By Kolawole Ojebisi
Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has identified the Nigeria border with the Niger Republic as the most porous and dangerous, stressing that it must be fenced off to stop the incursion of terrorists into the country.
Musa said that it was through the Niger border that terrorists such as ISWAP and other forms of terrorist groups gain entry into Nigeria to wreak mayhem on its citizens.
The CDS stated this during an interview on Arise News on Friday while discussing the security challenges besetting the country.
“The reason is because, having gone through my analysis and looking at the Sahel, the main attraction to all these terrorists and bandits is Nigeria. Because this perception is, there were attacks from Burkina Faso… in Benin Republic, it’s just 50 kilometers to Nigeria. That is another area.
“So for me, I think, and like I mentioned, all around us, we have Francophone countries. Our ideologies are not the same. For us to be secure, it is important, let us fence our borders.
“Some people say, look, it’s expensive. I say, what is money if you are dead? So countries that have sat down, I have analyzed and seen that, look, strategically it’s important, because once you fence that area, you use technology. Now you have cameras, you have drones. It reduces the manpower you need to engage in that area, and they could be used elsewhere. So that’s important.
“And the most critical one for us now even if we want to start let’s start with Nigeria and Niger [border]. That’s the most dangerous because… that’s where they’re coming in. The Boko Haram are coming in from the Sahel. The ISWAP guys are coming in all through those areas. So that’s why it’s critical.
“If we start from there and we can start state-wise at the same time, each state will start on its own, and before you know it, we’re there.”
The CDS’ remarks come on the heels of bloodbath that happened in Yelewata community in Benue State over the weekend, claiming over 200 lives.
Reacting to the massacre, the governor of the state, Hyacinth Alia claimed that the perpetrators of the dastardly act are foreign terrorists.
