President Muhammadu Buhari, even though currently being criticised as being slow for not naming his cabinet after approx. 1 month in office, has already done some really important things in the aspect of security –which are very laudable.

Firstly, he ordered the relocation of the “Command and Control Centre of the Boko Haram Operations” from the cosy air conditioned offices in Abuja to the harsh desert terrains of Maiduguri –meaning all military “strategist” who hitherto were in lofty apartments in Asokoro and Maitaima (including the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff etc) and were far removed from the real challenges of the insurgency will now relocate to the heart of the battle front. They would therefore be involved both in the development of the counter-insurgency strategies and the subsequent implementation with their infantry troops (who by the way, have consistently been the real heroes in the counter insurgency efforts). The high ranking Generals will see the deaths, they will hear the cries, they will experience the morbid fear of a Boko Haram attack, they will see the casualties and also face the realities of soldiers fighting with inadequate weaponry……. such a good decision by president Buhari, in my opinion!

Now, even though this apt decision by Buhari was met with some criticism from several quarters, we (ViewPointNigeria) assess it to be one of his best decisions so far. Reason being that, the first commission of every soldier (however highly placed –whether a General, Brigadier General, Colonel, Sergeant or private) is to battle and defend the territorial integrity of the nation. As such, these Generals should be on ground fighting to guarantee national security of Nigeria and not cosying up with politicians in Abuja.

Secondly, Buhari has now ordered the removal of all security check points across the entire the nation.

This decision, even though appealing and cheery to a lot of Nigerians, bears a lot of complexities which in my opinion needs to be carefully evaluated and considered.

There is no doubt that soldiers and policemen have become a nuisance to motorist and society, because of their shameful harassment of citizens for N50 bribes –something many of us have come to resent. Especially because the cardinal duty which they are supposed to be doing, i.e., protecting citizens from robberies, Boko Haram Bombings and killings –they have failed woefully at. In fact, these soldiers are consistently accused of being suspects in robberies in the communities they are meant to protect (or accused of colluding with robbers). Even worse, on the Plateau, they have been fingered as the main killers who hunt down, kill and maim villagers.

That said, the reality of it is that, doing away with road blocks in peaceful cities like Abuja, Port-Harcourt or Lagos can be a good thing –because the road blocks have rarely (in the past) prevented the robberies, bombings or political assassinations, which they are meant to.

But removing them from hotbeds like Plateau, Maiduguri, Yobe or other flash points can be suicidal. Whether we like it or not, there is a real plot by certain misguided elements to ground Plateau State to its knees, both from within the cities and in the villages. So removing such road blocks can significantly play to the advantage of these hideous elements.

What Plateau state needs is a strategy similar to what Buhari has just done by ordering the relocation of the “Command and Control Centre” from Abuja to Maiduguri. So similarly he should order the “Headquaters” of the STF in Plateau to move from the peaceful, Serene and Posh areas of Hill Station Junction, Jos where it currently is, to the areas dealing with daily attacks and killings like – Shonong, Atakar, Rim, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jol, Sho etc. Doing this will send a strong message of intent to the entire people of Plateau that he means business and intends to rid Nigeria of terrorism, insurgency and injustice.

You might ask: Why should he move the “Command and Control Centre to these villages when it is a simple conflict between ordinary herdsmen and natives?

Well, if you look critically at the modus operandi of these attacks, you’d see that the manner of the killings is beyond the capability of ordinary herdsmen. The killings bear a professional hallmark, one only suited to people who have been adequately trained in the professional art of guerrilla warfare and insurgency –not that of amateurs who simply herd cattle.

To buttress this point, can I draw your attention to the fact that there are a lot of theories which postulate that a militant/professional arm of Boko Haram was commissioned to work closely with herdsmen to decimate and exterminate the indigenous people of Nasarawa, Plateau, Southern Kaduna and Taraba states. Working closely with the herdsmen who know the villages and areas very well, these killers pounce on villages and kill every living thing in sight.

These professional killers operate with high degree of stealth, swiftness and combat skills, which even puts our military to shame. They cross borders from Southern Kaduna to Plateau, from Plateau to Nasarawa and Taraba to decimate and kill women, children and the aged, without being detected or caught. If this theory is indeed true –then Plateau needs similar attention like Borno state –and fast too.

Dr. Chinan Mclean

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Buhari should order the relocation of STF headquarters to Riyom or Shonong