General Martin Luther Agwai, a former Chief of Defense Staff, has emphasized the importance of understanding the root causes of insecurity to effectively address it. He highlighted the various regional security challenges, such as kidnappings in the Northwest, issues in the Southeast, and Boko Haram's activities in the Northeast.
Agwai pointed out that while Boko Haram once controlled numerous local governments in the Northeast, none are currently under their control. He stressed that this success was not solely due to military intervention. He believes that addressing insecurity requires a comprehensive approach that considers the underlying causes of the issues, whether they are related to IPOB or the kidnapping and banditry in the Northwest.
According to a report by The Sun News, General Martin Luther Agwai stated that kidnappings in the Northwest, issues in the Southeast, and Boko Haram in the Northeast are significant concerns. He noted that there was a time when many local governments in the Northeast were under Boko Haram's control, but now none are. He attributed this change to more than just military efforts, underscoring the necessity of understanding the root causes of these problems. He explained that while the military can create an enabling environment, it cannot solve the underlying issues. Identifying and addressing these root causes is crucial for lasting solutions to insecurity.
( Photo credit : The Sun Newspaper Official Facebook Page )
In his own words, he remarked, Again, all those ones that you have called—kidnappings in the Northwest, issues in the Southeast, Boko Haram in the Northeast—do you remember at one point how many local governments in the Northeast were under Boko Haram? Is there any local government today that Boko Haram has absolute control over? Beautiful! What happened? What did we do? Was it only a military solution? No. So, that is why I am saying whether you want to address the issue of IPOB or you want to address the issue in the Northwest of kidnapping, banditry, and everything, all of them; if you want to address them, first and foremost, I will make bold to say that the military can only give you an enabling environment, but the military cannot solve that problem. You have to find the causes."