Two Borno LGs Now Under Boko Haram’s Control

The military is fast losing its momentum in the war against Boko Haram which has resulted in a series of suicide bombings, deaths and ambushes in Borno State in recent months. Last Sunday, scores were killed when suicide bombers attacked Dalori 1 and 2 IDP camps. This year alone, hundreds have lost their lives in these suicide bombings in this state. The truth that must be told is that Boko Haram is fast gaining ground. I can authoritatively confirm that two local governments in the state -Abadam and Marte – are now firmly under the control of the terrorists. Genuine patriots in the state have corroborated this. I challenge the army chief, Tukur Buratai to relocate his office to any of these two local governments. The terrorists also control many villages around Maiduguri, from where they train and deploy suicide bombers in the town. They have massively infiltrated Maiduguri town. This is why we hear of suicide bombings almost every day. The military needs to shut Maiduguri for 48 hours and conduct a massive house-tohouse search for Boko Haram members/ weapons. It is a big shame; those who promised Nigerians “Change” in this war are snoozing.

There is an urgent need to put the military back on track, else, Borno State will return to the dark days, when Boko Haram controlled 20 local government areas. Buratai has to rejig this war. It is not just enough to direct the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, to capture Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram terrorists group, “dead or alive within 40 days” and employ all arsenals at his disposal to smoke out Shekau wherever he is hiding in Nigeria.” This army chief has to practically address issues hindering the war against Boko Haram. On top of this is the fact that our soldiers on the war front are ill-motivated and ill-equipped. They are short-changed in the payment of field allowances; mere operational vehicles are also inadequate. Aside these, technology and intelligence are key vital tools if we are going to make genuine progress in this war against Boko Haram. In this area, we need the assistance of the best hands in modern warfare from anywhere in the world. It simply means that we must bring back the mercenaries to help with precise aerial bombardment, astuteness and technology. This should not be viewed as a sign of weakness, but a patriotic act. A legitimate government must do everything possible to protect its territory and people. This is the only way forward in this war against Boko Haram.

It is a shame that Boko Haram continued its onslaught this week by killing the commander of Hunters Association in Adamawa State, Bukar Jimeta and three of his men. Jimeta and his three men were ambushed in Dagu, Borno State during a fierce battle between them and Boko Haram. Residents revealed that the insurgents attacked the village in large numbers but were engaged by the hunters.

On Tuesday, several gallant soldiers were killed by the terrorists in Northern Borno during the abduction of dozens of oil exploration workers contracted by Integrated Data Services Limited, a subsidiary of the NNPC, to search for crude oil in the Lake Chad Basin. The death of the soldiers, who were providing security for the oil workers, was confirmed by military authorities on Wednesday. Some members of the Civilian JTF who were also providing security for the oil workers were killed by the terrorists. The abducted persons included 10 academic and technical staff of the University of Maiduguri’s Department of Geology. They were ambushed by the terrorists around Jibi village situated between Magumeri and Gubio local government areas of Borno State. Four of the abducted UNIMAID workers were also confirmed to have been killed by the terrorists. In all, about 48 lives were lost to Boko Haram in Jibi.

Brave Lieutenant M. Medawa is suspected to be the officer killed during the Jibi ambush, although another version has it that he was killed in Sambisa forest during a clearance operation. This second version said Medawa was leading troops of the Nigerian Army 5 Brigade when his unit came under heavy artillery fire from the terrorists. An undisclosed number of soldiers were killed in the battle, while several others are still missing. The late Lt. Medawa, who was due to be decorated as Captain on Thursday, served at the Brigade of Guards in Abuja before his posting to the war front.

The terrorists were also in Azur Village, Damboa Local Government Area on Thursday, where they killed five people and razed the village. For how long must needless killing of our troops continue? Our brave soldiers are clearly embattled on all fronts. No doubt, they are capable of surmounting the challenges. They are not cowards. All they want is for the military high command to do the needful. They want quality equipment and motivation. The military leadership must stop exposing our heroic soldiers to this ragtag Boko Haram. May Allah inspire our military leaders to do the needful for soldiers on the war front.