Recently the federal government revealed that it has recruited elite foreign military experts to train Nigerian soldiers in counter-terrorism and hostage rescue. The Minister of Defence, Mr. Badaru Abubakar, disclosed this at the launch of a training programme for 800 soldiers in Kaduna.
The minister stated that the training would be in batches, with 800 soldiers in the first batch and another 800 in the subsequent batches. The reason given by the minister for engaging foreign military handlers is the necessity to counter the ever evolving tactics of terrorist groups. Although, he did not say the specific country or countries providing the military experts, he however, confirmed that they would be drawn from seven countries.
Though most of the information relating to the countries, whose military experts would be handling the training are not yet known. It is however, believed that 40 members of the British Special Forces have already arrived in the country for the purpose.
Elaborating on the programme, the minister said “in the initial phase alone, 2400 Nigeria soldiers will receive the specialised training before the programme moves into the second stage”.
While this training programme appears ordinary and even routine, it is fraught with complexities that could rapidly become complicated. Not only would Nigeria’s most strategic national institution be exposed to foreign insidious manipulation but its credibility as the country,s most reliable sovereign expression would be called to question. Any country’s defence institution is the last line of the defence of her national sovereignty and political decision that could impact on its integrity and competence must be taken with a long term view, and not just for immediate expediency.
At independence in 1960, when the British cunningly inserted the defence pact that would grant them a military base in Nigeria, a nationwide protest triggered by students at the University of Ibadan led to the abrogation of the pact and since then, Nigerian have always resisted any attempt to compromise the nation’s military. At the return to civil rule in the early 2000, the late Chief of Army Staff General Victor Malu refused the attempt to have America train Nigerian army, and their request to peruse the Nigeria’s military “contingency plans”.
The America resource further request for an unfettered access to the country’s military locations were equally rejected. Malu in rejecting the overtures stated that such request as was made by the Americans in the guise of training Nigerian Army were exclusively available to Nigerians only. He pointed out that “friends today can be an enemy tomorrow”. The then Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi, told a visiting U.S delegation that the Nigerian military only need logistics support and not training.
It will be utterly naïve to believe that foreign special forces brought into Nigeria to train soldiers would only do the mere training and return to their countries.