Citizens’ Support, Key To Winning War Against Bandits

A civil society group, Unity Advocacy Group, UAG, have called on Nigerians to own the ongoing war against various forms of insecurity bedeviling the country in support of the efforts of the military and other security agencies.
The group strongly agreed with the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, in his keynote address at the recent seminar organised by Defence Correspondents Association of Nigeria (DECAN) on Tuesday, Feb. 27,2024 where he called on Nigerians to be positive about the future of Nigeria.
The theme of the seminar is, “Civil Military Relations: Non-kinetic efforts of the Nigerian Military in Security Management, Challenges and Prospects”.
According to the CDS, the traditional notion of war relying heavily on kinetic means is gradually being relegated and we are now seeking to possess and apply non kinetic approaches to project power, secure interests and solve problems.
He said the main focus of the military remains the targeting of the will of the people through the application of a combination of soft and non-military means.
“We’ve seen over and over that when dealing with non-state actors everybody is struggling for the hearts and minds of the citizens. So it is important that we’re way ahead of these criminals,” the CDS noted.
UAG in a press release signed by the convener, Ifeanyi Aigbedion, said it agrees with the submission of the CDS.
“We also agree with him that the challenges facing our nation are enormous, but we must look at the positive as well as speak well of our country and whatever is going on,” it said.
The group noted the huge sacrifices being made by members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and said the citizens must support them to restore peace and stability.
It commended the CDS and the AFN for sustaining the operations against bandits, terrorists in the North, irredentists in the Southeast, oil thieves in the South-South and kidnappers in various parts of the country.