Some retired senior military officers have thrown their weight behind the call by former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd), for a state of emergency to be declared in Nigeria’s battle against Boko Haram.
Irabor made the case in his newly released book, Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum, where he argued that political hesitation has stalled decisive action against the insurgency. He stressed that a formal emergency proclamation, endorsed by the National Assembly, would rally every element of national power towards ending the conflict.
“The government had not yet mustered the political will and instruments to declare a war against Boko Haram,” Irabor wrote. “With an emergency proclamation, there will be greater and more focused attention to galvanise economic, political, social, diplomatic, information, and military resources towards the war.”
He warned that tactical and operational gains on the battlefield would never translate into true victory without strategic direction at the highest political level.
Irabor, who served as CDS under former President Muhammadu Buhari, insists that Nigeria’s success depends on leadership summoning the will to confront the insurgency comprehensively.
The backing from other retired officers adds weight to renewed calls for bold political decisions in tackling one of the country’s longest-running security crises.
