Overstretching the military in peace time

Soldiers are involved in such duties in 28 states. They are presently battling insurgency and terrorism, other various forms of criminal conduct that have heightened security demand, making its personnel to see more deployment in aid of civil authority than is healthy for the nation in the long run.Dasuki noted that it was not the […]

Soldiers are involved in such duties in 28 states. They are presently battling insurgency and terrorism, other various forms of criminal conduct that have heightened security demand, making its personnel to see more deployment in aid of civil authority than is healthy for the nation in the long run.
Dasuki noted that it was not the duty of the military to handle internal security operations. While it is the function of the military to assist civilian authority to handle civil disobedience, it is assumed that such rules would be carried out only when the capacity of the police is inadequate to quell the crisis, he argued. Policing the domestic arena should not be the duty of the military whose training is directed at combating external aggression, he said. By giving expression to the ubiquitous presence of soldiers who, indeed should rarely be seen in public in such numbers in peacetime, the national security adviser has hit on a very disturbing trend.
These days, commuters are more likely to encounter soldiers, rather than policemen, manning checkpoints on highways. Similarly, they are also now being detailed to guard residences and offices of politicians, duties that should not ever be part of their brief. This abnormal development has created the fear that soon an institution that prides itself as the guardian of the territorial integrity of the state would soon be compromised, because its normally high standards of training and discipline are jettisoned. Indeed, this is already happening, as most motorists tell tales of soldiers who openly seek favours from them at checkpoints on the many thoroughfares across the country.
Certainly, favour-seeking or extortion on the part of soldiers is a despicable and unacceptable attitude. However, this pales into insignificance when the overall damaging impact of such soldiers’ conduct on discipline and professionalism is considered. It is so serious that bribe-taking soldiers and others that have committed other misdemeanours are now being taken to court on a regular basis. This is a poignant and salient point particularly with a number of Nigerian soldiers on peacekeeping duties, and too much emphasis being put on deploying a greater number of those at home to civil duties.
 Admittedly, this foray of the military into civil duties may have been forced on it by the inability of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to effectively discharge its duty of combating emerging security challenges that threaten to overwhelm the country. Had the NPF been properly inclined through proper staffing and funding, to challenge and defeat these forces seeking to undermine the wellbeing of the state, there would have been no cause to draft the military into the fray.  The inadequacies of the police are therefore threatening to jeopardise the efficiency of other security arms. This must not be allowed to go on for too long.
The immediate action to take is to embark on a phased withdrawal of soldiers from civil duties, particularly those mounting sentry at checkpoints. This programmed plan to return the soldiers to their traditional role should be pursued side by side with the enablement and empowerment of the police to be in a strong enough position to take over complete responsibility of maintaining order. This will entail proper training of new entrants and the rank and file in all aspects of policing. In addition, paucity of equipment, including appropriate weapons in civil and armed uprisings, has bedevilled the ability of the police to do their duty effectively. It is important for them to be provided with adequate wherewithal for optimum performance.