The Abuja-Kaduna road debacle: A joke too far

The agony and tragedies along the Abuja-Kaduna road have gone beyond a national embarrassment and have now become a vantage failure of our national security architecture which has suffered a gruesome defeat of purpose and patriotism. I still have this nagging hesitation to accept that the security of a road the distance of mere 150 […]

The agony and tragedies along the Abuja-Kaduna road have gone beyond a national embarrassment and have now become a vantage failure of our national security architecture which has suffered a gruesome defeat of purpose and patriotism. I still have this nagging hesitation to accept that the security of a road the distance of mere 150 kilometres could defy the will power and the artistry of warfare of one of the finest armies in Africa.

Of course, where there is the will, there will always be a way. Without prejudice to the sentiments, sensitivity and volume of conversation around the issue, I remain subdued by my view that the deficits of political will, indiscipline and operational fatigue could probably be to blame for the spectacular failure of the security agencies to defeat the banditry, armed robbery and the kidnapping industry along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor. We must, as a country, have the wisdom beyond the current servitude of common sense to understand that the mayhem along this road cannot and should not be our unavoidable normal. And that, beyond the condescending mentality of the religionists who are always quick to invoke God’s divine mercy as a first line of defence, a simple integrated security arrangement with a robust proactive mandate is all that is needed to secure the corridor. I propose these:

Divide the entire length of the road into 15 outposts, within every 10-kilometre, station a security platoon of a combined 20 security personnel drawn from the Army, Air force and the Police under the command of an officer not less than the rank of a Major. At core potency of this arrangement is that government must provide each platoon within every kilometre 10 of the corridor with superior firepower, armoured vehicle, and effective communication device to make it possible for regular communication among the platoons for a situation report update.

The mandate of each platoon is to secure and defend to death the 10-kilometre stretch of its mandate under the operation. Any incident of kidnapping or robbery within the 10-kilometre mandate area without evidence of a robust response from the platoon will attract a court martial and other disciplinary proceedings for immediate dismissal or compulsory retirement from the armed services composition of the platoon. This is imperative for the success of the operation. It will also send an unequivocal message that any case of complacency or complicity will be treated with the proportionate appropriate culpability.

Anybody who is not ready to imbibe the three sacred components of patriotism: Honour, Duty, and Country as articulated by General Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, and a huge legion of others does not deserve to wear our National Colours (the uniform).

Prof S.A. Zuru, Nile University, Abuja.