The Intelligence Front: Why Neutralizing Internal Sabotage is the Keystone of Nigeria’s Security Revival
Nigeria’s most formidable enemy in its protracted security war has never been solely in the forests of Sambisa or the creeks of the Niger Delta. It resides within the institutions tasked with protection—a network of saboteurs whose leaks, compromises, and covert alliances have systematically undermined national defense. The current, quiet purge of these fifth columnists isn't merely an administrative action; it is the essential, non-negotiable first victory in any meaningful security revolution. The Historical Imperative: Wars Lost from Within Military history offers a grim, consistent lesson: armies are often defeated not by external force, but by internal fracture. The term “fifth columnist” originated in 1936, when Nationalist General Emilio Mola besieged Madrid with four army columns, boasting of a fifth column of sympathizers inside the city ready to betray it. This paradigm has shaped modern conflict. The fall of France in WWII was hastened by Vichy c...