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Securing Over 200 Million Nigerians Not Easy; Says COAS
The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, yesterday, said it is unrealistic for two million security personnel to protect a population of over 200 million Nigerians.
Gen. Lagbaja made this remark during the 2024 distinguished personality lecture in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The COAS, who was represented by the Chief of Army Training, Sanni Mohammed highlighted the military’s heavy reliance on imported defence equipment due to the country’s weak industrial base.
The army chief also expressed concerns over the inadequate funding of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, AFN, which he said significantly affected the military’s operational performance.
He said: “In a country of over 200 million people, it is unrealistic to expect security agencies, totalling around two million, including an army of just over 100,000 active personnel without a reserve force, to secure the entire population.
“We import over 90 per cent of our military needs,” he said, noting that despite some local production efforts, the country’s dependence on foreign military supplies remains overwhelming.
“The pursuit of national development alongside national security is a costly endeavour, as defence policy is capital-intensive.
“In 2023, the entire AFN had a budget of about $2.8 billion, with an additional supplementary budget of around one billion dollars. However, not all budgetary allocations were fully released.
“Although funding for the AFN has been improving annually since 2017, the country’s economic downturn has eroded the actual value of what is released.
“The lack of funding affects the AFN’s equipment holdings, which directly impacts performance.”
Addressing the security personnel gap, Lagbaja said: “The considerable resource gap is being exploited by criminal elements. Addressing this requires investment in expanding and strengthening security forces, ensuring adequate personnel and resources.
“National security requires all citizens to be part of the security framework, fostering vigilance, trust, and community engagement. This will create a more resilient citizenry, better equipped to respond to national emergencies.”
In his remarks, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole stressed the importance of peace and security for sustainable development.
The event, organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin, in collaboration with the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, was held as part of activities marking the United Nations International Day of Peace.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s family residence in Kogi was reportedy invaded by gunmen around 1 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, leaving damaged windows but no injuries.
The incident happened at her hometown residence in Obeiba-Ihima, located in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Sources familiar with the event said the attackers arrived around 1:00 a.m. Armed with cutlasses and guns, they damaged parts of the building, smashing windows and causing panic in the area. At least three men were involved in the attack.
Senator Natasha’s Chief Security Officer, Yakubu Ovanja, quickly informed the appropriate security agencies.
In response, officers from the Okehi Police Division rushed to the scene.
Although nobody was hurt and no suspects have been arrested yet, security officials recorded the extent of the damage and launched a preliminary investigation.
The reason behind the attack is still unknown, and as of now, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has not released any official statement. She represents Kogi Central in the Senate and is known as a vocal figure in Nigerian politics.
According to Zagazola Makama, police are still trying to figure out what motivated the attackers and are working to find those responsible.
The communities came under simultaneous attacks just a day after the killing of 11 persons at Otobi Community also in Otukpo LGA.
Benue has in the past decade experienced incessant attacks.
Suspected herdsmen have again stepped up violent attacks as no fewer than three communities in the Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State were attacked on Wednesday.
The communities affected during the fresh attacks include Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju all in Otukpo where five persons were killed in February. The communities came under simultaneous attacks just a day after the killing of 11 persons at Otobi Community also in Otukpo LGA.
Local sources confirm that several people may have been feared dead again in the fresh attack.
Wednesday’s attack came hours after Governor Hyacinth Alia confirmed the arrest of three suspected herders in connection with the invasion of Otobi village on Tuesday night.
When contacted, Otukpo LGA Chairman, Maxwell Ogiri, confirmed the attack on the three communities, saying that the attackers stormed the communities at the time when the Commissioner of Police was still at the Ochidoma Palace over the previous day’s attack on Otobi.
He added that three people sustained injury in the attacks on the three communities, leading to women and children abandoning the communities for fear of being killed.
“Only young men were in the communities when the attackers arrived. The prompt response from combined security operatives made the attackers flee and none of them were arrested,” Ogiri stated.
The police spokesperson in the state, Sewuese Anene, was yet to confirm details of the attacks on the three communities.
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