The Force Commander (FC) Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) Major General Godwin Mutkut delivered a lecture to participants of Naval Warfare Course (NWC) 9 of Naval War College Nigeria (NWCN) on Tuesday 29 April 2025. The lecture titled “Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency (CTCOIN) Operations: My Personal Experience” was held at the College Central Lecture Hall. The aim of the lecture was to discuss CTCOIN operations with a view to drawing lessons from his personal experience in the Nigerian Army (NA) for the participants of NWC 9 of the NWCN.
During the lecture, Major General Mutkut gave an overview of terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria with particular focus on their root causes. Thereafter, he highlighted Nigeria’s CTCOIN efforts, noting that the efforts which are both kinetic and non-kinetic are centred around effective employment of the instruments of national power; diplomatic, informational, military, economic and political to achieve national security objectives. Under kinetic actions, the guest lecturer stated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) have continued to sustain CTCOIN operations through regular airstrikes, ground offensives and psychological operations. These efforts have led to the recapture of towns in the North East, the elimination of high-profile terrorist leaders and the rescue of kidnapped victims. Under non-kinetic efforts, the guest lecturer stated that globally, CTCOIN operations have shown that military or kinetic operations are not the ultimate means to end the threat posed by terrorists or insurgents. The significance of soft power in conflict resolution is a phenomenon that Nigeria is leveraging in the ongoing campaign. Nigeria’s soft power approach seeks to counter the ideology of violence, build trust as well as develop community resilience at the grassroot level. The FC MNJTF also noted that while military offensives have forced terrorists into hiding or splintered their groups, many have regrouped in remote areas or shifted their tactics to guerilla style attacks and use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Therefore, to achieve lasting peace, kinetic actions must be complemented by non-kinetic approaches.
Major General Godwin Mutkut then shared his personal experience in several CTCOIN operations he had participated in across several theatres in Nigeria. He drew lessons from his personal experience highlighting some prerequisites for success as operational level commanders. The prerequisites include decisiveness, fearlessness, knowing your men and empathy. Others include thorough knowledge of the task, foresight and sincerity of purpose.
The Deputy Commandant/Director of Studies of NWCN, Commodore CU Yahaya, expressed gratitude to the FC MNJTF for his insightful lecture on CTCOIN operations and for personally sharing his operational experience with the course participants. He noted that the lecture provided invaluable insights that would enhance the knowledge and skills of the participants to address contemporary security challenges.
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