Victor EzejaPublic Policy analyst, Mr Chima Christian, has pointed out that without honest efforts to muster political will and enforce vital legal instruments for the country’s stability, all efforts towards investing in military hardware to combat terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminalities ravaging parts of the country will not yield any significant positive results.
Mr Christian, who is the Executive Director of Africa’s Morning Centre For Public Policy and Good Governance stated in a statement shared with Prime Business Africa, said the federal government needs more than just amassing military weapons to fight the criminals.
Chima was reacting to the inauguration of two newly-acquired T-129 ATAK helicopters and King Air 360i aircraft by the Nigerian Government
The Federal Government, had on Wednesday, commissioned the aircrafts into the service of Nigeria Air Force. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, represented by the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, commissioned the aircrafts at the NAF Base, Makurdi, Benue State saying that the aircrafts will boost the operational capacity of the armed forces.
Chima, however, called on the Federal Government to demonstrate its political will in dealing with the menace of insecurity across the country by designating attackers of defenceless Middlebelt communities as terrorists.
Middlbelt communities in states of Benue, Plateau, Kogi, and Nasarawa have witnessed upsurge of violent attacks by a set of criminal gangs leading to loss of hundreds of lives and properties and displacement of harmless residents.
The analyst urged the Federal Government to invoke sections 3, 48 and 49 of Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 to designate the marauders killing, terrorising, persecuting, forcefully displacing Middle Belt communities and repossessing their lands as terrorists.
Highlighting further the imperative of having a political will, the public policy analyst, maintained that without a clear designation, followed by a diligent enforcement of Nigeria’s Constitution, Terrorism Act, Land Use Act and other relevant laws, the pieces of military hardware launched in Benue, will all amount to nothing as soldiers cannot go after anyone the government seemingly considers a friend.
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Chima said the choice of Benue State for yesterday’s inauguration of the attack helicopters was a welcome symbolic gesture.
He however insisted that the government must demonstrate their commitment to protecting the indigenous peoples of the Middlebelt region, and indeed all Nigerians by removing kid gloves and treating the killings in the Middlebelt region as acts of terrorism.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
