Beyond Battlefield Victories: Giani Urges Nigeria to Tackle Roots of Insurgency
By Matthew Eloyi
Former Corps Commander of the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City, Lt-Gen. Domenico Giani (rtd), has urged Nigeria to look beyond military victories in the fight against terrorism and insurgency by addressing the social, economic and institutional conditions that enable violent extremism to persist.
Giani spoke in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the public presentation of Military Transformation Leadership in Action: The Buratai Era, authored by Dr. M.S. Abubakar.
He said the experience of Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram demonstrated that the military could recover territory and degrade terrorist networks, but lasting peace would remain elusive if security operations were not matched by effective governance, justice, education, healthcare and economic opportunities.
According to him, the evolution of Boko Haram from its early roots into more fragmented and mobile organisations, including JAS and ISWAP, showed how rapidly contemporary threats could adapt.
“A terrorist organisation that changes form must be met by a state that learns faster than its enemy,” Giani said.
He noted that Boko Haram’s emergence could not be understood solely through a military lens, pointing to poverty and distrust in parts of the North-East as among the conditions that contributed to the crisis.
Giani said this reality made the protection of civilians central to counter-insurgency strategy, warning that abuses against civilians could undermine the legitimacy of the state and provide extremist groups with propaganda opportunities.
He therefore argued that the success of military transformation should not be measured exclusively by territory recovered or enemies defeated, but by the strength of institutions, protection of civilians and confidence generated among citizens.
Reflecting on the Nigerian Army between 2015 and 2021, when Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai served as Chief of Army Staff, Giani said the period provided important lessons about military adaptation in a complex security environment.
He noted that the Army’s responsibilities extended beyond conventional warfare to counter-insurgency, operations among civilian populations and security challenges involving porous international borders.
He identified reforms in force structure, counter-insurgency training, logistics, research and civil-military relations as important components of military transformation during the period.
However, he stressed that territorial gains alone could not permanently defeat insurgency, citing later attacks by ISWAP as evidence of the adaptive nature of terrorist organisations.
The former Vatican security commander also broadened the discussion to emerging security threats, saying terrorism, organised crime, trafficking, cyber threats and radicalisation increasingly operate across national boundaries.
“Modern security is a network, not a fortress,” he said, advocating stronger cooperation among military institutions, law-enforcement agencies, diplomats, humanitarian organisations and international partners.
Giani also identified corruption as a strategic security vulnerability, arguing that corruption could divert resources, distort procurement and erode public trust in security institutions.
He called for transparency, effective oversight and a strong culture of integrity within security establishments.
The former Vatican official further advocated interreligious dialogue as part of the broader response to violent extremism. He noted that Boko Haram’s victims included both Christians and Muslims and argued that dialogue could contribute to early warning, prevention and reconstruction.
He also called for greater participation of women and young people in security and peacebuilding, describing young people as a nation’s “principal capital” rather than merely a potential security risk.
Giani said the security environment of the future would require commanders who combine strategic intelligence and technological knowledge with moral credibility, respect for the law and the ability to build partnerships across institutional and national boundaries.
He said the growing importance of cyber and information threats meant that military leadership could no longer be confined to traditional battlefield capabilities.
“History will not ask only how many forces we deployed, but how many lives we protected,” he said.
Giani urged Nigeria to use the lessons of its recent military experience to strengthen what had worked, address unfinished reforms and prepare for threats that had yet to emerge.
He also advocated closer cooperation between Nigeria and Italy in peacekeeping, deterrence, humanitarian action and international security.
He concluded that the ultimate objective of security should be the creation of conditions in which citizens can live in peace and dignity.
“Leadership transforms when power becomes service. Service becomes a legacy when it builds peace,” he said.