A retired Nigerian Army officer and security analyst, Lieutenant Siyaka Nasiru, has identified timely intelligence gathering, verification and deployment as critical factors in the success of security operations.
Nasiru, who spoke during an interview on Panel 54, said delays between the receipt of intelligence and its operational deployment could give terrorists and other criminal groups enough time to execute their plans before security agencies respond.
According to him, intelligence is only useful when security agencies have the capacity to quickly verify and translate it into action.
“If enough time is not given to verify the intelligence and put it into execution, the process becomes too long. The Adversary may have already executed or completed his mission before the security forces are able to forestall them,” he said.
Nasiru, who spent more than a decade in the Nigerian Army before retiring, said his experience in the military gave him a tactical understanding of security operations, while his work as an analyst had allowed him to examine the broader strategic dimensions of Nigeria’s security challenges.
He explained that serving personnel often operate within a tactical framework, receiving orders and implementing them, while analysts outside the system can examine how intelligence, leadership, logistics, communication and decision-making interact at the strategic level.
“When I was wearing the uniform, I was on the tactical side of security. Now I prefer to look at the strategic side. Where does failure occur at the strategic level, and where does success come from? I was not able to see some of these things when I was in the system because I was operating at the tactical level. You receive orders and implement them,” he said.
The retired officer said the distinction was important in understanding why military operations sometimes produce results that may appear different from public expectations.
He noted that civilians often assess security operations mainly by their outcomes, such as whether an attack occurred, whether a road was made safer or whether a kidnapping was prevented.
However, he said several processes take place before such outcomes are achieved, including intelligence gathering and assessment, logistics, leadership, communication, timing and the availability of personnel and the rules of engagement, National law and international law must be abided by commanders before execution
Nasiru also cautioned against treating all security operations in Nigeria as though they were the same.
He said military operations against terrorists and insurgents could resemble a form of regional warfare, particularly in areas where armed groups control or occupy territory and where civilian populations are limited.
He contrasted this with internal security operations, where security forces must contend with a civilian population and operate under different conditions and constraints.
According to him, this distinction is sometimes overlooked when Nigerians expect the military to simply deploy its superior firepower and eliminate terrorist groups.
“When we talk about national security and combating rebellion and terrorists, it is like a small regional war. But internal security is completely different,” he said.
Nasiru added that the complexity of Nigeria’s security environment makes it difficult to apply a single approach to every threat.
He said the effectiveness of security operations depends not only on the strength of the armed forces but also on how well intelligence is collected, assessed, communicated and converted into timely action.
He also highlighted the importance of adequately equipping the police, DSS, NSCDS and others in time of capacity building that compliment tackling the contemporary modern internal security challenges
His comments come amid continuing concerns over terrorism, kidnapping, organised crime and other security threats across different parts of Nigeria.
