A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has slammed the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, over his admittance that there were about 137 unmanned borders in the North that are infiltrated by terrorists from the Sahel to commit mayhem in Nigeria.

HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said in a statement issued on Monday that the admittance by the CDS unmistakably indicted Irabor who is supposed to be the first in rank of the entire service chiefs in the whole country.

The group advised the CDS to brace up to the security challenges confronting the nation and proffer solutions to the unmanned borders used as access points by terrorists from Niger Republic and Chad to launch attacks in Nigeria or resign if he is bereft of ideas to address the situation.

“What has happened to the deployment of information technology such as drones to checkmate infiltration of bad elements bringing in assorted weapons into Nigeria through Northern axis?” HURIWA asked.

According to reports, Irabor had on Friday, at a public lecture in Lagos, said, “The porous nature of the borders has made it easily accessible for terrorists and bandits to enter the country to commit mayhem.

“For instance, there are about 364 approved international border points in Nigeria with about 261 in the north-east and north-west regions.

“Out of this 261, only 124 are manned, leaving the remaining 137 unmanned by security agencies. Intelligence suggests that violent actors are using some of these normal border points to move freely from countries into Nigeria to cause mayhem.”

Onwubiko, in his statement on onday, said it was disappointing that the Chief of Defence Staff has taken to lamentation whereas his job is not to weary Nigerians with the obvious challenge of porous borders but to solve the security challenge.

“Nigerians are perplexed at the self-indicting revelation by the CDS who came into office on January 26, 2021. If the General knows he can’t protect Nigerians according to the oath of office that he swore, he has failed Nigerians and should resign for a competent person to crush bloodthirsty terrorists and bandits overrunning the country with unfathomable killings and kidnap-for-ransom boom.

“Nigerians are being killed daily in their numbers and are tired of excuses given by CDS and other service chiefs. Nigerians want results, not excuses. The CDS should deploy drones and unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the vast borders said to be porous and volatile. More men should be recruited to man these borders to stop or prevent infiltration by terrorists in Chad and Niger Republic where the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has shown obvious sympathy. By the way why should Nigeria, as a Sovereignty, approve more border points than the nation can protect? Is government aware that border security is what makes the Country Sovereign?”

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