Evidence shown of the mistrust of the Nigerian military

Nigerian military has been moving heavy military equipment from Enugu across several Eastern states. Such movement triggered fears and concerns, as people wondered what it meant.

Naturally, the Nigerian civilians associate with the Nigerian military atrocities against the civilians. ‘Operation Python Dance’, an euphemism for a rootless crackdown on presumed members of Indigenous People of Biafra in 2017, is fresh on people’s minds.

Apart from that shameful attack on unarmed civilians, Nigerian soldiers have on countless occasions waged wars against totally unarmed civilians. And yet, this is an army that had price incompetent in fighting against an insurgency in the Eastern part of the country.

On this occasion of an apparent movement for standard military exercise, the military was forced to make statements calming the aggravated population down.

As the Punch reported on this matter, “the Nigerian Army has urged South-East and Cross River State residents not to panic over the massive movement of troops, military vehicles and weapons as it holds a week-long military exercise.”

The Deputy Director, Army Public Relations 82 Division, Col. Aliyu Yusuf,  was reported to have  made an appeal in a statement issued to the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Enugu. He said the movement of weapons and equipments is for a military exercise known as the 2019 Combat Proficiency Competition for Formations under the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army”.

The 82 Division of the Nigerian Army is based in Enugu.

The questions emanating from this are the application of the mistrust between the general population and the Nigerian Armed Forces. And what is the long-term strategic impact of this on the Nigerian defense capabilities? What war is the army training against in the Eastern part of Nigeria, when the Northeast remains undefended and vulnerable to insurgency? Shouldn’t the army rather focus on defeating the insurgency?