The Use Of The Nigerian Military In Routine Police Functions 

Ogun State: the Army and the Miscreants
By Pius Adesanmi.
Warm and hearty congratulations to all proponents of the military in routine law enforcement and the military in civilian spaces. As a social activist, it is very rare for the society you dream of and struggle to achieve to emerge in your life time. 
Those whose social struggles revolve around the normalization of the military in civil spaces have achieved the feat of seeing their struggle come to fruition in their life time. I am envious of them. Look at me, envisioning and fighting for a version of Nigeria that I may never see. I am just trudging on, hopeful and confident that future generations will live in such a Nigeria long after I am gone. I am very envious of those whose version of Nigeria is playing out in their life time before their very before. They must feel very fulfilled indeed.
The Military announced today that she will commence Operation Crocodile Smile in Ogun State. Let me not speak for the Army. Hear out Ogbeni Basil Adoke, Brigade Commander of the 35  Artillery Brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta: 
“We are going to start Operation Crocodile Smile in Ogun and it involves series of actions to step up tempo targeted at miscreants…Though the state is relatively peaceful, we still have some miscreants to deal with, so when you see Crocodile Smile, don’t be scared.” 
You have heard from the Army. In Umuahia, because they did not anticipate such a groundswell of support from a certain critical segment of civil society, the Army took the precaution of at least saying they were going to face “terrorists” in a show of force.
Now that the support of such forces can be taken for granted, no need for pretext and niceties. They are going to weed out “miscreants” in a “relatively peaceful” state. Obviously, the police need not and cannot be better equipped, better trained, and better moraled to deal with miscreants in routine law enforcement.
Once again, I rejoice with the civilian dreamers and enhancers of this version of Nigerian society. Very soon, the Army will add a sweetener for them by graduating from “terrorists” and “miscreants” to handling students “playing truancy” in secondary schools. Juvenile truants are also a very serious menace requiring a show of force.
If they will not say that my mouth is smelling, I will advise the “irresponsible elders” in Ogun state to talk to their miscreants before crocodiles begin to smile in the streets of Abeokuta.