Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has described informants as a major obstacle to the military’s campaign against insurgency and banditry in the country, especially in the northeast and northwest where soldiers are engaged daily in combating terrorists.
Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Ismail Gusau, stated this in Birnin Kebbi during an interaction with journalists, seeking media backing in the ongoing fight against insecurity in northern Nigeria.
General Tukur explained that his visit to Kebbi to engage journalists, traditional rulers, and residents was in line with the directive of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, to ensure the security challenge in the northwest does not degenerate into the level of the northeast, where insurgents often disguise to inflict terror on innocent citizens.
“We decided to come here to interface with you journalists to support us achieve our set goals,” he said.
Gusau appealed to the media to report stories that would lift the spirits of soldiers in the battlefield, rather than publications that might dampen their morale.
He further disclosed that beyond the military base already established in Kebbi, the army has plans to set up a brigade to protect residents, stressing that operations in troubled states are undermined by the activities of informants who are spread across communities.
He observed that the army contributes only thirty per cent in tackling insurgency, while seventy per cent rests on the commitment of citizens, whose cooperation is crucial to the success of the mission.
Gusau noted that despite challenges, at least 120 insurgents have surrendered through safe corridors, clarifying that the army is never a party to peace deals.
Gusau also claimed that what the army does is simply receive insurgents after they have reached a truce with the relevant authorities.
