Terrorism: BRAVEIT Lauds Chief Of Naval Staff Gambo
Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism, Insurgency and Terrorism (BRAVEIT), has lauded the level of transformations in the Nigeria Navy under its helmsman Vice Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo.
The group made this disclosure in a statement made available to PERISCOPE NIGERIA by Lawrence Bilal Audu
Director of Operations, on Counter Terrorism and Maritime Safety Under Buhari: Encomium for the Nigerian Navy.
It also paid glowing tributes to fallen and living heroes in the military, while recalling the contributions of the legend of Buratai,Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai as the then Chief of Army Staff, especially the foresight of the president Muhammadu Buhari to discover him.
The statement partly read, “We would like to as a matter of fact begin this session by acknowledging the memories of our fallen heroes -men and women in the Armed Forces who paid the supreme price for necessitating the peace we enjoy today. It is our utmost prayer that their sacrifices shall never be in vain. As we commemorate this event, it calls for sobber reflections as to our responsibilities as citizens to our country, and our duties in supporting our men and women in uniform who toil day and night in defence of the sovereignty of Nigeria.
As the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari winds down in a few months’ time, we wish to note without any fear of contradiction that, Nigeria under his dynamic leadership has made landmark achievements in various strata of the polity particularly in the area of security despite some daunting challenges which may describe as deliberately inflicted.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, if our memories are intact, we can recollect the situation of insecurity in Nigeria prior to the ascension of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Presidency, a situation where almost 19 local government areas in the Northeast region of Nigeria, with a landmass twice the size of Belgium was under the occupation of the once dreaded but now defeated Boko Haram terrorists reduced to mere ragtag groups who only prey on selected soft targets. It took the foresight of President Buhari to appoint one of Nigeria’s war tested and most decorated Generals in person of Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai as the then Chief of Army Staff to lead an onslaught against the criminals. Within five years the result is there for every unbiased eye to see; A more professional and organised Army, expanded units and commands in addition to morale boosting welfare for troops not to talk massive infrastructural development in all formations across the country. General Buratai we are proud to say left an indelible footprint on the sands of time.
“In the Northeast Theatre of Operations, there has been a sustained push by our gallant troops, it has been one success story or another. Following the introduction of home-made solutions to tackling insurgency in addition to the acquisition of platforms and equipment to prosecute the war as well as training exercises for troops who are now fully acquainted with this nature of asymmetric warfare. Today, over 83,000 terrorists have surrendered to troops in various locations following sustained push by the military to root out remnants who still hibernate in some locations of the northeast.
“In the Northwest region of the country where bandits held sway for some time, displacing villages, killing innocent civilians where kidnapping for ransom, we see a drift in the situation for the better as the military through their onslaught have taken down so many bandits leaders and their collaborators the once troubled region now has its sanity restored.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, all these have been made possible by the existing synergy among security agencies with the massive support being given by President Muhammadu Buhari.”
According to Audi, Gambo although a quiet achiever his efforts, could hardly go unnoticed, stressing that the Navy has never witnessed as much development like the current chief is yielding.
“At this juncture, we would like to commend the Nigerian Navy under Vice Admiral Zubairu Awwal Gambo, whose dynamic and pragmatic leadership has changed the landscape of operations for the better. A recent visit to Baga road fish market in Maiduguri witnessed a heightened activity as business has resumed fully with traders from all across the country converging for the purpose of trading. This has been made possible by the presence of the of the Navy’s elite Special Operations Forces (SOFs) and the Nigerian Navy’s elite Special Boat Service – which is unmatched among SOFs in Africa, at the Lake Chad basin who have completely rooted out terrorists operating in the region. Baga in Borno State is now safe now and people are fishing. This is the Same with the issue of pirates along Nigeria’s coastal waters where the Nigerian Navy has continued to frustrate the efforts of economic saboteurs. We now see pirates both local and international being arraigned in courts.
We dare say that, the Nigerian Navy whose primary responsibility is to protect the nation’s maritime environment of about 84,000 square nautical miles, including the entire Gulf of Guinea (GoG), about 574,800 square nautical miles spanning 2,874nm from Senegal to Angola, has no doubt become a formidable force among navies in Africa and across the world. The Nigerian Navy has evolved over time, making it better placed to handle maritime crisis management, while ensuring Nigeria’s maritime security and countering other threats emanating from its adjacent maritime areas. This has included the acquisition and introduction of modern state-of-the art platforms to enable the Navy to secure Nigeria’s maritime domain. These efforts have yielded significant results along the country’s coastline and in the Gulf of Guinea, such as the delisting of Nigeria from the list of piracy-prone countries by the International Maritime Bureau – a significant feat.
“In January 2021, the Nigerian Navy activated Operation Dakatar Da Barawo, which is intended to bring a complete end to all forms of illegal activity in the country’s maritime domain. So far, the Nigerian Navy has recorded significant progress on this operation. The Navy’s bases, which comprise the Pathfinder, Delta, Jubilee, Soroh and Lugard, as well as the Forward Operating Bases Fomoso, Eskravos, Igbokoda and Bonny and the Naval Outpost Onisha, have all been actively involved in this all-important operation. Between April and October 2022, the operation restricted economic criminals’ freedom of action and prevented well over N30 billion in oil thefts.
“The efforts of the Nigerian Navy in the protection of our waterways have been outstanding. It is on record that the smuggling, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF), insurgency, hostage-taking, human and drug trafficking have been reduced to the barest minimum. Given the sustained operations and exercises the Navy has continuously carried out against the numerous maritime illegalities, the latest piracy report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recorded a drastic reduction of piracy in Nigerian waters and the GoG.
“A review of the Nigerian Navy operation in the last few months, revealed that over 216 illegal refining sites with about 3, 000 metal storage tanks and over 150 massive wooden boats were destroyed additionally, oil thieves were denied over 40 million litres, which is about 270, 000 barrels of crude oil and a little below 20 million litres of illegally refined AGO.
Part of the home-grown solutions of the Nigerian Navy to ensure that it can project the naval power required to meet the challenges of the 21st century, is the recent introduction of the Nigerian Navy ship KADA.
“The Nigerian Navy’s successes have complemented by the deployment of state-of-the-art technology such as the Navy’s Falcon Eye surveillance system, which was inaugurated in July 2021. This has made it possible for the Nigerian Navy to be prepared to effectively combat all forms of maritime crime within its area of jurisdiction. Ensuring the protection of Nigeria’s maritime domain remains paramount to the country’s economic survival, considering that Nigeria’s hydrocarbon resources – which account for 55% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 95% of its export earnings, thereby constituting about 70% of the government’s revenue – are mostly located in this area. The Falcon Eye Surveillance system has prevented the theft of over three billion barrels of Nigeria’s crude oil in the last four years. Bringing an end to maritime-related crimes also helps to improve the lives and livelihoods of those communities most affected by these illegal activities.
“BRAVEIT considers the chief of naval staff a silent achiever whose style is different and a departure from the past. He is uniquely different in his style. Since his appointment, these and many more initiatives were embarked upon by the chief of naval staff, Vice Admiral Gambo.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we make bold to say that the Nigerian Navy under the dynamic leadership of Vice Admiral Auwal Zubairu Gambo has made significant strides in its operational activities, since inception.
“We want to commend him for helping Nigeria at this critical period when the country is facing economic difficulties and a range of threats from criminals and violent actors, we also commend officers and men of the Nigerian Navy who have stepped up to protect the country’s maritime security. We remain grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari who has continued to encourage the Nigerian Navy and the Armed Force to bring out the best in them. We wish to by this call on all Nigerians to support our Armed Forces so that they can surmount the challenges posed by criminal elements,” the statement added.
