The coordinator of defence media operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche said yesterday that the decision to hire commercial soldiers to assist in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgents rests upon the federal government.
It would be recalled that after the recent beheading over 60 rice farmers in Borno State by the dreaded Boko Haram non-state actors, the state governor, Prof Baba Gana Zulum urged the federal government to engage foreign military contractors to help in the war against the insurgents.
But during the weekly briefing on security operations in the country Enenche said the military had no business debating the issue, adding that it was diligently prosecuting the war against insurgency and focused on victory.
“Request or proposal to engage mercenaries, that is at a very high level. The kind of armed forces and security agencies you have now is normally determined by the people.
“It (engagement of mercenaries) is not in our powers. It is a kind of force package; it is what the government wants. It is not for the military to begin to contend.
“No armed forces anywhere will tell the people, ‘this is how we want to operate.’ The legislators, National Security Council, will decide on it,” Enenche said.
On whether the military was overstretched and overwhelmed as stated by the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Dr Kayode Fayemi, Enenche said it was for the authorities to decide if it is true.
“It is not for the military to say we are overstretched; I am not overstretched. If I say, I am overstretched, that means I don’t want to work. And if I say, I am not overstretched, that means, I am under-utilised.”
He said the armed forces and other security agencies have continued to deal deadly blows to insurgents and bandits in the North-East and North-West.
Meanwhile, PR Nigeria reported that foreign military contractors earlier engaged by the government to help deal with the insurgents vowed never to return because of the ill-treatment meted to them by the Buhari government.
It would be recalled that during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria had covertly brought in ‘military-technical advisers’ suspected to be mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to take on Boko Haram, ahead of the 2015 general elections.
Several regional security, defence and diplomatic sources were aware of the development at the time, including a tacit confirmation by President Jonathan that two companies were providing “trainers and technicians” to help Nigerian forces.
PRNigeria quoted one of the facilitators of the mercenaries as bemoaning the humiliation, persecution and prosecution of foreign mercenaries along with their Nigerian counterparts who participated in the operation after the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as president.
“In fact, some of our covert operations and activities of operatives in Nigeria, including incurred casualties, were exposed as working for mercenaries.
“Imagine that even highly classified and coded transactions for operational purposes were exposed as corruption.”
While noting that some of their payments for operations executed are still outstanding, the facilitator who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “It’s easier to confirm what we did because we were able to recover dozens of towns from Boko Haram from at least three states in the northeast at the time. This is an open secret.”
He expressed regret and disappointment that some Nigerian military and intelligence officers who participated in the operation were not only retired but also prosecuted and convicted.
He stated that the mercenaries found it difficult to work in a country where their operations, strategy and thinking were exposed to the media and judicial processes.
The secret agent confirmed that top government officials at federal and state levels were reaching out to them but reiterated their resolve not to come back.
Meanwhile, founder of Specialized Tasks, Training, Equipment and Protection (STTEP), Eeben Barlow, revealed that the president stopped them from carrying on fighting the Boko Haram terrorists in 2015.
In a post on social media, Barlow said their proposal was antagonised and politicised by Buhari and his team “even before they assumed office.”
“The initial three-phase campaign strategy (known as ‘Operational Anvil’) to degrade and destroy BH in Borno State, was rejected by his advisors.”
Barlow further stated that the company was willing to stay back in the northeast but noted that the President “made it known that the company’s presence would not be tolerated under his office.”
With Vanguard report
