A lawmaker from Borno State, Ahmed Jaha, has urged the Federal Government to enlist military mercenaries to deal with the security problems in the country.
Jaha proposed that the government should bring back the mercenaries used during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
The legislator, who represents the Chibok/Domboa/Gwoza Federal constituency, made this request on Tuesday during a parliamentary session where Ginger Onwusibe presented a motion on insecurity.
Onwusibe had raised the motion following the killing of a civil servant in Abia State, Onegbu Ifeanyi, allegedly by five naval officers.
During his contribution to the motion, Jaha advised the Federal Government to consider hiring mercenaries as a way to resolve Nigeria’s security challenges.
“We can bring in mercenaries. It was attempted during President Goodluck Jonathan, they were about to finish Boko Haram. The new president (Muhammadu Buhari) was convinced and he moved them out of the country and the insecurity keeps on escalating to other parts of the country,” he said.
Jaha stressed that security agencies across the country have not been able to protect Nigerians.
He declared his intention to push for the use of military mercenaries, noting that they failed to end the persistent threat of violent insurgents despite the allocation of “N19 trillion” to security-related agencies.
Jaha added, “In as much as a substantial amount of money is not going to be allocated or will continue to be allocated to security agencies, insecurity will never come to an end in Nigeria.
“From 2015 to 2023, more than N19 trillion was allocated to security and security-related sectors in Nigeria whereas, we have an alternative.
“We are going to organise a movement to present a position paper on the attempt to bring mercenaries to bring an end to insecurity since our security agencies have failed Nigerians.”
Following his appeal, the House requested the Nigerian Navy to conduct a comprehensive and fair inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Onumaegbu’s death, stressing the identification and legal accountability of all involved parties.
The House also urged the Nigerian Navy authorities to put in place measures to prevent future incidents of torture and abuse within the institution. These measures include enhanced human rights training and adherence to legal procedures.
However, it appealed to the Federal Government to ensure the provision of sufficient support and compensation for the deceased’s family.
The motion received unanimous support from members during the vote called by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.
Nigeria has been combating violent extremists, particularly in the northeastern regions since 2009.
During Jonathan’s administration, the group gained confidence and carried out numerous bombings in the Federal Capital Territory.
In 2014, Jonathan hired former members of the South African Defence Force to train the Nigerian Armed Forces against the terrorists in the northeast.
However, the government at that time rejected the accusation that they had employed them as fighters, saying they were only advisors.
Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army general, promised to tackle the nationwide insecurity and openly opposed the use of foreign mercenaries during his eight-year term. Nevertheless, insecurity spread to other parts of the country.
