Abuja: The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has warned that insurgents are already operating from within communities in Nigeria’s North-East. He urged residents of Borno and Yobe States to take ownership of the fight against terrorism, stressing that vigilance and collective responsibility are crucial to rooting out the enemy entrenched among them.
Oluyede’s stance, shared after a security meeting in Maiduguri, shifts focus from solely military action to community-driven counterinsurgency as Nigeria confronts Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.
The four-hour meeting included top military commanders, such as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, Theatre Commander Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar and other officials.
At the heart of the CDS’s message is a troubling reality: the insurgency is being sustained, in part, by individuals who are sometimes embedded within affected communities.
Oluyede said intelligence shows that many attackers over the past 15 years have come from the same communities affected by violence.
This assertion reinforces concerns within security circles that local terrain knowledge, social networks, and community cover continue to give insurgents operational advantages. For example, in Kukawa, where troops discovered wounded terrorists hiding within the community during post-attack clearance operations, pointing to the challenge of distinguishing between civilians and collaborators.
Such dynamics hinder military efforts as insurgents use social ties to evade detection, complicating intelligence despite ongoing offensives.
The CDS’s call to “take ownership” reflects that military force alone cannot end the insurgency without civilian support.
Oluyede encouraged residents to view the fight as a collective, not just a government, responsibility.
The CDS also acknowledged the insurgents’ evolving tactics, particularly the growing use of drones and other technological means in attacks.
He says the Nigerian military is countering by deploying advanced drone systems for better surveillance, targeting, and battlefield coordination.
