There is no country that has achieved peace and stability by hiring foreign forces; this is exemplified in Somalia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Libya and Iraq. These countries are currently in crisis. Thus, to me, hiring foreign mercenaries will demoralize our troops and is a slap on the face of the Nigerian government.
Judging by the fact that since the murderous activities of Boko Haram spanning over a decade, the insurgents have captured some territories in Borno state, but fortunately our brave and diligent military have recaptured some of the invaded territories. There is no single territory/town which is currently in the control of Boko Haram.
But annoyingly, the House of Representatives advised the government to hire mercenaries (foreign military) in the fight against the dreaded Boko Haram, unleashing mayhem particularly in the Northeast of Nigeria.
The Goodluck Jonathan government had procured the services of mercenaries from South Africa to assist the Nigerian Army in the war against insurgency. But President Muhammadu Buhari at that time described the use of mercenaries to fight Boko Haram as “shameful” during the 2015 electioneering; he later terminated the contract. Buhari had said such assistance represented the depth of weakness of the Nigerian Army.
At the same time, A South African mercenary who helped the Nigerian Army recapture a swathe of territory from Boko Haram accused the Nigerian government of squandering the gains it made with his help. In view of the aforesaid, the Nigerian government should not rely always on hiring foreign military in the war against the insurgency.
If the House of Representatives’ ‘irrational’ appeal is accepted, the government of cannot fight and confront the insurgents with its military, without the help of mercenaries.
In a nutshell, I would like to advise the Nigerian government to re-strategize her military tactics in confronting Boko Haram and many other security challenges bedeviling our dear country. Instead of hiring foreign military, the government should re-train her military personnel with the military tactics of developed countries that are experts in the fight against insurgency and equip them with sophisticated weapons.
Mallam Musbahu Magayaki,
Sabon Fegi, Azare,
Bauchi state
