Former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd), has said political leadership must take full ownership of the war against Boko Haram insurgency and wider insecurity in Nigeria.
He stressed that the conflict cannot be won by military force alone.
Irabor made this known on Friday, during an interview with Arise Television while discussing his new book “Scars: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum.”
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He lamented that successive governments had failed to provide the legal and political framework necessary to end the conflict.
“What I see, and I was very clear in the book, is that the government, past and present, has not seen the need to declare war with the necessary legal instruments against Boko Haram and all forms of insecurity across the country,” he said.
The retired military chief argued that Nigeria is not in a declared state of war, as the National Assembly has not issued such a declaration.
“Without that, parts of the constitution that ought to be suspended for a proper war effort are not activated, and all elements of state power are not deployed,” Irabor added.
Reflecting on his tenure, Irabor recalled leading Operation Lafiya Dole, which achieved key battlefield victories, including the capture of Alagano, clearance of the Sambisa Forest, and elimination of senior Boko Haram commanders.
However, he noted that military gains alone were not enough.
“It would have been a good thing to see Boko Haram extinguished during the presidency of the late President Muhammadu Buhari.
“But conflicts of this nature are not chessboard games.
“Being a military strategist does not mean you can solve every violent problem with military precision,” he stressed.
