By Mike Odeh James
(Kaduna) The Nigerian Army, the largest component of the country’s military, has carried out massive transfers of officers as well as the promotion of some to General Officer Commanding (GOC) Divisions across the country.
This is coming on the heels of the massacre in Plateau State and the criticisms that followed the inability of the country’s military to prevent terrorist attacks there, despite several alerts put out by TruthNigeria and the Stefanos Foundation.
On January 4, 2024, the Army sent out an announcement of new assignments.
A breakdown of the redeployment shows that 49 major generals, 157 brigadier generals, 64 colonels, 302 lieutenant colonels, 139 majors, and 122 captains were among those redeployed. However, the statement did not give the names of the officers affected.
However, the Army issued a stern warning to all commanding officers: those affected must obey their places of posting or be penalized.
“It is the responsibility of all formation/unit commanders, whose officers are affected by this posting, to implement accordingly. Officers must take over on the effective dates indicated. Formation and unit commanders are to take immediate administrative action against any officer who refuses to report on the effective date of posting and inform the AHQ Department of MS.
“Commanders who fail to release posted officers at the time stipulated will be appropriately sanctioned. Commanders will also be held responsible for lapses in the implementation of the directives contained herein,” the circular added.
Redeployment Response to the Security Breach on the Plateau?
Both local and foreign observers have called for the redeployment of key officers in charge of the combined-force known as Operation Safe Haven after the Plateau massacre, stating that the security outfit did not live up to expectations.
Furthermore, the conduct and integrity of officers of the Nigerian Army have been severally questioned by Plateau residents, who particularly named one Lt. Colonel TT Pave as a major culprit in assisting terrorists during the attacks. TruthNigeria has no evidence that Lt. Col. Pave has been accused of a legal violation.
Experts queried by TruthNigeria have accused the Nigerian military of collusion with Fulani terrorists.
The military has also been accused of slow response to distress calls, and many have called for the removal or redeployment of officers who are serving in Operation Safe Haven or other security agencies providing security for Plateau State.
“Is the redeployment in response to the outcry?” some citizens are asking.
“The military has a tradition of redeploying officers, especially before or after festive periods such as Christmas, Easter, and Sallah,” according to the President General of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and a former naval officer, Navy Captain Umar Bakori, in an exclusive interview with TruthNigeria.
“The first coup in Nigeria was carried out in January after Christmas, while the Muhammad Buhari coup of 1983 was carried out in December after Christmas. Since then, the Military High Command has always redeployed officers and men after festivals,” Bakori said.
“This could be a normal military exercise, but it could also serve as a screen to remove officers that are not doing their work effectively while putting capable ones there, and I cannot say whether it is because of the issues in the Plateau massacre,” he continued.
Bakori noted that redeployment exercises are meant to rejig the combat readiness of military personnel while weeding out those that are ineffective.
“The redeployment may be due to the outcry on the Plateau; though the names of the officers involved have not been mentioned, “ said Peter Edeh, a senior lecturer at the University of Abuja.
“I know that many officers would be redeployed in order to enhance the efficiency of the Army. However, redeployment of officers alone cannot solve the issues. Men who are found wanting should be sanctioned and penalized, and more men should be recruited into the Army, Edeh told TruthNigeria.
London-based security consultant and counter-terrorism expert David Otto holds a slightly different view.
“You can’t draw any conclusions without seeing that someone was moved from Plateau or moved into Plateau to restore peace.
Can Redeployment Solve the Pandemic of Violence in the Middle Belt?
Many Nigerians feel that the military is stretched thin fighting insecurity in all 36 states of the country.
General Taoreed Lagbaja, in an interview with Arise TV on December 28, 2023, admitted that the Nigerian Army personnel are spread thin across the 36 states of the federation.
Redeployment of officers alone, according to retired Navy Captain Bakori, won’t solve the security situation; the military needs more personnel.
The federal government needs the cooperation of the natives or residents of affected communities, Bakori said.
“If the government is able to use local vigilantes or citizen guards to help fight terrorists alongside the military, the terrorists would be heavily decimated.
In the North East, the Federal Government made use of the locals there, calling them the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF), and they produced spectacular results,” Bakori added.
“Vigilante groups who are trained by police and Civil Defense can also be deployed to fight terrorists,” Bakori said.
Otto spoke to this issue in a chat. “There is already an Operation Safe Haven set up, which includes other sister security agencies like the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Army,” said Otto. “This operational structure should be extended to include a civil-military component that involves local vigilantes and the local communities via their respective representatives in affected areas in the middle belt region,” Otto said.
He went on to say: “This is the only comprehensive intervention structure that has a chance to address horizontal threats.
I would ask for the military leadership to come up with an effective operation safe Haven strategy to address the security menace in plateau and retain officers who have the ability to operationalize the strategy. If the current officers are not capable of doing so, then redeployment should be considered to achieve the mission.”
Mike Odeh James is a veteran conflict reporter covering North Central, Northwest, and Northeast Nigeria. He writes for TruthNigeria.com.
