Africa-Press – Nigeria. Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, has said if properly funded and motivated, members of the Nigerian armed forces are capable of winning the war against terrorism and banditry in the country without foreign intervention.
Falana, who expressed regret that the ragtag army of the terrorists, as seen in their videos, were better equipped than the members of the country’s military, charged the Federal Government to adequately equip its armed forces for victory in the war.
The senior advocate spoke in a chat with journalists in his Ilawe Ekiti hometown on Saturday.
He bemoaned how some known figures in the country stole the funds meant for the purchase of arms and ammunition, urging the Federal Government to put in place a mechanism for the recovery of such monies for the original purpose.
He said, “If the members of the armed forces are well equipped and motivated, they can deal with terrorism and banditry. But as a result of the neglect of the vital security institutions over the years, the ragtag armies of criminal elements are winning the war on terror. It is a shame”.
Falana, who bemoaned the debilitating role of corruption in the fight against insecurity, queried, “How do you fight terrorism in an environment where the money budgeted for procurement of arms and ammunition is stolen by well-known criminal elements in society?
“From time to time, I defend military officers and soldiers who are charged with war crimes and other offenses under the Armed Forces Act. I know that they are prepared to prosecute the counter-insurgency operation, but they lack the vital equipment.
“The money earmarked for procurement of arms and ammunition was stolen by a coterie of military officers and their civilian collaborators. The courts are not helping as they hide under dubious technicalities to free the indicted criminals who steal billions of Naira procurement funds.
“For instance, a service chief was charged with stealing N22.8bn. The federal high court freed him on the ground that he was not charged before a court martial. Meanwhile, he was charged with money laundering, which can only be tried exclusively by the Federal High Court.
“A former governor was charged with stealing N6.9bn from the Office of the then National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki. A judge has just freed him without even allowing him to defend himself.
“A few other military officers and civilians who stole about N200bn have been asked to go home and enjoy the stolen funds earmarked for the purchase of military hardware. Meanwhile, our soldiers are ill-equipped because of the criminal diversion of the huge funds.
“So, the government must put in place a mechanism for the recovery of money meant for procurement of arms and ammunition which has been stolen. The recovery is with a view to using the fund for the purpose that they were meant for as a matter of urgency.
“If you equip your armed forces and motivate the members, Nigeria can fight terrorism and banditry without the intervention of any country. To secure Nigeria is not the business of any foreign nation, it is the duty of the government under the constitution and that duty must be carried out by the government.
“There is no indication that the government is incompetent and cannot secure Nigeria. Since Nigerians know where the problems lie, we have a duty to compel the government of our country to carry out its responsibility under the law”.
Speaking in reaction to US air strike in Sokoto and the government statement that it provided intelligence for the operation, Falana said, “Let the Nigerian government be warned not to allow US President Mr Donald Trump promote a religious war in Nigeria. Trump is saying his intervention is to protect Christians.
“The criminals that are killing Nigerians do not care about your religion, those who are collecting ransom after kidnapping Nigerians do not worry about religion, therefore, the war against terror in Nigeria must be carried out without any attempt to divide our people along religious and ethnic lines.
“Also, you cannot end insecurity in a country without addressing social insecurity. If young people are unemployed and unemployment is on the increase, some of them are likely to be driven to criminality. It is often said that ‘the devil finds work for idle hands’.
“So while the government is being pressured to fund, to equip the armed forces and the Nigerian police force, sufficient attention must be paid to youth unemployment,” he said
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