Following the statement by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor in which he admitted that there are at least 137 unguarded borders in Northern Nigeria through which terrorists from the Sahel infiltrate the country, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for his immediate resignation.
Earlier, Irabor had said that there are at least 137 unprotected borders in the North out of the 261 approved borders which according to him are porous and pose a major source of worry to the Nigerian Army.
Irabor made the disclosure delivering a lecture on “security, defence and development in Nigeria” on Friday in Lagos.
Reacting to the assertion by the Defense Boss, the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement on Monday urged the CDS to brace up to the security challenges confronting the nation and proffer solutions to the unmanned borders used as access points by terrorists from Niger Republic and Chad to launch attacks in Nigeria or resign if he is bereft of ideas to address the situation.
The group asked “What has happened to the deployment of information technology such as drones to checkmate infiltration of bad elements bringing in assorted weapons into Nigeria through the Northern axis?”
Part of the statement reads: “Nigerians are perplexed at the self-indicting revelation by the CDS who came into office on January 26, 2021. If the General knows he can’t protect Nigerians according to the oath of office that he swore, he has failed Nigerians and should resign for a competent person to crush bloodthirsty terrorists and bandits overrunning the country with unfathomable killings and kidnap-for-ransom boom.
“Nigerians are being killed daily in their numbers and are tired of excuses given by CDS and other service chiefs. Nigerians want results not excuses. The CDS should deploy drones and unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the vast borders said to be porous and volatile.
“More men should be recruited to man these borders to stop or prevent infiltration by terrorists in Chad and Niger Republic where the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has shown obvious sympathy.
“By the way why should Nigeria as a Sovereignty approve more border points than the nation can protect? Is the government aware that border security is what makes the Country Sovereign?”