I sincerely commiserate with the nation, the military and the immediate families of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, his lieutenants and aides for the monumental lost that have befallen us as a nation and individuals.

I pray God to grant them eternal peace and to their families, the ability to bear.

While It is a truism that it is appointed onto every mortal to taste death whenever the time comes, but how it happens, sometimes calls for questioning.

I have severally advocated for a change of strategy in the manner we are fighting crimes and terrorism in this country in many of my write ups. At a point, I called for International intervention not because it doesn’t have its many misgivings but because we are getting too close to anarchy on daily basis.

Loosing gallant men intermittently spells doom for the nation.
If the roads were safe, the late COAS wouldn’t have embarked on that short journey by air.

I remember one gentleman once told me a story few months ago of how he struggled for business class of a train with four Major Generals from Kaduna to Abuja and according to him, a military helicopter hoverd over the train from Kaduna to Abuja. After the incident, he said he completely lost hope in the security forces of the country.

The unfortunate death of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, some of his lieutenants and aides calls for deep analysis and urgent action to find out what went wrong not because it involves the COAS but for three military jets to crash in two months, I believe it calls for drastic investigation and action.

If the roads were safe, if the country was secured, if and if… May be the story would have been different, but sadly it has happened leaving the immediate families of the deceased to lick their wounds because I am absolutely sure that the state will not compensate them adequately. “They died in active service.” is the usual statement that often followed corpses of those who died in the service of fatherland to their untimely graves and it ends there. What a country?

Another issue that readily comes to mind is another purported dead of the factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau which was announced two days before the death of the COAS. This calls for serious investigation to what truly transpired with the ill fated jet.

Another issue that makes one to feel there is need for investigation is that a month ago, the National Security Adviser, Major General, Babagana Monguno Rtd, raised an alarm that the Nigerian military are lamenting lack of sophisticated weapons to end the siege which Nigeria is in. He said a lot of money have been budgeted and released for same but there are no weapons on ground. He alleged looting of the resources as I heard him on BBC Hausa although few days after, he came out to deny which is normal with politicians.

The COAS and other military Chiefs must have tipped him on happenings in the battlefield, so how sure are we that this is not another case of ACM Alex Badeh?

When you hear young Nigerians saying they will not die for their nation, you may not blame them completely. There was literally no presence of the ever powerful presidency at the burial of these officers. We are living witnesses of how saner countries mourn gallantry even if it is one person, the president will come out and show concern, but ours, the tragedy belongs to the immediate families and the deaths unimportant to the state.

Pathetically, a day after the terrible incident, Nigerian governors, ministers, the so called law makers and other top government functionaries were wining and dining at the wedding of the son of a minister of the federal republic. Kai!

Why are we like this? Where did we miss the point? How can we get back on track?

Like I always say, we must devise a new approach to the turbulent security crisis that has upturned all our ways of life to safe more lives.

Amb. John Pofi, JP
National Coordinator, Prayer Force Network .

count | 30

COAS’ DEATH AND THE SECURITY QUESTION: AMB. JOHN POFI CALLS FOR NEW APPROACH