 Reports of a possible attack on the National Assembly by Boko Haramins Surgeons cost us unrest in the country's capital and the remaining abductor students of the Federal College of Forestry and Mechanization at Faka-e-Kadunas date have been released. Well this is plus politics and I am Mary Anna Connick. Lawmakers have been informed of a possible attack by Boko Haramins Surgeons in the National Assembly complex and other public buildings in Abuja. Several members of the House of Representatives confirmed that they had been warned of the imminent attack by the terrorist group. Shall we recall that the governor of Niger State, Sani Bello, had on April 26, 2021 raised a lamb on the Boko Haram terrorists taking over a part of the state hoisting their flag in Kauri village. Bello had said Abuja was not safe with Boko Haram's presence. A two hour journey from the Federal Capital Territory. Well to discuss this I'm being joined by Adiwale Adimala Justice and he is a political analyst also joining us is Dixson Osage he's a security expert. Thank you very much gentlemen for joining us. Great I'm gonna start with you because you are a security person. The seat of legislative power at the National Assembly obviously is the third if not the second highest position of power across the country. This could be threatened of course this is a threat that has gone out to the members of the National Assembly. What does this mean you know security wise and for us the common-minded persons. When a terrorist group like Boko Haram says we're going to attack the National Assembly names it and then says and other VIP locations what what what does this mean. Well thank you very much for me it actually it means nothing to me and I must tell you the truth it actually means nothing to me because the legislative house has really been a hostile environment for some time ago. Hostile environment in the sense that they are supposed to be our role model they're supposed to be the national role model they're supposed to live by example but here you and I saw some few years ago we're with some talks we're led into the National Assembly are to cut away with our national means. You see people learn from what they see people learn from what's what is happening within the globe and when I saw this later today that a threat message has been sent to the National Assembly I said well they've been bargaining for this and nobody cares to even bring into account those people that led talks into our National Assembly that tells you that if our legislature could be playing around with talks in the National Assembly that means they are certifying criminality but let me take a departure from that. This is a national threat and it's really really worrisome and the world is aware of this threat and I would advise the National Assembly and the chief secretaries of National Assembly not to take this threat for granted they need to look into their protection in depth they also need to look into their cycle of concentration you know everybody coming to the National Assembly must be on the red alert proper screening and let's pray and see what happens but they should take the bull by the horn because this must not be taken for granted. Like you said they have to up their game in terms of security that they have done they have said that they are now beginning to use the presidential gate into the National Assembly and of course there's going to be an easier access for members and there's going to be more scrutiny but I want to go back to this remote attack it's not just on the National Assembly they have named other VIP locations and government facilities meaning that they could hit anything that belongs to the government. Shouldn't this be like a national alert of sorts to raise it to the highest I don't know if we have national alerts in this country because you know when there's a threat level in other countries in Sena Climes they raise the you know alerts I don't know if there's any such thing for us in Nigeria so especially where we're talking about the FCT here which is again the sit-up power shouldn't there be a rise in security not just in the National Assembly but all across the state? For me why I'm not too much panic or maybe too much worried is that the people in Abuja they are human beings the personalities of human beings. Nigerians have died in every country from this way side or not. We have people being killed in the north east, in the north west, in the north point and everywhere. Like you're at least the threat level is on the high rise and I think that we should have a form of national security agency that would be you know analyzing and assessing the threat situation here in Nigeria so that we'll be able to you know inform Nigeria the threat level in which we are but for me with all what is happening I'm going to tell you for free that the threat level is on the high rise the risk level is on the high rise and for me I want to advise that the security agents are going to go to the board they must go before the loss. Meriam we'll talk about security. Security is in totality the freedom from danger. Now when fear is being administered into the public and into the space into the environment into the Abuja territory security has been defeated because when you live in the state of fear security is being defeated. What the national assembly and our security agent should be doing now they should not be panicking or they should relax. We are talking about Nigeria. Nigeria is one of the strongest country in Africa. We have the most strongest security agent in the world that Meriam is regrettable that our security agents has been compromised. I see no reason why some group of criminal elements will be posting threats on our national defense. We are talking on the seat of power here. National defense. The Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force must see these threats as a war situation and they should go before the enemy. They will allow the enemy to succeed in their plan. They must go before the enemy and everybody must watch his back because these guys when they issue a threat they definitely accomplish their threat. That is what terrorism is all about. I'll come back to you because I want to go into the nitty gritty of how we should handle this but I'm going to you Mr. Demola. Why do you think that this group of people that the government told us years ago that they had technically defeated have the audacity to not just hoist their flag close to the FCT now they're issuing threats to the national assembly and VIP locations in the FCT. Where do you think they got the audacity from? I'm not trying to put words in your mouth but where do you think that all of this is coming from? Thank you very much. Like the other speaker has just said what you have just seen is the true reflection of the national security architecture of the country. You will see as a nation some years back the former Senate president at an instance he was addressing a national security issue and he said he would advise or suggest to the federal government. You know when the Senate president is mentioning federal government who does the Senate president think is the federal government? The federal government is the legislature the executive and the judiciary at the top et al under but you will see the issue in Nigeria today is a section or a segment of the government fuels another section has it more. You see I mean we have a national legislature that is preemptive they will have done something through the legislature to nip the board or the to tame the board of the security stress of Nigeria but up until recently a section of the country has been thinking it is just the presidency that worries on national security and like you have just seen the audacity so to say like you have just used came because these guys are aware of what Nigeria is and what our national security structure looks like. You see it is so unfortunate that a security threat is due to a segment of the country that the national assembly members and some few IRS and national infrastructures can generate so much routes like this. It means that the government when I mean government now I mean both the national assembly and the presidency and even our judicial members they have not considered even the security of the commoners. You see those people at the M of affairs of Nigeria today they are not up to a million out of the 244 million Nigerians so why are they now shouting to the to the to the to the RAA just because a threat has been needed to a few of them is to show you that they care less about Nigerians so like those guys that are issuing the threat they know the makeup of the nation they know how laggard lackluster our national leaders are because up until now have you had any responsive response or contribution by the national assembly about the national attack on the country some days or a few weeks ago the United States government came up with an issue please did you hear any response by the national assembly well well the national assembly is not here to defend itself so I'll play the devil's advocate we have heard them a couple of times say call on the president to rise up to the occasion and deal with the situation of insecurity in the country let's give them that benefit of doubt they have at some point or the other called on the presidency and and this goes to Bosch that's what you said that you know they seem to have justice in their jobs or their responsibilities to the the executive of course it is it is a nation it is the federal government isn't the executive and judicial so they were I think we're having some connection problems with you so we'll just go to Dixon and and talk more about the security of the country now Dixon let's talk about the nitty gritty here while I was reading through or doing my research on this particular situation I was just wondering to myself why do we have to I mean it's okay to try to secure the national assembly and also keep an eye on facilities VIP facilities and you know facilities that belong to the states and the federal government or the FCT but what about going to Boko Haram where they are if they have hoisted a flag in Niger states how about dealing with the guys and repelling them from Niger state and not just worrying about when they will have to hit if they will hit in Abuja Mary Anne that is a very very intelligent question you see we have been talking I'm even tired of talking because I see no reason why Boko Haram beholding Nigerian army, Nigerian navy, Nigerian health force hostage for the past 12 years we're talking about 12 years a child who was born in 2009 is not done with his primary school and is in the secondary school and Boko Haram is still surviving now this is the issue now what we need to do as a country we need to like call the declare a state of emergency to on our military the military needs there needs to be a declaration of state of emergency the military needs to tell us what the problem is Mary Anne we have our soldiers going to the international community Liberia, Ceylon, other Congo and other African country you know bringing victory I remember Mary Anne when I was a Black boy in 1990 yeah my father they were the first set of soldiers that went to the Sierra Leone war when the war broke out in Sierra Leone out of about 765 soldiers then 65 battalions in Sokoto state about they all came alive in a section of about three soldiers that died in action one by malaria the other by typhoon and one by ambush also this is what we're talking about braveness Nigerian has the most bravest soldier like you rightly said why are we not taking the wall to these guys the foundation is 40 Mary Anne our line that to deployment mechanism because the military has been mismanaged for so long Mary Anne and the reason why they have been mismanaged is that at the events at the occurrence of any incidents they will quickly send in the military to go and foster we failed to give the police an opportunity to try and now there's one we can't see finish in a local palace this criminal element they've seen us finish okay go ahead go ahead we're listening all right just imagine uh some few days ago uh this criminal element went to you know confiscate or it will always work confiscate or you know captured uh some ammo tanks that was just newly bought for our soldiers imagine Nigerian air force bombarding on our own troops in the battlefield killing a lot of our soldiers and these uh the public space was silenced nobody wanted to talk about that we don't eulogize our our soldiers we don't bring them in but really Dixon what are we what are we supposed to state because you see uh whether we like it or not security matters are left for security people and that's why you're here on this show i can't just sit here and deliberate on the tactics or the modus operandi of security agencies in the country and yes questions were being raised but who's going to answer that question especially uh when you made reference to the fact that soldiers we were having friendly fire of sorts and it hits some of our men there is something going on but who's going to tell us what's going on they would say well it's it's you know the army or the security agencies business is not uh you know for the common or bloody civilian to borrow the words of soldiers so really nobody's saying anything so how do we really know where to start in dealing with this because from what i'm hearing if we're not able to deal with the internal um you know crisis that is going on if there be any in the army within our forces how do we put ourselves together and have concerted efforts to fight a known enemy which is Boko Haram okay uh you see um it's quite regrettable that uh we have a leader that has been so silent that has been silent for so long i mean to say uh the president of the federal republic of Nigeria i voted for him nigerians voted for him a lot of people voted for him but uh i don't know if the president is keeping my list with nigerians because i see no reason why sometimes the national assembly will be begging the president to come and address nigerians people will be crying from every nooks and crannies address address nigerians who does that in this universe we have somebody who tried to come into power first time he didn't succeed second time he didn't succeed third time he didn't succeed when he got we would now try to give him the opportunity each time we cry to him he don't want to address nigerians many are until our president take the center stage come on national television and say hey guys enough is enough i am hereby declaring war on these guys we need to declare war on Boko Haram it's a war situation it's not uh a conflict uh in situation we are in a war situation now and they are getting close to a budja like you right you say who's gonna address us we have the office of the national security advisor if you don't turn a genius what the problem is if you keep hiding the failures of our military how do we suggest how do we suggest uh futuristic successes and pray for them our soldiers must not die again they must not be they must not die silent and nobody will address them they must come into the limelight of our TV stations they must be giving national barriers they must be broadcasted worldwide so that people will honor them that hey these are the guys that pay the supreme price but we all have a situation about our soldiers who died friendly fire and will you tell me in 21st century you are having a friendly fire between Air Force and Nigerian army when i went into investigation and i called my guys in the north east i said what is the problem and they told me that the guys that came to attack the soldiers came on our own uh Nigerian army dresses and they mistook them for Nigerian soldiers okay now having mistook them for Nigerian soldiers was there an immediate activation of emergency alert to notify other battalions or the Air Force that hey tried with care some of these guys are coming from social agencies they are putting on our uniform but there is no proper coordination this what went wrong on that friendly fire to be very honest it's not acceptable anywhere in the world in this 21st century and the person that flew that flight must be arrested and well interrogated and investigated to tell us what went wrong for you to have to have gone detonate and destroy our soldiers and also just a dime every day we must not take this now coming back to your questions Mary Anne our president must rise up to the task if you want to sleep good luck for him but i pray it's not too late for him to address the Nigerians because when he keeps you many silent that means his consent to the criminal activities that is happening in Nigeria wow let me come to you miss that day my life you can hear me um let's talk about those who have pointed fingers at not just mr president but those who are in the leadership of this country including politicians uh in the leadership uh in the leading party uh why do you think that there is some form of a politicization of this the insecurity that we're facing in the country is there any such thing as it being politicized in the first place and if there be why um and what is giving room for this politicization i mean insecurity is insecurity if there's a threat there's a threat why do we have to politicize it especially for a government who rolls to power on the wings of wanting to deal with Boko Haram and literally decimating them thank you very much like if i may join words with the other analysts you see the issue with Nigeria about our security just like every other sphere of the economy of the country is that failure of leadership see either politicians or political leaders or political sympathizers if there is a will if there is a sincere will by the leadership of the country to quell any particular issue the way we don't and the ways that means are available they will all they will tackle it so what we have is insincerity of leadership the leaders you see as a president you don't need to be a leader to be told to be appealed to by anybody even if the national assembly before you act as the president you don't need to appeal to the army or the military to run is an order that's what he is called the commander in chief he doesn't need to appeal so the issue with Nigerian nation is that of a compromise there's disloyalty there's no patriotism the military system is already sold out is given out but they are using military and their diplomatic issues to cover up the faces of Nigerians so i don't want to give into the fathers of people at the political schemes or some no no politicians or not is the leadership of the country if the leadership is set and determined they don't need to appeal to anybody they will quell the issue let me push you a bit further mr demola um just yesterday we had a conversation about um the presidency you know raising an alarm of of an overthrow of his government in fact before then the dss had warned that you know people they want people not to speak ill of mr president um and and as at yesterday the story was that sudden former leaders and sudden religious leaders uh are in cahoots to upstage the government or even overthrow the government and i asked a question yesterday most of my guests were unable to answer that question so i'll pose it to you is this the time for mr president especially the person who we're hoping to respond to all of the attacks that we're getting from left right and center to be talking about being overthrown um especially when we're facing something as sensitive as this is this the right time yep thank you very much you see a very strong signal of a weak lean or a weak leadership or a weak structure is baseless accusations as a trained internal controller for over 15 years we were not trained to be interested in rumors what Nigerians want to see is action do not entertain us through the journals or through the media by telling us in suspected or you have information that's also see when abatua took general bass on your it did not appeal to Nigerians it did not contact contact Nigerians before he acted if you have confidential information that are based with facts please ask a leader run into action take over or take off or cease whoever and deal according to the dictates of the constitution anything short of that is just share leadership sympathy they are just narrating away their failures that is not acceptable to Nigerians okay and finally this neighborhood felony is not it's not it's not a choice play so nobody should come and appeal to Nigerians and a motion for a report taking action if it is factual Nigerians need responsive actions great and finally i'm coming back to you um the president called a security meeting yesterday and with security chiefs the national assembly has also had one of those um one of the hopes that you know whatever they come up with from that meeting would help turn the page on what we're facing today um let's not forget another attack has been done uh i think in rbs days that students in the university have been abducted so it seems to be a free for all are you confident that there will be something tangible something that Nigerians can hope uh would turn things around especially right now in the interim the leadership no no no no i'm i'm i'm asking our security experts sorry all right thank you mary uh uh yes the president made a call and you know had a security meeting with the study chief uh i really appreciate the last uh my colleague there the political anarchist there uh that um confidential information is not an information that you just come to the public and you just start talking where we are wanting you don't plead to people criminal conscience you know when you have any information at your conf and the confine of the space you act upon that information and you go before the enemy don't allow the enemy to regroup don't allow them to take uh hold of your territory don't allow them to uh you know succeed in their criminal plan now going by the threats uh happening here in Nigeria it's known as a multi-dimensional security threat and uh for you to cut it with multi-dimensional security threats uh you must be very very systematic you must be very very tactical and you must you know apply a full-blown military engagement with a non-kinetic approach as well so like in the start is that i have said it again and again that uh i think to my own opinion you know that a new terrorism has been better you know because each time terrorist groups want to come on air or criminal elements that uh justify themselves for what they are doing because to be very honest with you uh terrorism has no universal acceptable definition the person you call terrorism might call himself freedom fighter or fighting for the emancipation of their own land so uh when these guys want to get into our military what they do is that they will hit at military targets and they will start dissipating our military psychology so Mary Ann going by what you just say i will advise the uh president to you know declare a state of emergency on our security agents first not on the nigeria state we need to know what the problem is on our security agent because one they have been demoralized two their morale has been dissipated and three they are nowhere catarpho so uh nigeria is at risk we must address what is happening with the military if we get it right with the military then uh we'll be able to achieve our futuristic uh defensive indents well Dixie Nussarje is a security analyst and at Diwali at Demola Justice is a political analyst thank you very much gentlemen for doing justice to this conversation thank you thank you it's my name thank you Mary Ann all right well thank you for staying with us the conversation begins after this break when we return we will be discussing the release of the abducted forestry students and the abducted have your students university students we'll be right back