How to end banditry — Col. Sani Bello

A former military governor of old Kano State, Colonel Sani Bello (rtd), has called on the federal government to integrate police officers into military operations to help tackle the growing threat of banditry and insurgency across the country.

He also said there is a need for retired military personnel to be recalled to strengthen national security.

The retired military officer and diplomat, who governed old Kano State between 1975 and 1978, made the call during an interview with a local radio station, Premier Radio Kano, over the weekend.

Bello said the government and security agencies already know the hideouts of notorious bandits and possess the capacity to eliminate them if there is sufficient political will.

He said, “Wherever these bandits are hiding, the government knows their locations. Security personnel know their exact locations and how to get to them. For example, if you insult the Kano State governor today, by tomorrow, they will track you because they know your location.

“But these ragtag bandits like Turji are allowed to say all sorts of nonsensical things even though their locations are known. Even as an ordinary citizen, you can use Google Maps to locate places. Why then can’t the government? I reiterate that the security agencies know where they are.”

He said the government has the intelligence and military hardware needed to neutralise criminal groups.

“The government may have one reason or another for not pursuing them and eliminating them one after another. No one is above the government if it has the will.

“They know their whereabouts and have all the equipment needed to trace them. How can they even be using mobile phones or appearing on social media if they cannot be tracked?

“Some people say we lack weapons to prosecute the war properly. That is not true. We have aerial drones, artillery guns capable of striking targets within a 25-kilometre radius, and military aircraft.

Do the bandits have aircraft? They don’t. They cannot possess the sophisticated weapons and technology available to the government.”

The retired colonel, however, commended the efforts of troops on the frontlines, saying they were overstretched due to the widespread nature of insecurity.

“Honestly, our troops are doing their best. Insecurity has become widespread across the country, making it increasingly difficult for the military.

“I think there is a need to massively increase the number of troops and treat this as a national emergency instead of addressing it in bits and pieces,” he said.

Drawing from his experience during the Nigerian Civil War, Bello said “Nigeria then rapidly expanded its military strength by recruiting and integrating personnel from the then Native Authority Police and recalling ex-servicemen.

“Before the civil war, the Nigerian Army, including the Biafran side, was barely more than 10,000 personnel. Federal troops numbered just over 8,000 at the onset of the war. However, recruitment intensified after the war began, and the strength of the Nigerian Army grew to more than 200,000 personnel by the end of the conflict.

“The government integrated the then Native Authority Police, popularly known as ‘Yan Doka’, and also recalled retired military personnel.”

According to him, police officers require minimal additional training before deployment because they already possess basic military skills.

“If you integrate police personnel into the military, you don’t need to teach them basic drills such as marching because they are already trained. What they require is combat orientation, weapons handling and battlefield tactics. Such training can be completed within a week.

“The same applied to World War II retired veterans. Most of them only needed refresher training on handling automatic rifles before returning to service. It was a simple exercise.”

He said the strategy enabled Nigeria to increase its military strength from about 8,000 personnel at the outbreak of the civil war to more than 200,000 before the conflict ended.

“It was an emergency situation, and emergency measures were adopted. Soldiers and officers were produced within a short time, and we prosecuted the civil war effectively.”

Bello said that although the Native Authority Police no longer exists, the country has a large pool of retired military personnel who can be temporarily re-engaged to support ongoing operations.

“Even if they serve for six months, they can strengthen our troops. If the government leverages this, it can make a significant difference in the fight against insurgency.”

He also lamented the shortage of personnel in today’s military, saying battalions are operating far below their required strength.

“In our time, a battalion consisted of about 700 soldiers. Today, what is called a battalion may have only about 200 troops, which is barely the strength of a company or two. So we clearly have a shortage of troops.

“The government must rise to its responsibility because this is a serious problem. There is a difference between conventional warfare and fighting bandits or guerrilla warfare. In a conventional war, you know your enemy and confront them squarely. The government must wake up and do the needful before the situation gets out of hand,” he said.