Some Nigerians have become informants to bandits, terrorists - Group decries

A group, Citizens’ Initiative for Security Awareness (CISA) has decried that Nigerians are sabotaging the war against insurgency and all other forms of criminality by feeding bandits, terrorists information against the Nigerian troops rather than rendering them their support.

The national coordinator, CISA, Chidi Omeje, while addressing a news conference, disclosed that residents in some parts of the Northeast are leaking information on troops movement and position to the Nation’s enemies.

“What could be more horrendous than sabotaging their effort by leaking their movement or position to terrorists or bandits? That is terrible, unpatriotic and counter-productive. Politicians should be more concerned about this and find a way to drum up support for our the security forces from their constituents”, Omeje said.

The Coordinator also alerted plot by “unpatriotic politicians and mischievous interest groups” to destroy national security through propaganda aimed at dampening the morale of troops in the battlefield.

He lamented that security forces who sacrifice their lives for the peace of the nation are made to bear sustained unconscionable media vilification orchestrated by unpatriotic politicians and mischievous interest groups.

“To this set of Nigerians, not even matters of national security or the corporate existence of the country, can be spared their negative politics or religious bigotry. This unacceptable trend has gone on for far too long to the embarrassment of ordinary Nigerian citizens who truly appreciate the huge sacrifices and fighting spirit of the Nigerian security forces”, he said.

Omeje stressed that the Nigerian security forces must be insulated from the malaise of negative politics ravaging the land, and politicians must desist from wearing out soldiers with their “divisive, incisive and insensitive pronouncements.”

The coordinator noted that Nigeria has remained a strong, progressive, one indivisible nation on account of the resilience, commitment, loyalty and sacrifice of our indefatigable security forces.

“When the blood-thirsty Boko Haram terrorist group began its brutal violent campaign against innocent Nigerians, the Nigerian security agencies led by the Armed Forces gallantly rose in defence of the people.

“Their gallantry, as we sadly note, has not been without a huge price: a number of soldiers have paid the supreme price, many others have lost their limbs or have been maimed for life, young families of military personnel have been thrown into mourning and sorrow; many more soldiers are still in harm’s way, doing all they could to defend and protect us from those who seek to destroy us”, he said.

“Let us not distract our troops, let’s give them the support, if they have the morale, they’ll perform optimally”, he urged.

According to him, what the military and all other agencies need is “unconditional public solidarity and unflinching support” too boost their morale.

Omeje further said the government can also support the military by recruiting aggressively, more policemen to support troops in tackling insecurity. He noted that the Nigerian troops are currently overwhelmed and the police grossly understaffed.

“Aggressive recruitment of more policemen can support the military take out criminals and their sponsors. Nigerian police can’t contain the type of criminality we have in Nigeria”, he said.

He added, ” We need the police to be equipped and much more populated. We have about 400,000 police force for a country 200 million. I believe we should have at least 1 million policemen.

He also noted that recruiting more policemen will also address the problem of unemployment among Nigerian youths.