President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements to surrender now or be neutralised. He gave the warning in Abuja yesterday during a lecture organised by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). “Enough is enough. This has to stop. And it will stop. This is a warning to them. They have limited time,” the President added. He was represented by National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The lecture with the theme: “Insecurity in the Sahel (2008-2024): Dissecting Nigeria’s challenges – genesis, impacts, and options,” provided a platform to address the enormous security challenges in the region.
African Union Chief Mediator on Sudan, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, was the guest speaker at the event chaired by former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Speaking further, the President said: “The non-kinetic approach is still important. Our windows are open, our doors are open if they are ready to come and surrender and stop, otherwise they know what is going to happen to them.
“We have put in place institutions and are promoting accountability to address the root causes of insecurity as well as investing in job creation, infrastructure development, and social services to reduce poverty and inequality.
“We have developed both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in considerably eliminating the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and violent extremists.
“As a chair of our regional bloc ECOWAS, we are strengthening regional collaboration with neighbouring countries to share intelligence, coordinate security efforts, and address common challenges.”
President Tinubu added: “We want peace; we want security. We are not enemies with anybody. I am happy that we renewed the onslaught by our gallant troops against enemies of our nation in the Northeast and Northwest.
‘’Our citizens can now heave a sigh of relief. We shall continue to provide our armed forces with the needed human and material resources to achieve success.
‘’No doubt there is no time other than now for all of us to work together to build a safer and more prosperous Nigeria.”
The President noted that in the last year, no fewer than 300 Boko Haram commanders have been eliminated while cases of kidnapping for ransom are on the decline.
“Examples have been set. They have seen what is happening to their own leaders. If they refuse to surrender, the same fate awaits them.”
Chambas said the Tuareg rebellion and farmer-herder clashes contribute to the insecurity in the Sahel.
The 2012 Tuareg rebellion was the early phase of the Mali War (January to April) 2012) waged by rebels against the government.
The goal of the rebels was to achieve independence for the northern region of Mali, known as Azawad.
Chambas said military solution alone would not address the problems in the region.
According to him, weak governance and corruption have helped to create a conducive environment for insecurity.
He also listed the crisis in Libya, Sudan, and Mali, among others as factors that could be attributed to the challenge. Besides, he said foreign interference and external forces have explored this for their interest.
“We have seen non-state actors riding hundreds of thousands of motorbikes. How are they getting these and the fueling? These are what we should interrogate,” he said.
Chambas commended Nigeria’s role in the establishment of the Multi-national Joint Task Force in the region.
Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar said that deep-rooted environmental, political, and security challenges are negatively affecting property and peace in the Sahel.
Represented by the Emir of Gumi, Lawal Hassan, the Sultan urged the United Nations (UN) to come up with a unique support plan to scale up efforts to accelerate prosperity and sustainable peace in the region.
He listed Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Haiti, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, and Senegal as countries the support should be targeted.
The Sultan said the support be built around six priority areas – Cross-border cooperation, prevention and sustainable peace, peace-to-growth, climate action and renewable energy.
The monarch described the Sahel as the richest part of the world given its abundant mineral resources like lithium, cobalt, and uranium.
Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa; House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas; Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun and Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi also spoke at the event.
CDS Musa said a multi-dimensional approach was needed to address insecurity in the Sahel, a vast landmass that encompasses the troubled countries of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Cameroon.
He stated that the security threats in the Sahel and other parts of Africa were targeting Nigeria because of its strategic importance in the region.
The CDS said the Sahel had, in the last decade and a half, become synonymous with instability and violence ranging from the rise of insurgent groups such as Boko Haram and ISWAP to the spread of violent extremism, human trafficking, and illegal arms proliferation.
He attributed insecurity in the region to poor governance, economic marginalisation, climate change, ethnic tensions, and the spillover effects of conflicts in North Africa and the broader Middle East.
He stressed that the collapse of Libya in 2011 further unleashed an influx of weapons and fighters, which catalysed the rise of militant groups across the Sahel.
“Nigeria, as a critical player in the region, has borne a significant share of the fallout from this instability,” the CDS said.
Gen. Musa also said that insurgency in the Northeast had not only devastated communities but also stretched military resources, forced the displacement of millions, and undermined economic development.
Gen. Abubakar said Nigeria’s security challenges could not be divorced from the regional heritage in the Sahel. He lamented that the Sahel has remained a huge killing field despite efforts by successive governments.
According to him: “In 2020, 4,660 people were killed in this region, while another 2,600 civilians lost their lives in banditry attacks in 2021.
“Today, this region is still one huge killing field, despite the best efforts of successive governments there,” the former Head of State said.
Gen. Abubakar attributed insecurity in the region to poverty, unemployment, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, weak governance, institutional failures, climate change, and environmental degradation.
He said these factors have created a fertile ground for insecurity to thrive, with devastating impacts on Nigeria.
Abubakar advised Nigerians not to lose faith ‘’in our capacity to ride above the storms of insecurity.’’
Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda; three ministers – Mohammed Idris (Information), Atiku Bagudu (Budget and Economic Planning), and Shuaibu Abubakar (Steel Development) also attended the event.
Idris reaffirmed the commitment of the Tinubu Administration to tackling insecurity through improved investment in equipment, manpower, and intelligence gathering.
The minister also acknowledged that the Sahel region has become a fortress of instability, violence, terrorism, organised crimes, drug trafficking, smuggling of weapons, and violent extremism with a spillover effect on Nigeria.
“Nigeria shares a long and porous border with several Sahelian countries caught up in conflict, making us vulnerable to the spillover effects of the conflict.
“This not only threatens our security but also challenges our capacity to maintain effective control over our borders,’’ said the minister.
IGP Egbetokun, who was represented by an Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Benneth Igweh restated the commitment of the police to fighting insecurity.
He said: “The Police are part of the system. We will continue to fight this scourge affecting our dear country.”