ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER. [ A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. ] { VOL. 3. NO 98. 28-06-15.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32). INTERNAL SECURITY OPERATIONS CAN NOT BE WISHED AWAY!

Although a nation-wide spontaneous jubilation greeted the presidential directive on the dismantling of military road blocks across Nigeria’s entire road networks on Monday, 22nd June, 2015, the insistence of some Governors that insurgency volatile areas be exempted from the blanket ban should be taken with all seriousness for soldiers to continue with legitimate and constitutional internal security operations!

Nigerian Soldiers manning a Security check point.

While the Commander-In-Chief is sensitive to the hardship and pains inflicted upon citizens through the gridlock caused by road blocks the governors would not wish away the fact that they still needed military presence to maintain effective defence against Boko Haram terrorism, yet to be completely defeated in the North East and parts of North Central Geo-political Zones of the nation!

President Buhari.

Military incursion into politics in January 1966 led to almost 30 years of martial rule which had turned the soldiers into an integral part of the Nigerian society and saddled with domestic chores of varying degrees that should be fulfilled from time to time.

The Nigerian Military presently has Six Divisions and several battalions spread across the nation, which presence had always given security confidence to the populace.

Responsibilities of the Nigerian Army include:

First: to protect Nigeria’s borders and her territorial integrity in times of internal or external aggression, crisis, environmental disasters and the overall protection of the Nigerian citizens.

Second: to promote Nigeria’s global interest in peace-keeping mission, operations/initiatives, and to supply humanitarian aids to such regions in need.

The domestic responsibilities of soldiers include but not limited to the following:

Aid civilian population during environmental disasters of storms, floods, earthquakes, landslides etc. Construct local bridges, make-shift shelters in war-torn conflict areas, assist in restoration of vital services like electricity, portable water, clearing of blocked roads, search and rescue of hostages etc. When riots or other forms of civil unrest threaten national security which could not be contained by the Police Force, the Army was always approached for necessary support to restore and maintain law and order. It is on record that Nigerian soldiers had always performed creditably, both at domestic and international levels since independence and even in all of the road block assignments, had proved to be friendlier than other security operatives. In the last 16 years of the new democratic dispensation, all government activities of hiring and firing were always “WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT,” an inheritance of military mentality which had been imbibed subconsciously by the “bloody civilians” to borrow the military parlance! An African adage states that a weeping person should intuitively maintain stable sight to carry out other chores; meaning that, tears should not impair the eye-sight or sense of reasoning! The plight of the Governors should be understood from the true perspective that government structures and citizens in those regions were still insecure in spite of military presence which must now be intensified more than ever for the needed peace to reign and for economic and social needs to endure. The military Command Centre has been moved to the North East as earlier directed by Mr. President in his inaugural speech and that automatically excludes the zone from the blanket disbandment order! The Federal Capital Territory (FTC), residents were the most favoured in this gridlock bail-out by the Federal Government considering the fact that since 2010 when the first Boko Haram twin bomb blasts hit the Eagle Square vicinity on the 50th Independence Anniversary celebrations and the Mogadishu Military Cantonment, Mammy Market, Abuja, very close to the Presidential Villa, the city had been virtually “LOCKED DOWN” with military road blocks/check points on every stretch of road! The need for heavy security protection cannot be over emphasized. Being the seat of the Federal Government, it would tantamount to a taboo for insurgents to take over the city due to security dereliction or lapses although in spite of all the efforts, the following terrorists attacks were still perpetrated between 2010and 2014: The Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Louis Edet House Abuja, which is a stone throw from the Three Arms Zone which houses the Parliament and Presidential Buildings. The Roman Catholic Church at Madala, on the outskirts of Abuja; The United Nations Building, in Abuja’s Central Area; Nyanyan, (Abuja suburb) Park Bus Station twin bomb blast between April and May, 2014 respectively; Wuse, Abuja Central Area Shopping Centre bomb blasts in June 2014; Co-ordinated bomb attacks on This Day Newspapers Offices in Abuja and Kaduna in June 2014!

Aftermath of The UN office Bombing in Abuja.

Except for the Independence Day bomb attack, claimed to have been perpetrated by Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), all other attacks were claimed by Boko Haram insurgents! Abuja residents had to rejoice because, in spite of all security precautions through the road blocks, the terrorists still manipulated their way into the territory to perpetrate havocs to prove that those measures were inconsequential! Then, why would the poor masses be subjected to the twin burdens of spending precious man-hours daily on the road only for the insurgents to still have bombs detonated on their habitations? The advantages of military road blocks in times of insecurity cannot be underestimated and in spite of the ripple effects of inconveniences, they should be employed and dismantled as occasions demanded. The Commander-In-Chief did not create a vacuum because military road blocks were immediately replaced with Police internal security mechanisms which the Inspector General of Police has constituted into the Highway Patrol Management Team. Already about 457 patrol vehicles manned by well-trained police officers had been deployed for security duties across the country while more vehicles were being awaited. *What does it entail to handle the internal security of a nation like Nigeria which civil unrest/insurgency/ terrorism had devastated for over five years? A cursory investigation into Nigeria’s circumstances of internal disturbances has revealed the lack of patriotic zeal and deliberate political will of past administrations to give equal rights and opportunities to all citizens, (of all ages), as entrenched in the Nigerian Constitution thereby creating jealousy, envy, rancour, rivalry, animosity, quarrel or dissent between the over 250 ethnic groups and when not quickly redressed, deeply-rooted anger metamorphosed into civil disturbances, insurrection, insurgency or full-blown terrorism that would demand greater security tactics to handle!

Internal Security (IS) operations are defined as any military or para-military role, which involves primarily the maintenance and restoration of law and order and essential services in the face of civil disturbances and disobedience through the application of minimum force. Effective IS operations should deal with minor or major civil disorders bothering on political instigations that could lead to revolts or rebellion attributable to both internal/external factors, as we have witnessed in Nigeria in recent times to forestall the consequences of economic and infrastructural breakdown! Now that the Nigeria Police Force has been re-saddled with its statutory duties as the conventional force and traditional institution charged with the onerous responsibility of maintaining law and order, the protection of life and property, the prevention of crimes, and prosecution of offenders, how would it function effectively alone in 33 out of the 36 States without the joint support of the military? We believe that officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force are adequately trained for such challenges of internal security if patriotic zeal, integrity and righteous leadership qualities are emphasized within the top hierarchy in the discharge of their functions, duties and responsibilities! The Force had performed creditably outside the shores of Nigeria with international encomiums and the United Nations accolades to show for it; therefore, given the present circumstance in which state-of-the-art patrol vehicles equipped with high technology communication devices and sophisticated/modern equipments/ logistics coupled with good leadership incentives are in place, brilliant performances should be envisaged.

Nigeria Police Force Officers on Peace Keeping Assingment.

*In addition, Citizens co-operation in respect of crime prevention and detection through requisite information gathering must be given high priority attention in order to ensure steady and continuous successes in all fronts of their operations of internal security. The professional training of the Police Mobile Force (PMF), must also be brought to fore since its primary function was to intervene and quell internal disturbances in form of riots or civil unrests like workers and students protests. Positive results should also be recorded through well-co-ordinated surveillance and the deployment of stop and search patrol technology into internal operation activities. In other climes, a Third Force, similar to Nigeria’s PMF was usually established to address internal security issues like racial or tribal rivalry, religious intolerance, maladministration and corruption by government, famine and poverty, lack of agricultural, educational and social planning, socio-economic grievances, ideological and political differences, student unionism exuberances, pay differentials, and industrial upheavals, because majority of most developing countries, are poorly educated and are indifferent to problems outside of their daily chores and environment. The individual downtrodden and illiterate citizen who could neither comprehend nor appreciate the main reasons or causes for his predicament in life, his misery, poverty, social and backward economic state, was prone to become an easy prey to be manipulated at will by politicians, enemies of the State or saboteurs to foment trouble in the polity. We have every reason to believe that this new government is poised to reverse the trend of insecurity that berthed Boko Haram, renew hope in the hopeless, resuscitate the spirit of patriotism and give equal opportunities that would ignite the fire of nationalism above selfish interests. The Word of Wisdom says, “A stitch in time saves nine.” 469 Legislators versus 170 million Nigerian Citizens! No one needs a soothsayer to tell the renegades among the present crop of Nigerian Legislators in the National Assembly (NASS), that the battle line has been drawn between them and the Electorate that “voted” them to serve the nation! Any river or stream that despises its source was bound to dry up just as any dog that ignores the command whistle of the master hunter would be lost in the forest and become prey to predators! *Party supremacy through internal democracy mechanism as entrenched in APC’s Constitution must prevail at all times, especially now that a handful of rebels had hijacked the instruments of power at the legislative level! *God cannot be deceived, whatsoever that a man sows, that he would surely reap, but in multiplication! *Why was it so difficult for these “distinguished” parliamentarians to forget that their former parties which collapsed to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), are DEAD and BURIED according to extant laws of the land? *Why would those who are now bent on wrecking the APC with impunity, think that they are now superior and independent of the Electorate who are the majority and possess the sovereign power to hire and fire? *Have they forgotten the RECALL clause of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution which can be invoked at short notice?

House Members in a RowdySession.

Now that the polygamous children of the mixed multitude have now been openly identified through their inordinate lust for carnal power, it will be very easy to sift and flush them out of the CHANGE system because they belonged to the old order of past administrations which is anathema! If they thought that this new administration would follow the corrupt pattern of the past, they better have a re-think because there would be no monies to share from the MDA’s for oversight functions, nor illegal fat salaries/allowances and the massive loots in the name of quarterly Constituency allowances paid directly to legislators in the past! It is written, “Every tree that is not planted by God in the present administration of the APC must be uprooted and cast into the furnace,” The ball is now in the courts of the States that produced these new set of power mongers to blot out their names from the registers and initiate immediate proceedings to recall them as they resume plenary on 21st June 2015, before they adulterate the entire laudable programmes of the amiable President whom they had neither shown respect nor obeisance! The Word of God says: “Any one whose name was not found in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.” (Revelation 20:15).Would they repent before it is too late? Nothing shall be impossible for the LORD to achieve! Amen If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations. Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access,to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/

+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch . I am, Yours sincerely, Dr David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor.08130669886, 08098194390.g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com .].