Former presidential aide and respected public affairs commentator, Laolu Akande, has called on the Nigerian military to take decisive and targeted action against those responsible for what he described as genocidal killings in parts of the North Central region, particularly Benue and Plateau States.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels TV morning show on Thursday, Akande dismissed lingering speculations suggesting limitations on the military’s use of the aircraft.
“So there can be an excuse … in my view for not using the Tucano jets … that you cannot use the Tucano jets to commit human rights violations or to attack innocent civilians. And that’s why it’s important for government to also be very clear in what it’s doing. There are certain categories of some of these criminals that we need to correctly designate, you know, what is happening, for instance, in North Central Nigeria, especially in Benue and Plateau, you know, I don’t think that we have correctly identified it,” he said.
Akande emphasized that concerns around human rights violations have been part of the international discourse on Nigeria’s military operations, particularly as reports of civilian casualties in past airstrikes have surfaced. He argued that such concerns should not be a barrier to decisive action against terrorists and criminal elements, but should rather reinforce the need for operational clarity and accountability.
“What I suspect is that there are constraints around fears of human rights abuses,” Akande explained.
“Nigeria has been called out several times for how military operations have resulted in attacks on unarmed civilians. But using that as a reason to underutilize critical assets like the Tucano jets is not tenable — unless the military cannot guarantee lawful use.
“Now, but if you don’t do that, and you say that it’s communal clashes, of course, you know, you have to be careful in the way you apply the force, you know, which goes back to what might be some of the limitations around the use of Tucano. But if you are using the Tucano to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria, to destroy and demolish terrorist agendas, you are completely, you know, free to do so,” he noted.
The former presidential aide went further to stress the importance of properly identifying the nature of the violence in different parts of Nigeria to ensure the appropriate application of military force. He specifically cited the violence in Benue and Plateau States, noting that it should not be mischaracterized as mere farmer-herder clashes or communal conflict.
“What is happening in the North Central, especially Benue and Plateau, is not communal or agricultural conflict. The governor of Plateau State has boldly called it genocide — and I commend him for that. Calling it what it is has international implications, including the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court,” Akande said.
According to him, failure to accurately label such violence undermines the national response and hinders the full use of military capabilities, such as the Tucano jets, which are primarily designed for counter-insurgency and high-precision attacks.
He added that “once the perpetrators are clearly identified as terrorists or genocidal actors, there should be no hesitation in deploying the full force of the Nigerian military, including aerial firepower, to neutralize them and defend the territorial integrity of the nation.”
Akande also used the opportunity to call for improved communication and transparency from public officials, applauding recent efforts by the Ministry of Information to regularly brief the media. However, he criticized some members of the Senate for what he described as “surface-level” engagement on critical national security issues.
“It’s important when senators speak, they go deep into the situation. There is no way Nigeria will have a contract for Tucano jets that forbids their use. The Defense Headquarters must come forward and clarify any lingering concerns around this,” he insisted.
He reiterated that the Nigerian military, despite facing multiple threats across different regions, must be supported with the political will and operational clarity required to win the war against terrorism and criminality. “You only need to be wrong once for terrorists to break through. But government and the military must get it right every single time — and that’s the real challenge,” he said.
