Retired Colonel Hassan Stan-Labo, a seasoned officer with combat experience in Liberia and Sierra Leone, discussed the recent accidental drone attack in Kaduna State in an interview with Vanguard.
According to him, some Nigerians, including a former Kaduna governor and certain northern politicians, have shown sympathy towards terrorists.
The retired colonel raised concerns about the impact of this alleged sympathy on the fight against terrorism, citing instances of complicit directives and actions that he claims were at odds with national interests during the previous administration.
Stan-Labo highlighted that the incident in Kaduna State has triggered national outrage, but he asserted that the bitter truth is that certain individuals, including high-ranking politicians from the past administration, were sympathetic to terrorists.
He noted that directives and actions conflicting with national interests were observed from government offices in northern states and even the Presidency during the last administration.
According to Stan-Labo, considerations such as religion, tribe, and ethnicity often took precedence over national interests in the fight against terrorism.
He claimed that this contributed to a lackluster attitude, indecisiveness, slow response, and poor performance by the military under the Buhari administration.
The retired colonel pointed out a troubling alliance between terrorists and government officials in Zamfara, leading to calls for amnesty.
He also alleged that in Kaduna State, terrorists became tools used by the state government in carrying out genocide against indigenous Christian minorities in Southern Kaduna, with the apparent endorsement of the Buhari Presidency.
Overall, Stan-Labo’s remarks suggest a critical view of the previous administration’s handling of terrorism, with accusations of complicity, lack of decisiveness, and questionable alliances with terrorist groups.
