
According to Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), terrorism has given rise to a cover that has allowed violent crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, and political assassination to flourish.
In an address to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA0) on Wednesday in Abuja, Lagbaja made this statement. The seminar was the third one on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency.
Lagbaja presented a paper titled “Over a Decade of Terrorism, Insurgency, Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency in Nigeria: An Appraisal,” represented by Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, DCO (Army).
According to him, there are many types of insurgencies in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, and those pursuing their goals have turned to using terror as a tactic.
He mentioned that Nigeria has one of the highest levels of terrorist threat globally, citing the Statista 2023 research.
This has been attributed to the presence of multiple terrorist and militant organisations in Nigeria, which have resulted in assaults on both military and civilian targets.
“Notable among these groups are Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) in the Northeast and Boko Haram, which are pursuing a digital Caliphate that was first imagined to exist physically.
“In the Southeast, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are pursuing a breakaway agenda from the
“Insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria have provided a cover for criminal groups to commit other crimes and acts of violence.
He claimed that “politically hired assassins operate under the cover of terrorists like Boko Haram, while armed robbers have found an alibi to loot banks.”