Retired General Henry Ayoola has raised concerns over Nigeria’s ongoing fight against insecurity, saying the country’s major setback is its inability to clearly identify who the enemy is. He made the comments during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he analyzed the effectiveness of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Ayoola explained that military training is built on absolute focus and clarity regarding the enemy. According to him, a soldier is taught to maintain full attention on the adversary until the threat is eliminated. However, he argued that Nigeria’s situation is different because there is no unified agreement on who the enemy actually is.
He stressed that this lack of clarity has made security operations less effective, as efforts are often scattered and not properly directed. Without a clear understanding of the enemy’s identity, motives, locations, and support networks, he warned that counter-terrorism actions may continue to be misdirected.
As he put it: “As a soldier you are trained to keep your eyes on the enemy until you get rid of him.” He further questioned the foundation of Nigeria’s security approach, asking how progress can be made if the nation cannot clearly define its adversary.
Ayoola also said: “The question we’ve been dodging is this: who is the adversary? Who is the enemy we are dealing with?” He added that without a collective definition, Nigeria risks “chasing shadows” instead of addressing the real sources of insecurity.
He concluded that identifying and agreeing on the true nature of the threat should be the first step toward building a stronger and more coordinated national security strategy.
He warned that until this fundamental issue is resolved, Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and violent crime will continue to face serious limitations, with efforts likely to remain fragmented and less effective than required….See More
Leave a Reply