The Director of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), Prof. Ishaq Akintola, has said under the leadership of former President Goodluck Jonathan, soldiers of the Nigerian Army were quitting the military over lack of adequate weapons. He said funds meant for acquisition of weapons for the army were stolen under Jonathan's watch, thereby leaving the soldiers poorly armed and dying in their hundreds.
Akintola made the statement in response to a statement by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who said Nigeria’s security agencies need superior weapons to fight insecurity and not prayers.
El-Rufai had said while speaking at a town hall meeting organised by the National Security Adviser on Monday, that security should be the number one priority of the government and the collective responsibility of all citizens.
“We need to support our security agencies not with prayers, but with superior weapons. Security is a collective responsibility.”
In its response according to SR, MURIC through its director agreed with the governor but also noted that prayer is still essential to defeat insecurity in the country.
He said, “We need to pray, prayer is the weapon, the sword of the believer. But while we are praying, we have to be realistic. The Prophet said put your faith in Allah and then tie your horse, we know you are praying to Allah and he can protect your horse but don't forget to tie it, don't leave it to stray away.
“While we pray, we must do something to actualise the wishes in the prayers and that is where the statement of the governor becomes relevant. He is a pragmatic person, frank to a fault, he is realistic, when he says we should support them with superior weapons, he knows what he is saying.”
Akintola then recalled that in 2013, soldiers were leaving the army because of a lack of equipment to fight insurgency. According to him, the situation has changed since 2015 but there's still more to be done in terms of security to protect the lives of Nigerians.
“The army generals couldn't face Boko Haram and were dying in their hundreds, money meant for the purchase of arms was siphoned into private pockets by some. They had no weapons and were fleeing from Boko Haram fighters. I think the situation has changed, we have a different army, they are not running when they meet Boko haram, it is even Boko Haram that is playing hide and seek, trying to hit soft targets. Boko Haram no longer plants bombs as easily as they used to, they no longer plant suicide bombers as easily as they used to."
He said the way forward is for the government to be prepared to provide better weapons.
He however urged wealthy individuals to be willing to donate money, vehicles, facilities, and others to support security agencies.
“There are over 210 million Nigerians, we have only 317, 000 police officers; 100, 000 soldiers while the Department of State Services has a little above 33, 000 men. We need to triple the number if we want to protect Nigeria effectively,” he said.