It was
neither a vacation trip nor a tour for seasonal ceremony. It was a journey to attend a crisis
communication seminar for humanitarian workers and journalists covering
disasters which was held in Maiduguri in the first week of December 2015.
My family
members could not dissuade me from the trip that hopefully would provide me another
opportunity to assess one of the Boko Haram worst-hit cities in Nigeria.
The flight
was smooth from Abuja to Maiduguri but I was glued to the window to see if I would
sight soldiers and terrorists engaging in shoot-out… At the same time, the dreadful
feeling that Boko Haram members could shoot down our aircraft with their home manufactured
rockets lurked in a corner of the mind.
Driving into
the town, it was easy to observe that the city wasn’t bubbling as most roads were
deserted, exotic mansions abandoned and fine hotels had low patronage even with
their generous discounts on accommodation.
I used the
opportunity of the seminar to interact with some of the highly patriotic and
exceptional Nigerian journalists who have been covering the war on terror with great
responsibility. For the national interest, they have observed self-censorship
against sensational reporting.
On a visit
to the Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps, the sights of orphans and
widows were quite disturbing even though NEMA and other stakeholders are taking
good care of them.
Passing
through security check-points, the sacrifice of Nigerian troops, especially
young soldiers in their zeal and determination to defeat Boko Haram terrorists was
obvious from their faces. While some of them are bachelors with parents, others
are married with children they left at home to defend Nigeria.
Incidentally,
almost everyone was concerned about the Presidential directive for the military
to end Boko Haram this December. During the inauguration of his service chiefs on
July 13, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the military to end the Boko
Haram terrorism in three months.
Immediately
after the directive, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana
Monguno led service and security chiefs to the frontline to seek the cooperation
of community leaders, traditional rulers and pressure groups to support the new
drive against war on terror. He also visited and commiserated with IDPs and
reassured them that the war would soon be over.
The Chief of
Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai has not led from the back, he was in the
warfront by actively participating in some of the operations where terrorists
were either captured or killed. He has so far spent most of his time on the
battle field. The Chief of Air Staff, Air Mashall Sadique Abubakar has
personally commanded fighter jets in the war on terror to motivate
fighter-pilots into putting in their best.
The Chief of
Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin has ensured effective coordination
and cohesion in the operation so far through mechanism of inter-agency
collaboration, even as the Chief Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas
has also confirmed that Special Forces from the Navy are actively involved in
the operation.
The military
has so far destroyed dozens of Boko Haram camps and freed more than 1,000
kidnap victims since inauguration of President Buhari. Nevertheless, there is
the fear that the military may not be able to end Boko Haram by the deadline.
The Executive Secretary of Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), Air Commodore
Anas recently disclosed that there is nothing wrong in imposing targets on the
military but due to the asymmetric warfare which Boko Haram is prosecuting
against civilian “soft targets” the December deadline is unrealistic.
There are also
worrisome reports of fresh kidnap of dozens of girls and burning of buildings
in Bam Village of Yobe State; reported missing and fleeing soldiers in
Galtumari town in Borno State; destruction of military base in Gulak, Adamawa and
media allegations that terrorists snatched military trucks, artillery guns that
were bought by the previous administration.
During private
conversations with stakeholders, many expressed beliefs that concerted efforts are
required through credible intelligence to address the insecurity in the
North-East.
Beyond ‘body
languages’ theory and political grandstanding, others were of the opinion that some
tougher actions taken by the past administration could be deployed in
curtailing the excesses of terrorists. For instance, a journalist observed that
even though many doubted the sincerity of the former National Security Adviser,
Sambo Dasuki when he sought and obtained approval for postponement of 2015
general election to enable the military to degrade Boko Haram and ensure
maximum security of voters, all known terrorists’ camps were destroyed before
the emergence of new government on May 29; Sambisa Forest was stormed by “Special
‘M’ forces” and about 300 kidnapped women and children were freed; 22 terrorist
occupied towns in three states were recovered; and Boko Haram could not disrupt
the elections.
It is public
knowledge that some of the towns recovered from terrorists during the administration
of Goodluck Jonathan include Abadam, Askira, Baga, Bama, Biu, Damboa, Gwoza, Hong,
Konduga, Kukawa, Marte, Madagali, Michika, Monguno, Mubi, and others. In fact an official statement by the Defence
Headquarters on March 16, 2015, with reference no: DHQ/ABJ/901/32/DDI announced
the routing of terrorists from Bama after massive casualty was inflicted on the
terrorists before the remnant fled. The statement further stated that the
Chadian partners in the MNJTF were mandated to pursue the terrorists who were heading
for the borders after being dislodged from Bama. Gujba, Gulani, Goniri, Buni
Yadi were all retaken by Nigerian troops within the month, the statement
concluded. It seems Nigerians have forgotten all these.
If the
military failed to meet the December deadline, we shouldn’t blame the previous administration
of Jonathan or the current government of Buhari but should encourage the
military to improve the tempo. Afterall, the Nigerian troops have succeeded in
the past and are succeeding now. We should therefore avoid taking actions that
would rubbish the integrity of critical institutions including security and the
media.
Yushau A.
Shuaib
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