria military and police collect bribes of N1000 from travellers who do not have national identity cards.
The governor, who could not but raised his voice on seeing the large number of people stranded at the gate, told the security on guard, that “this is unacceptable.”
Speaking on top of his voice, he asked the officials: “How can you subject people to this kind of torture all in the name of National ID card? And you are all here collecting N500 and N1000 from poor travellers who don’t have national ID card.”
A soldier that tried to offer an explanation was shouted down by the governor, who said “No this is not right. The federal government has not created an enabling environment for our people to get their national ID cards and you are here collecting N500 and N1000 as a fine for not having what the federal government has not provided for all.”
The governor said he has received several reports about the alleged extortion at the Maiduguri checkpoint and asked one of his aides to call the Head of the military counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast (Operation Lafiya Dole), Maj. Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi.
The governor, who was still annoyed with what he saw, told Adeniyi on phone in the full glare of the public, “Theater Commander where are you? …Right now I’m at the checkpoint near state university and we have thousands of people stranded and your people are here collecting money from people because they don’t have National ID Card. Why?”
 He subsequently ordered the security personnel at the gate to open the gates on both sides to allow all travellers to move.
Some of the travelers who spoke to journalists, alleged that they have been held at the gate for several hours without any explanation.
One of them, a bus driver, Isa Adamu said: “I left Damaturu since 9 a.m. and I arrive here at about 11 a.m. But here I am being held till 3 p.m.”
A woman, who said she was travelling from Bauchi to Maiduguri, said, “I was asked to give N500 because I don’t have ID card, but I had nothing to give because we passed the night in Damaturu yesterday, because the soldiers said it was late to proceed at about 5 p.m. And I spent all the money I had on me.”
Brig. Gen. Adeniyi who met the governor while ensuring smooth movement through the gate, explained that the massive traffic hold up was not caused by soldiers at the checkpoint.
He said it was as a result of an attack somewhere on the highway early in the day.
He however promised the governor to investigate the allegation of extortion to find out if it was was true.
This perhaps further annoyed the governor, who insisted that the accusation was true, saying that: “I saw them with my eyes, I spoke with people that were asked to give money!”

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If anyone is looking for a perfect illustration and confirmation of the “coming anarchy” in Nigeria, that person needs not look farther than the on-going conflict and crisis of mutual distrust between the Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Army. Turn away, for a moment, from Boko Haram (Nigeria is still unable to find a solution to the menace of terrorism), turn away from bandits and kidnappers (it is sad that the state seems to be aiding and abetting criminality and impunity due to its incompetence, negligence, and impotence). But you can not turn away from the crazy drama being enacted by the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Army, two strategic security institutions assigned the responsibility of safeguarding lives and property of Nigerians and the sovereignty of the country itself. Both institutions have been in conflict in recent times. I argue that this is disturbing. 

It is as follows: Nigerians woke up the other day to hear the sordid tale of how in Jalingo, Taraba state, soldiers from the 93 Battalion in Takum, Taraba state killed three policemen and three civilians, who had gone to arrest a notorious kidnap kingpin, one Alhaji Hamisu Wadume. The three policemen were members of an elite police squad, the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), and they had been involved in many operations in which they distinguished themselves namely the arrest of 22 kidnappers involved in the abduction of Chibok girls, the arrest of Evans, the notorious Lagos-based kidnapper and the rescue of the Magajin Garin Daura, the traditional head of President Buhari’s village who was abducted earlier in the year. These same policemen and their colleagues had been working on the Wadume case. They had investigated him and tracked him down.

With the help of three civilians who volunteered as informants and guide, the police sent the crack team to go after Alhaji Wadume. When they got to Jalingo, the policemen reported at the police state headquarters and documented their mission. They then set out and arrested Alhaji Wadume and put him in handcuffs. The next step was to take him in and interrogate him in line with standard procedure. Mission accomplished? No. In Nigeria, the unexpected is known to happen, nothing is ever certain. Just as the police were busy tracking down the alleged notorious kidnapper, the Army in Taraba reportedly got a distress call reporting that kidnappers had abducted one Alhaji Wadume, and asking the military to come to the rescue. As it turned out, the 93 Battalion sent out a team to rescue Alhaji Wadume. The dispatched soldiers gave the police team the chase. The police version of the story at this point is that the police men identified themselves and told the soldiers that they were carrying out a legitimate duty, and that Alhaji Wadume who was in handcuffs was the suspect. But instead of the two teams to co-operate and work together, in line with the principle of “esprit de corps”, the soldiers opened fire on the policemen, at close range, killing three of them instantly. They also gunned down the three civilian-informants.  By the time the dust settled, the arrested suspect, who had been put in silver ware, disappeared into thin air. The soldiers also vanished, leaving “blood on the grass.”

The police are rightly outraged. They have since issued statements and have gone on a twitter rage, to question the conduct of the Nigeria Army. They are angry that despite the police identification of the slain policemen as officers on lawful duty, the Nigerian Army chooses to refer to them as “suspected kidnappers”.  The police are asking the army to hand over the soldiers who pulled the trigger, effectively marking them out as cop-killers. They have also raised five questions for the Army Headquarters to respond to viz: “Where is the notorious kidnapper, Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume “rescued by the soldiers”?, (2) How could a kidnap suspect properly restrained with handcuffs by the Police escape from the hands of his military rescuers? (3) Why were the Police Operatives shot at close range after they had identified themselves as Police Officers on legitimate duty as evident in the video now in circulation? (4) How and why was Alhaji Hamisu Bala Wadume released by the soldiers?  (5) If Alhaji Wadume is a “victim of kidnap” as claimed, and properly rescued by soldiers why was he not taken to the Army base for documentation purposes and debriefing in line with the Standard Operating Procedures in the Nigerian Army?’  These questions are pertinent and there are many more that should be raised.

The Nigerian Army has not been able to respond to any of these questions; their only close-to-intelligent response has been the self-indicting explanation that the whole incident is due to lack of co-ordination and communication between the army and the police. It is sad to hear that. If there is rivalry, conflict, lack of co-ordination and communication among the various law enforcement and security agencies in Nigeria, then the average Nigerian is in serious trouble. The country itself is in danger.  The utter vulnerability of the average Nigerian is show-cased by the fact that whereas the army and the police have been trading brick-bats in the Taraba matter, no mention has been made so far of the identity of the three civilians who were murdered by the soldiers. The police seem to be more concerned about their men. The Army are more concerned about protecting their men too. To compound the situation, whereas a joint investigating panel has been set up, the army and the police are at best working at cross-purposes.

What has happened is unacceptable. Those who argue that the police should not complain because it is Karma at work, the police having a notorious reputation for the kind of brutality that has been inflicted on their men by the Army, are simply unfair. No human being deserves to be killed in such brutal fashion. It is also unacceptable that the three civilian-informants who were murdered have not been part of the story. In the course of the fight against terror and crime in the country, both the President and the service chiefs have always advised that the battle can only be won if the people themselves assist the security agencies with information. The death of those three informants in the hands of the Nigeria Army will certainly discourage every future informant! In the past, the Nigerian military used to attribute every act of impunity committed by soldiers to a certain “unknown soldier”. Under military rule, particularly, the unknown soldier could do as he wished. The Nigerian soldier was above the laws of the land. But the times have since changed. The Nigeria Army certainly cannot claim not to know the soldiers who committed murder in Taraba State. As the police have demanded, those men and the officer who gave them unlawful orders, if that was the case, must be named and made to face the full wrath of the law. The six victims of that Taraba massacre and their families deserve justice. In a democracy, an army of occupation, a gun-totting military on the streets of the nation, turning its guns on innocent persons is an aberration, and a threat.

But this is the price Nigerians pay for giving the military police work to do. The military and the police have two completely different training manuals and operational orientation. The primary job of the police is to ensure peace and safety, and to protect and serve. Soldiers are trained by their drill sergeants to shoot and kill the enemy: “One shot, one kill”, at close range. The culture of restraint at the heart of police training is unknown to the military. This is why it is dangerous to involve soldiers in the kind of police work that they have been doing in Nigeria. In the 70s, Nigerian soldiers lived in the barracks, usually located out of town. When they came to town, they were rare sightings. But that was until soldiers began to mix with civilians and soon got involved in politics. Gradually, Nigerian soldiers began to behave like those they call “bloody civilians”.  It was Alozie Ogbugbuaja, a police man who once drew attention to this when he complained that Nigerian soldiers had become “pepper soup drinking soldiers”.  The metaphor was so apt; it drew the ire of the state. Ogbugbuaja was punished for his effrontery.

If anybody were to say the same thing today, however, I guess the person will be hailed for saying the truth. Soldiers are now so involved in “pepper soup” work it is terribly ridiculous. The other day, some soldiers assigned to escort money (N400m?) belonging to an officer were accused of having escaped with the money. The said soldiers are still at large. Whoever reported a case of kidnapping to the Army in Taraba, assuming that was true, had no business calling the Army. The call should have been directed to the police. When Governor Nyesom Wike wanted a notorious criminal called Bobrisky arrested in Rivers State, he didn’t call on the police. He called the Army.  In Abia State recently, a soldier reportedly killed a motorcyclist who refused to give him bribe. Once upon a time in this country, nobody would dare offer a soldier a bribe, and no soldier will ask for it. Today, soldiers now mount check-points where they collect tolls like the police.

It is absurd.  The excuse that Nigeria is under-policed and therefore the police need to be supported by the military overlooks the difference in the orientation of the two teams. The result is the disaster we are witnessing. During the recent general elections, the Nigerian military was accused of having perpetrated violence in parts of the country. The militarization of open spaces violates Nigeria’s democracy. In Zaria in 2015, Nigerian soldiers trying to clear the road for their boss gunned down about 348 members of the Shiite movement! Our military should concentrate on their professional duty of protecting Nigeria’s territorial integrity, while the police should focus strictly on their mandate. Isn’t it curious that in the light of the Taraba incident the military is now advising Nigerian soldiers, travelling on pass, to hide from the Police by wearing mufti? Is that the end of police/army collaboration? If the police are overwhelmed by the crisis in the country, and unable to function efficiently, the leadership elite should think more creatively beyond the current resort to hollow rhetoric and ad-hoc measures. More police men can be recruited. Better training and equipment should be provided. Police stations should be rebuilt and made to wear a human look. Bad eggs within the force should be identified and flushed out, honest and hardworking police men and women should be encouraged and supported.     

Perhaps the time has come for Nigeria to consider the establishment of a National Guard, to serve as a bridge between the police and the army.  Where there is any incident that is beyond the capacity of the police, the National Guard can be called in.  In the United States, the National Guard is a cross between the police and the military; its members are basically civilians, but with enough training as both police and soldier. For a start, the proposed National Guard should not be a regime-protection mechanism, the type that was introduced briefly in 1993. It can be a merger of the National Civil Defence Corps and the vigilante groups in various states, trained differently and empowered. To set up a National Guard in Nigeria however, there must be a thought-driven review of context: who will control the National Guard? How will it be deployed? What kind of Nigeria can accommodate a National Guard: a truly federal system, a restructured Nigeria or a completely new Nigeria?

– Abati is a Nigerian Journalist, Television Anchor Newspaper Columnist and Politician. 

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Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria, (CRAN), condemns   in strong terms ,the killing of three operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) , and a civilian,  by troops of 93 Battalion  of the Nigerian  Army in Takum, Taraba State, on August 6, 2019.

The unfortunate incident would have been avoided if there was synergy between the two security agencies who  also blame for lack of   professionalism Information at our disposal revealed that the operatives were on their way to Jalingo,  to effect the   arrest of  a suspected  notorious kidnap kingpin who had  been on the Police wanted list, when the troops opened fire on the operatives.

However, the Nigerian Army has issued a statement , indicating that the policemen were erroneously killed by its soldiers , following a distress call that they were kidnappers.

As a matter of urgency  ,we demand that discreet  investigation  should be carried into the killing by the  Joint Investigation Panel constituted by the Army headquarters and the Nigeria Police Force, headed by the Deputy Inspector – General of Police in-charge of Criminal Investigation Department, DIG Mike Ogbizi,  to ascertain  the actual  circumstances surrounding the gun attack . The panel should be unbiased and must make its findings  public  within a short period of time.

The investigation should include:

1.     Whether the operatives refused to stop at the Military checkpoints as claimed by the Army.

2.     Whether there was any distress call on the abduction of anyone: who and when the distress call was made as claimed by the Army.

3.     Who released the handcuffed  suspect that was being taken to Jalingo by the operatives.

4.     The whereabouts of the suspect.

5.      Who gave the command to the troop to fire at the operatives’ vehicle.

6.     Whether  the operatives mission in Tabara  was legal.

7 Whether the suspect was being shielded by the troop .

8  Whether it was professional and justifiable for security agencies to  to open fire on kidnappers  with their victims as we were told that :” it is better for 100 criminals to escape than for an innocent person to be killed “. If really the Soldies are claiming that they we’re responding to a distress call to rescue kidnapped victims , would they have shot the presumed kidnappers and the victims.

As CRAN commiserates with families of the  deceased policemen, at the same time,   the association calls for collaboration between security agencies who are saddened with same  responsibility of protecting lives and property of the citizenry.

 We pray that God will grant the families of the victims and the Nigeria Police especially IRT, the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss .

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Apparently reacting to increase spate of attacks by Boko Haram in recent times in the state, the recent which is the killing of over 60 mourners at the weekend, the governor told the visiting Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila that the solution to containing the resurgence of attacks by Boko Haram insurgents is increase military manpower.

The governor said the key to containing resurgence of insurgency attacks particularly in the northern part of the state, Borno is increasing drastically the number of soldiers, their fighting capabilities and access to improved technology.

The governor, who received the speaker at the Government House before accompanying him to the internally displaced persons camp accommodating over 30,000 persons located along Gubio road, said: “We need increase in numerical strength of soldiers, the police, increase in fighting capacity and improved access to technology.”

The governor, who claimed that the “insurgents now use drones”, also appealed for support in the rehabilitation of federal roads in the state.

He lamented that all federal roads in the state are in bad shape and not helping the fight against Boko Haram. 

The governor also sought intervention on the takeover of either the state funded polytechnic or any of the college of education.

He said: “Please consider all these our needs ahead of the appropriation for the 2020 fiscal year.”

The Speaker while assuring the governor that he shared his concern on the need for deployment of more soldiers to Borno, said he would support it encouraging fresh recruitment and encouraging increasing the Nigeria Police Force for the purpose of community policing. 

He said it was high time that the Boko Haram crisis that has lingered for about ten years be brought to an end. 

The Speaker, who was accompanied by some principal officers of the House of Representatives and some other lawmakers, was at the Palace of the Shehu of Borno and the Gubio road IDPs camp.

He said they were in Borno for two objectives: critical review of security situation and impacts of the insurgents in relation to the welfare of displaced persons and restoration of livelihoods.

The Speaker also presented two trailer loads of rice amongst other food items to IDPs camp in the state.

 He said he was interested in working with the Federal Government and Borno State to hold a stakeholders round table that would focus on finding the root cause of the Boko Haram insurgency, stressing that he was concerned about the plight of IDPs.

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Among the 11 soldiers docked were two staff sergeants and one sergeant.

Inaugurating the court in Port Harcourt, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Army 6 Division, Port Harcourt, Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, said the suspects were officers and soldiers of the division.

Sarham said the General Court Martial was convened in compliance to Section 131 of the Armed Forces Act guiding professional conduct of the nation’s military.

“The offences for which the accused persons are being tried range from murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, desertion.

“Others are offences in relation to public and service property, disobedience to standing orders and conducts to the prejudice to service discipline.

“All the offences are punishable under the Armed Forces Act CAP A20 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004,” he said.

“The Nigerian Army is a creation of the Nigerian Constitution to carry out specific tasks to support the government’s efforts in providing security for the Nigerian nation. To achieve this, a disciplined and professional Armed Force is imperative and this in line with the vision of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, which is to have a professionally-responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles. There is no gainsaying that unless such a body of professionals is disciplined, achieving victory in battle and other specified assignments would not be easy”.

The GOC said the army has zero tolerance to indiscipline, adding that it would never shield any personnel, no matter how highly placed from the law.

He said the armed forces holds personnel in high esteem, and as such, would not put personnel on trial unless the matter was thoroughly investigated.

According to him, the trial was not only aimed at prosecuting the suspects but to discourage others from indulging in criminality.

“To this end, each accused person was thoroughly investigated to ensure that an innocent person is not wrongly tried and punished.

“The headquarters 6 division has painstakingly selected credible officers with in-depth knowledge and outstanding experience of military law and duties as members of the court martial to ensure fair hearing and justice.”

Sarham urged the seven-man court martial panel led by its President, Brig.-Gen. Bassey Etuk, to ensure that the accused persons are given fair trail.

Family members of the accused soldiers and lawyers were allowed at the Python Officers’ Mess of 6 Division to witness the inauguration of the seven-man panel, headed by Brig.-Gen. Bassey Etuk, and the brief inaugural sitting, before the sitting was adjourned till June 24 this year.

The court martial is the second of its kind in the history of 6 division, while the accused, besides the major and two captains, also had eleven men, made up of two staff sergeants, one sergeant and others.

President of the general court martial, Brig.-Gen. Bassey Etuk, in his remarks, assured that he and six other members of the panel would do justice and they would not betray the confidence reposed in them.

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