Opposition political parties have criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu over the Presidency’s admission that terrorist groups may have infiltrated Nigeria’s security architecture, describing the disclosure as further evidence of the Federal Government’s failure to tackle the country’s worsening insecurity.

The parties – the Social Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, Young Progressives Party, Peoples Democratic Party and the National Democratic Coalition – said the revelation by the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, underscored the need for urgent reforms, thorough investigations and the prosecution of any security personnel found collaborating with terrorists.

The presidential aide, who spoke on The Link Up Podcast hosted by EchoRoom, said the Federal Government had already introduced measures to address insider threats but declined to disclose details for security reasons.

The Presidency’s warning came amid unverified reports circulating on social media alleging that a soldier serving as a weapons instructor with an Army battalion in Geidam, Yobe State, had gone missing for about two days before being sighted among Boko Haram fighters during an attack on the town.

According to these unverified accounts, the soldier’s commanding officer tracked his phone to Gashua, several hundred kilometres from his duty post, prompting troops in the area to search for him.

The reports further claim he was intercepted at a checkpoint while attempting to travel to Gombe in disguise, and that he detonated an explosive device while being transported back to Geidam, after allegedly overpowering an escort.

The claims, which also allege that information from the soldier led to the arrest of other military personnel suspected of links to the terror group, have not been independently verified.

The Special Adviser on Policy Communication to the President, who confirmed his assertions late Saturday, was responding to a question about whether Nigeria’s military had been compromised by agents of terrorism.

He said the government believed that “they may have one or two agents in the army, anywhere else,” pointing to established precedent within both the Army and the Police as evidence that such breaches were not theoretical.

He stated, “Our police have always been arrested, and soldiers arrested involved in this kind of thing,” he said.

However, the Presidential aide argued that no security architecture in the world was entirely immune to infiltration.

Citing the case of Edward Snowden, the former United States intelligence contractor whose disclosures in 2013 exposed classified surveillance programmes run by the National Security Agency, Bwala argued that “this will happen anywhere in the world. Snowden was a contractor to the US national security.”

The presidential aide said the Federal Government had put measures in place to address the infiltration threat but deliberately withheld the details.

According to him, “These are elements that can happen, and why I didn’t want to talk much on that is because there are measures we’re taking and we don’t want people to know.”

Discussing significant security weaknesses that preceded the Tinubu administration, Bwala said a disagreement between the Chief of Air Staff and the Army leadership under former President Muhammadu Buhari had disrupted operational coordination, resulting in situations where requests for air cover during military operations were not honoured.

He stated, “I remember during Buhari there was this disagreement that was reported to be between the Chief of Air Staff and that of the Army, so that whenever an operation was undertaken, when they asked for air cover, there wouldn’t be support. In this administration, it is not so. There is coordination or cooperation.”

Opposition voices

However, the opposition parties, in separate exclusive interviews with The PUNCH on Sunday, following Bwala’s comments that although the overwhelming majority of military and security personnel remained patriotic, there had been instances where soldiers and police officers were investigated or arrested over alleged links with terrorist groups.

Reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the SDP, Rufus Aiyenigba, described the development as a reflection of governance failure, saying the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, bore the primary responsibility for securing the country.

“It speaks to the lack of governance and failure of government at all levels; the failure of the Office of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to do his duty. The first line of defence for the nation is the Office of the President.

“So, if the President is unable to do his duty and get into the public space, by way of admitting to the gaps coming in from within, it tells us that we have a grave situation on our hands. The nation is not only grappling with terrorism, we are grappling with the ineptitude of governance, a government that is suffocating opposition by all means and one that is not allowing citizens to be empowered.”

He added, “This is a government that is failing in its primary duty. According to Chapter 12 of the Constitution, that tells us that the primary duty of a government is the security of life and the welfare of citizens. So, anything that terrorises the peace and well-being of the people, is acts of terrorism.”

On the way forward, Aiyenigba added, “The only way out of this is for the citizens to rise up and demand for good governance and hold our leaders accountable. The Office of the citizenry is the greatest office in the land.

“So, what we can only do as a nation is for us to get united as citizens, to demand accountability, and to take our leaders to task.

“Elections are usually opportunities for stewardship, accountability, assessment. So, if Nigerians feel that we are not getting what we are expected to get, as a result of our rights, then we have an option, which is to use our office to vote them out.”

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the NDC, Osa Director, said Bwala’s comments reinforced what he described as the APC-led government’s inability to tackle insecurity.

He said, “I think it is a sign of failure and inability to handle situations properly by this government. Since 2015, when the ruling party took over, it has failed and clueless in providing direction to the high level of insecurity that is threatening to consume the entire nation.

He added, “We are just hoping that there will be peace in Nigeria before the elections, so that Nigerians can have the opportunity to peacefully and democratically have a change of government to tackle the situation. The APC has shown that it is incapable, and will never be capable of solving the security challenges of Nigeria as a nation.”

Also speaking, the National Publicity Secretary of the Tanimu Turaki-led PDP faction, Ini Ememobong, urged security agencies to investigate allegations of terrorist infiltration into government structures, insisting that security matters should be handled professionally and without political considerations.

He said, “The primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and property, and this administration has failed woefully in discharging that duty. If a government cannot fulfil its fundamental responsibility, it should not be expected to effectively handle other obligations.

“Nigerians must therefore reject President Tinubu in 2027 because of the administration’s failure to address insecurity. This suggests that terrorists may have infiltrated some government activities and structures, and security agencies must investigate and clarify the situation.”

The PDP spokesman added that security agencies should avoid politicising the issue and strengthen measures to protect communities across the country.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned why the government had yet to prosecute anyone if it had credible evidence of terrorist infiltration.

“This is a serious allegation. But Bwala is an unserious individual. So, it is difficult to take seriously anything he says. But if there is any credence to the allegation, shouldn’t we be hearing of arrests and prosecution instead of allegations?

“Three years in power, the APC people still imagine themselves to be in opposition rather than a government with power and responsibility to run a government,” he said.

On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of the YPP, Wale Egbeola-Martins, said Bwala merely echoed long-standing concerns among Nigerians over possible compromise within the country’s security institutions.

He said, “There is nothing particularly surprising in what Mr Bwala said. He merely echoed what many Nigerians have long suspected that there may be compromised security personnel with links to terrorist groups operating within the nation’s security architecture.

“This concern is not new. Even former President Goodluck Jonathan publicly acknowledged during his administration that terrorists and their sympathisers had infiltrated government institutions.

“The real issue, therefore, is not the revelation itself but what concrete steps the present administration has taken to identify, expose, and eliminate such elements from the security system.”

He also criticised the policy of rehabilitating repentant terrorists and called for stronger intelligence gathering, continuous vetting of security personnel and decisive action against internal saboteurs.

Police react

The Nigerian Police Force said it had multiple internal mechanisms in place to guard against infiltration of terrorists.

Force spokesman, Anieite Iniedu, said the police was the only security agency with six oversight bodies monitoring its operations and personnel.

He listed the bodies as including the department popularly known as the Force Provost, the Public Complaint Bureau, and the Complaint Response Unit among others.

“We have the SERVICOM, we have the X-squad, police monitoring unit, we have the provost, we have the public complaint bureau and then we have the complaint response units,” he said.

Iniedu said the Inspector-General of Police, whom he described as “very proactive,” had already directed the affected units to be on alert over a month before the presidency’s warning became public.

“The IG, over a month ago, had charged them to ensure that we do not have issues like this coming up. As I speak to you, our men have already been on standby concerning that, “he said.

He said the force had not received any direct reports of terrorist infiltration within its ranks, but maintained that quiet investigations were already underway as a precautionary measure.

“We don’t have any direct reports yet, but I want to assure you that discreet investigations are ongoing. I don’t want to give you full details now, but discreet monitoring is ongoing to ensure that that does not come up in the force,” he said.

He reiterated that the police leadership had moved ahead of the presidency’s warning, having put safeguards in place weeks earlier.

“The IG, over a month ago, had put enough strategies on hand to ensure that this does not surface in the force,” he said.

When contacted for comments on the matter, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, declined comments on the issue. (The PUNCH)

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