By Evelyn Usman; Peter Duru; Musa Ubandawaki & Golok Nanmwa As Northern leaders and other stakeholders express pain and fear over the unending reign of terror unleashed by terrorists, investigations have revealed the challenges encountered by the military which make rescue operations difficult in the northern part of the country despite increased deployment of security personnel to troubled areas. According to security experts, retired military commanders and intelligence officers who spoke with Saturday Vanguard, the military fighting terrorists in the north are confronted with vast ungoverned spaces, difficult terrain, inadequate intelligence from local communities and the lack of cooperation with the security agencies as some locals even work for the terrorists as informants and food vendors. The stakeholders unanimously agreed that while security forces have recorded notable successes against criminal groups in some parts of the country, the fight against kidnapping requires a comprehensive strategy that combines military action with improved intelligence gathering, technological surveillance, economic interventions and stronger community engagement. They also advocated increased deployment of modern surveillance equipment, including drones and electronic monitoring systems, alongside the expansion of road networks and telecommunications infrastructure in remote communities frequently targeted by kidnappers. The experts warned that unless the underlying factors enabling criminal gangs to operate are decisively addressed, rescue operations will continue to face significant obstacles, leaving thousands of families across Northern Nigeria trapped in uncertainty and fear. They maintained that defeating kidnapping and restoring public confidence would require sustained collaboration among security agencies, traditional institutions, local communities and governments at all levels, describing the battle against abduction as a national security imperative that demands urgent and coordinated action. Fear, divided loyalties complicate operations —Retired Colonel A retired Colonel, who participated in counter-insurgency operation and spoke on condition of anonymity, said banditry and insurgent attacks have become recurring developments in many northern communities and this informed the way they react to terrorist attacks. According to him, “Years of conflict, coupled with cultural and traditional ties, religious sentiments and other local realities, have complicated the security environment. In some cases, these factors influence how communities respond to insurgent activities and even how politicians react to them. In some insurgency-affected areas of the North, there are instances where security agencies contend with fear, divided loyalties and, in some cases, undesirable criminal elements are found within local vigilante structures. Community dynamics, cultural habits, traditional connections, religious sentiments and cross-border relationships all add layers of complexity to military operations.” Mountainous terrain serving as natural observation towers for terrorists Serving military officers told Saturday Vanguard that the operational environment in the North often determined how quickly such intelligence could be translated into successful rescue missions. A serving Major who has spent years in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East said terrorists in the region enjoy operational advantages built over more than a decade of conflict. He said: “many of the terrorist groups in the North-East have spent years preparing the battlefield. They have established logistics chains, weapons caches, food supply routes and intelligence networks. Once they detect military pressure, they quickly disperse into smaller groups, relocate hostages or exploit porous borders into neighbouring countries such as Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Time itself becomes a critical operational factor because every delay gives them the opportunity to change their plans. He added that the terrain itself presents another formidable challenge. “Many of these camps are located around mountainous areas where elevated positions serve as natural observation towers. From there, they can detect troop movements several kilometres away and alert other fighters. Add the thick vegetation, rocky pathways, deep valleys and dense forests, and you begin to understand why troop movement is much slower than many people imagine. During the rainy season, flooded rivers and poor weather further reduce aerial visibility and make ground operations even more difficult. Yet, these challenges have not deterred troops”, he said. According to intelligence officers familiar with counter-insurgency operations, years of conflict have enabled Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to master the terrain, establish reliable supply routes
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