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March 12, 2021

INSECURITY: FG shoots down talks on mercenaries

NEW SERVICE CHIEFS & NSA MONGUNO OUTLASTING ASO VILLA CABALS *BY OLALEKAN ADIGUN It's no longer news that one insider who fought the Aso Rock cabal to a standstill is Rtd General Baba Gana Monguno, the National SecurityAdviser to President Buhari. That is if you dont count the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo who was the cabal's main target. While the Vice President continues to win the praise of the President openly and publicly despite the cabal's many attempts to rupture their relationship, the NSA also has retained the confidence of the President who has refused many attempts by the cabal led by late ABBA Kyari to remove him outrightly. So when remnants of the late Kyari penned a missive in the media recently saying the NSA is an unhappy, the question cropped up: Is Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), the NSA truly an unhappy man? What will make anyone believe that a man admired by many majorly for his courage and determination, even in the face of adversity,  be unhappy despite overcoming challenges and several attempts to undermine him? Monguno earned the respect of many when he stood up courageously against influential individuals -known as the Cabals-in the seat of power not minding how they might try to rid him of his position as NSA. It is however baffling to note that anyone will misconstrue such an expression of genuine concern and the love for country as sadness or disillusionment with the setup at the time. Calling him sad at a time such as this (when a new set of service chiefs are on board) is a deliberate attempt to sow a seed of discord between the new service chiefs and the NSA. MONGUNO’S CONCERNS Although a recent online report described Monguno, as "the unhappy national security adviser”, those close to him disagree, affirming instead that his competence earned him the respect of the President, particularly for speaking out against what was clearly becoming an aberration in the security architecture of the country. A close associate of the NSA who spoke on the condition of anonymity revealed that Monguno’s concern was never prompted by his desire to gain personal benefits or seek cheap popularity as President Buhari’s silently influential NSA. His dissatisfaction with the conduct of former service chiefs was purely based on professional grounds. It is this his dissatisfaction that is being used to portray Monguno as a sad aide to the President. “In fact, what is manifesting today can be traced to the power tussle between the late Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Mr Abba Kyari and the NSA, Babagana Monguno. The CoS had usurped Monguno’s role as a security adviser and dished out operational orders directly to the service chiefs without minding the implications of his action especially as the situation in parts of the country deteriorated,” Monguno’s associate added It was indeed an open secret that Kyari had made several attempts to challenge the authority of Monguno to effectively coordinate the activities of security and defence organisations in the country.  A source in the presidency who was quite familiar with the frosty relationship between Monguno and Kyari, confirmed that late Abba Kyari had even devised several tactics to destabilize the NSA, including enlisting the services of a section of the press to anchor the media arm of his plot to undermine the powers of Monguno who had rejected several overtures to jeopardize national security and the sovereignty of the country. FEUD BETWEEN KYARI AND MONGUNO It was learnt that Kyari’s grudge against Monguno started during the probe of money found at an Ikoyi apartment allegedly owned by the NIA under the watch of its former DG, Ayo Oke. The NSA was one of the dissenting voices against the late CoS. He resisted all attempts by Kyari to divert the NIA funds and mislead the President on its handling. According to the presidency source, while Monguno had dismissed attempts by Kyari to take custody and control of the money, the NSA had insisted that the money be deposited at the CBN, hence the fight between the two trusted aides of the President started and persisted until the demise of the CoS in 2020. Frustrated by Monguno’s unwavering stand against plans by the CoS to shortchange the system, Kyari launched several attacks against the NSA, including sending several damaging reports against the NSA to the President requesting for his sack from office. Another anonymous source in the presidency disclosed that President Buhari who is very satisfied with Monguno as NSA had at several times rejected propositions by the CoS to fire him. Specifically, in Dec 2019, an incident was reported of how President Buhari angrily sent Kyari away when he approached him (the President) again with a memo proposing the replacement of Monguno with Lawan Daura former DSS boss as NSA. At about the same time, the late Kyari was also scheming to remove President's Media Adviser Femi Adesina and had already instructed another Villa official to be playing his role while reappointments for the second term where in progress. "Kyari then refused to process NSA and the Media Adviser's reappointments. It was an open secret then at the Villa," a source noted. MONGUNO’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SERVICE CHIEFS Many are not aware that the President had in fact become tired of Mr Kyari’s antics and was determined not to renew his appointment but for the intervention of some influential traditional rulers whom the late Kyari had ran to for help to secure his job at the take-off of the second term. Evidently, Kyari’s meddlesomeness in the operations of the service chiefs became a regular feature and the results were obvious for all to see as security operations were poorly coordinated. The lackluster attitude of the military in the fight against insurgency and banditry in the country was attributed to the cold war orchestrated against the NSA. At some points, the service chiefs refused to honour meetings called at the instance of the NSA for fear of being punished by the late CoS. A source at the NSA’s office disclosed that a clear manifestation of the frosty relationship between the NSA and service chiefs was the redeployment of senior Army officers away from the NSA’s Office by the then Chief of Army Staff, without any justifiable reasons, amounting to gross insubordination in military and security parlance. Severing NSA's formal ties with the service chiefs was one of the ploys devised by Kyari to whittle down the power and influence of Monguno as NSA and then portray him as incompetent. Monguno’s cordial relationship with the present set of service chiefs is an indication that there was indeed no re-definition of the role of the NSA as wrongly insinuated in a recent online report. The new crop of service chiefs enjoy a cordial relationship with the NSA which is needed for the successful prosecution of the ongoing operation against insurgency and banditry across the country. Indeed the NSA said last week at a press briefing at the Aso Villa that since the appointment of the new service chiefs he has already met them severely, something that late Kyari effectively frustrated with the old service chiefs. The resurgent attacks on the person of Monguno is a strategy by remnants of the Cabal to renew the plot to axe him as Nigeria’s National Security Adviser. As has already been explained via a statement from his office, the NSA was misquoted in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Monguno was quoted to have said that the government was not aware of how monies meant for the purchase of arms were spent under the immediate past Service Chiefs and could not also trace the arms they claimed to have bought. But the statement noted that the NSA did not categorically say that monies meant for arms procurement were missing under the former service chiefs. According to the clarification, NSA office noted that “we would like to state that the NSA was quoted out of context, as he did not categorically say that funds meant for arms procurement were missing under the former service chiefs, as reported or transcribed by some media outlets from the BBC interview. “During the interview, the NSA only reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to deal decisively with insecurity and stated President Muhammadu Buhari’s continued commitment to providing all necessary support to the armed forces, including the provision of arms and equipment.” Clearly, the ploy to remove Monguno from office has not been discarded by his detractors. They are relentless in seeking avenues to extend the unhealthy rivalry that existed between the NSA and the former service chiefs to the new helmsmen of the armed forces. Fortunately, Monguno, a seasoned professional, remains unperturbed. Having survived previous attempts to remove him from office, his disposition to doing the right thing cannot be changed by a mere propaganda to portray him as power drunk and seeking personal gains. Happy or unhappy, the NSA remains focused on the job. And if feelers from the Presidency is anything to do by, the retired General Monguno continues to enjoy the confidence of the President. Said a Villa source "the new Chief of Staff being a tested diplomat and international public servant is working in tandem with the NSA, and even Mr. President is relieved that his trusted aides are now on the same page." What cannot be denied today is that Monguno now has a good working relationship with the new military service chiefs and he has survived the antics of the Cabal so far. Let's hope all these will yield better security outcomes for the country unlike before. Olalekan Adigun is a Lagos based Public Affairs Analyst

Babagana Monguno,

…Vows to come out in full force against insurgents

…Says negotiating with bandits suggests weakness

…Insists govt’ll not be blackmailed

…Reveals meeting with Sheikh Gumi

…Niger State govt orders closure of schools

…Bandits demand N200m to free 19 people abducted in Niger

…Bandits kill 7 in Kaduna villages, burn property, rustle cattle

…Banditry taking too much toll on us, traditional rulers tell Buhari

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru & Ibrahim Hassan

THE Federal Government yesterday ruled out engaging mercenaries to assist Nigeria in the fight against insurgency, which has continued for more than a decade.

It also vowed to come out in full force to fight insurgency in the country, saying it could no longer tolerate blackmail in any guise.

Government’s declaration came on the heels of repeated calls by governors of the North-East states, led by Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other stakeholders that mercenaries be engaged to help defeat Boko Haram.

This came on a day Niger State Government shut all public secondary schools in the state for two weeks, following incessant attacks by bandits.

This is even as bandits who abducted 19 persons at Kutunku village in Wushishi Local Government Area of Niger State Monday, demanded N200 million ransom Wednesday night to free their captives

Bandits also went wild in Kaduna, killing seven persons, injuring several others, destroying properties and rustling cattle in Igabi, Giwa and Chikun Local Government Areas.

Addressing journalists at the weekly presidential media briefing at the Council Chamber of State House, Abuja, yesterday, National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno, retd, who said the current service chiefs will deploy all necessary force to deal with terrorists and bandits operating in the country, also said dialogue with them suggests weakness and incapacity on the part of government.

No engaging mercenaries

He said: “The President’s view and directive is that we will not engage mercenaries. When this administration came in, it’s true, we had these mercenaries helping out in the North-East. But the directive of the Commander-in-Chief is that we do not engage mercenaries when we have our own people to deal with this problem.

“This is basically a presidential directive. And there are so many issues when you come to the issue of mercenaries. It has to do with the issue of national pride also. I know you’d say can pride be more of a concern than our security? I do understand that.

“But what we are looking at here is that we have the resources, it’s just misapplication or under-utilisation that has affected our ability to deal with these people.”

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The NSA said the government will not succumb to blackmail and the use of criminals by proxies to harass innocent citizens.

“While government is not averse to talking with these entities, it also has to fully apply its weight. You can’t (negotiate) with people who are unreliable and who will continue to hurt society. We will apply the full weight of government to deal with these criminals.

“These are not people looking for anything that is genuine or legitimate, they’re just out to take calculated measures to inflict pain and violence on innocent people. We must deal with them the way they need to be dealt with. We will fully assert the government’s will.

“We are also focusing on the associated dimensions of banditry and terrorism: Illegal drugs, the flow of small arms and light weapons, and illegal mining in places like Zamfara. These are some of the scenarios fueling the violence and we are already tackling them decisively.

“Government wants to use military assets to eliminate them but if along the line, they come out, good. It paints the picture of weakness, incapacity,’’ he added.

The NSA also disclosed that between March and December 2020, the military successfully took out 2,403 insurgents in the North East.

We are waiting for Gumi — NSA

On why the government was silent on Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, who had been calling on government to grant insurgents amnesty, Monguno said he met and interacted with him briefly in Kaduna at the zonal town hall meeting with service chiefs but noted that he was still waiting for the cleric to come forth as he promised to help.

He said: “Sheikh Gumi is doing what he’s doing because he believes in what he’s doing. He’s a Nigerian and under the constitution, he can talk to anybody. He can deal with anybody.

“I met with him when I went with the service chiefs to Kaduna, and we spoke generally during the meeting and he resolved to help government. We are waiting for him. That’s all I can say.”

He also said the recent changes made by President Buhari to the security architecture “gives us a ray of hope that things will be adjusted, so that whatever we do regarding securing Nigeria will be in conformity with the aspirations of the people.’’

On external support, the NSA said: “There’s a Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit, comprising US, UK, France, working with us and our neighbours. They’ve been supporting us with intelligence. For us, what’s most important is acting on the intelligence—that’s why we’re investing in equipment and assets.”

‘New direction is to come out with full force’

On the new service chiefs, Monguno said: “The new direction of government is to come out with full force. Government will not allow itself to be blackmailed by any group or individual who thinks he can hide under the surface and use proxies to deal a fatal blow on innocent people.

“I want to assure you categorically and unequivocally that government is going to apply full weight to deal with these criminals until such a time that they vacate the shores of this country.

“In dealing with this issue, government realizes the need for tangential, auxiliary organizations to key into both the issue of drugs coming in and smuggling of arms and light weapons.

“As a result of what I said about delivering maximum force — the weight of our security organizations does that obviate the need for us to use soft approach? We are ready to dialogue with these people but for us, it’s not a priority.

“We can’t be singing the same song everyday and these people are unreliable. They are ignoble, they are ready to undermine whatever agreement we have had, so, because of that, if the opportunity avails itself, of course, we will talk with responsible people from the side of those people.

“I don’t even know how to categorize them because it’s not as if they are looking for something you can point a finger at, it’s not some kind of nationalistic situation, something you can actually identify and relate to.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Lagos postpones secondary school entrance exams indefinitely

“These are just a murderous group of individuals who are hooked up on drugs and I don’t know why anybody wants to negotiate with these people.

“The people who have been negotiating with them in the first place, don’t you think they should actually, if there is that sincerity of purpose, talk with the right people in government? So, for negotiations, it is there, we would see what happens if it happens.”

Niger State govt orders closure of schools

Similarly, following the unabated abduction of people across the state, the Niger State government has ordered the closure of all public secondary schools in the state for two weeks, with effect from today, Friday March 12, 2021.

Commissioner of Education, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu, in a statement signed   by the Information Officer, Jibrin Usman Kodo, yesterday, said the decision was taken to give relevant security agencies the time and opportunity to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of all public secondary schools in the state.

The statement read: “The exercise, when completed, will provide an all-inclusive mechanism and strategies that will restore and guarantee sustainable security and safety of students, school infrastructure, education managers and teachers in the state.

“Government had earlier held a meeting with the leadership of the   Association of the Proprietors of Private Schools, NAPPS, Association of Model Islamic Schools, AMIS, Executive Chairman, Niger State Universal Basic Education Board, NSUBEB,Heads of Education Agencies, Directors of the Ministry and other stakeholders of the education sector in the state on the issue.

“Government is committed and will leave no stone unturned and ensure that all schools become safe environments for effective teaching and learning for all categories of students and teachers across the state.

“Government calls on all parents and other stakeholders to see security as the responsibility of everybody and join hands to confront the insecurity in Nigeria in general and Niger state in particular.’’

The state government had earlier shut 22 schools (11 day schools and 11 boarding schools) in the wake of the kidnap of 42 persons from Government Science College, Kagara, out of which 27 were students of the School.

The schools are located in Rafi, Mariga, Munya and Shiroro Local Government Areas where bandits had been operating unabated for the past months.

The government directive was, however, silent on public primary schools and private primary and secondary schools.

19 abducted persons: Bandits demand N200m

Also, bandits have demanded N200 million as ransom to free the 19 persons abducted from Kutunku village in Wushishi LGA of Niger State.

The Village Head, Ibrahim Yusuf, said the bandits made the demand via a phone call on Wednesday night

The bandits invaded the village at around 1am on Monday and kidnapped 19 residents, including six women.

They were said to have operated for at least two hours and trekked back to the bush where they parked their motorcycles.

The village head said:  “They called us and asked for money.  They are holding 19 people and they are telling us we should bring N200 million.

“We don’t know what to do because we are all in confusion in the village now, including our wives and children; we don’t know what to do. Even if we sell our houses, we cannot get that kind of money.”

Bandits kill 7 in Kaduna villages , burn property, rustle cattle

Also, security agencies in Kaduna State have reported that seven people were killed by bandits who invaded Igabi, Giwa and Chikun Local Government Areas, while several persons were injured.

The bandits were also said to have destroyed properties and rustled cattle of the victims.

The state Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, who also confirmed this yesterday, said in   the first incident, the bandits stormed Gangi village in Igabi Local Government Area, shooting sporadically in what seemed to be a cattle rustling operation.

He said in the process, four residents were killed, while two others who sustained gunshot injuries were receiving treatment in the hospital.

The commissioner said the bandits also razed three houses belonging to Mohammad Jibril, Salisu Ya’u and Idris Muhammad, as well as  a pick-up van belonging to one Umaru Saleh.

According to him, 20 heads of cattle belonging to two residents of the village were rustled and herded away by the bandits.

In another incident, Aruwan said the bandits attacked Marke village in Giwa Local Government Area and killed one Rabiu Haruna.

“Similarly, at Kuriga in Chikun Local Government Area, bandits killed two people along the Buruku road linking with Birnin Gwari Local Government Area. The victims were identified as Ibrahim Yahu Birnin Gwari and Haruna Usman. Another victim, Mansur Dada, sustained injuries and is receiving treatment in hospital.

“Governor Nasir El-Rufai noted the reports with sadness, and sent his condolences to the families of those killed, while praying for the repose of their souls. He also wished the injured citizens a quick recovery,” the commissioner said.

Banditry taking heavy toll on us, traditional rulers tell Buhari

Meanwhile, the National Council of Traditional Rulers yesterday told President Muhammadu Buhari that the activities of bandits were taking too much toll on their people.

A delegation of the council made up of representatives from the six geo-political zones of the country met with the President and requested him to do more to restore normalcy.

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, leader of the delegation and Etsu Nupe, His Royal Highness Yahaya Abubakar, revealed that the bandits make use of sophisticated weapons, compared to the ones borne by security forces.

He, therefore, stressed the need to equip the military to be able to match the bandits fire for fire.

The royal father said the monarchs also requested government to provide them a role in the effort to resolve the insecurity in the country.

The Etsu Nupe said the President has reassured that beyond what the administration was already doing, it will equip the military and expressed the commitment to deal ruthlessly with the criminals.

Asked to comment on the allegation that some traditional rulers connive with foreign elements to carry out criminal activities, he said the allegation could not be far from the truth but noted that mechanism was being put in place to checkmate such persons.

The traditional rulers were led to the briefing by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Major General Babagana Monguno, retd.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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