Hire mercenaries to tackle insurgency, Rep urges Tinubu

Ahmed Jaha, a member of the House of Representatives from Borno State, has urged the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to hire military mercenaries to address the country’s insecurity.

Jaha proposed that the government recall the mercenaries used during previous President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

The legislator, who represents the Chibok/Domboa/Gwoza Federal Constituency, made the request on Tuesday during a parliamentary session when Ginger Onwusibe presented a motion on insecurity.

Onwusibe moved the motion following the alleged murder of Onegbu Ifeanyi, a government servant in Abia State, by five naval officers.

In his presentation to the motion, Jaha asked the Federal Government to explore recruiting mercenaries as a solution to Nigeria’s security issues.

“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 failed to protect Nigerians.

He stated his plan to advocate for the use of military mercenaries, claiming that they had failed to eliminate the continuing threat of violent militants despite the provision of “N19 trillion” to security services.

Jaha added, “Inasmuch 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 directed the Nigerian Navy to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding Onumaegbu’s death, highlighting the identification and legal accountability of all parties involved.

The House also urged Nigerian Navy officials to take preventative measures to avoid future cases of torture and abuse inside the organisation. These initiatives include increased human rights training and adherence to legal procedures.

However, it urged the federal government to guarantee that the deceased’s family receives proper support and compensation.

The resolution received unanimous support from members at the vote held by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen.

Nigeria has been combating violent extremists, particularly in the northeastern regions, since 2009.

Meanwhile, throughout Jonathan’s presidency, the organisation gained confidence and carried out multiple explosions in the Federal Capital Territory.

In 2014, Jonathan hired former South African Defence Force members to train Nigeria’s Armed Forces against militants in the northeast.

However, the administration at the time denied recruiting them as combatants, claiming they were only consultants.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army general, ran on a promise to combat widespread insecurity and openly condemned the employment of foreign mercenaries. Despite this, throughout his eight-year rule, insecurity spread throughout the country.

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