• ‘How Army CHAnged
various media outlet exposing the Nigerian military in disarray, deserting their positions, and running away from confronting a haggard looking, poorly trained but determined, spirited and suicidal terrorists.
In addition, soldiers were complaining of lack of proper weapons, welfare and sabotage, which culminated in the brazen mutiny and attempted assassination against the then General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Div, Nigerian Army, Maj-Gen. Abubakar Mohammed (rtd).
Consequently, the chaos that followed allowed Boko Haram to seize more territories, expanding from Gwoza, which they converted to defacto Headquarters of their short-lived Caliphate to Baga, Bama and Gamboru Ngala in Borno to as a far as Gulak, Michika-Madagali, Hong and Mubi the hometown of the CDS in Adamawa state.
Expectedly, the rapid losses was not well received by both Nigerians, the international community, federal government and particularly, the military authorities, with accusing fingers that did not help the operations but maligned the forces and government of the day coming from different quarters.
It could be recalled that the first to fire the salvo was the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, who claimed that “the Boko Haram insurgents had better firepower, and equipment, than our troops”.
Shettima’s damning verdict against the Nigeria military was corroborated by other prominent leaders and politicians from the North who ridiculed the efforts of the Armed Forces as poor and halfhearted. Sadly, the consternation that followed the criticisms bruised the military morale, and opened up a deep division between some of the soldiers and the military top brass.
THISDAY reported how the military authorities warned that the continuous attack against the security forces was being interpreted as a calculated attack against their morale and to weaken the operation against Boko Haram terrorists.
Reacting to the criticisms, the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, in a statement with the theme: “Stop the Attacks on Security Forces’ Morale”, accused some “set of Nigerians” and media platforms of being in the habit of belittling the efforts of the military.
Olukolade said that it had become obvious that some people by their actions and utterances had become spokespersons for the outlawed Boko Haram Islamic sect. He further warned those who have made it their past time to ridicule the security forces in order to weaken their resolve to desist or face the consequences, which he noted, must be pursued with due process.
He said: “The military has also noted with great concern the orchestrated attack on the morale of the Nigerian security forces engaged in the fight against terrorism by a section of the political elite. “They make frivolous and unfounded claims and allegations on welfare of soldiers under the pretext of being more caring for the welfare and condition of Nigerian soldiers but their intention is to encourage indiscipline and ultimately mutiny”.
“This set of Nigerians has taken up every available media platform to disparage efforts of the leadership of Nigerian Armed Forces in the fight against terror. Indeed, the tendency is propelled by nothing altruistic other than to curry undue political capital out of the unfortunate crisis in the North-east.
“They have not only accused the military and security authorities of denying the soldiers and other security personnel of their entitlements, they have been spreading the sick rumour that the gallant Nigerian soldiers are grumbling over inadequate resources and lack of motivation to take on the insurgents”.
Consequently, the growing rift between Officers and other ranks, especially soldiers in the Nigerian Army accentuated by barrage of criticisms, reached a frightening state that both sides of the divide doubts each other’s sincerity in the counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency efforts thereby weakening their resolve to successful fight Boko Haram Islamic Sect.
Accordingly, military authority alerted that rather than superior Boko Haram terrorist fighters or lack of weapon by the army, it’s acts of cowardice, indiscipline and desertion from battlefield that constitutes the greatest danger in the ongoing fight against terrorism and insurgency in the country. The soldiers on the other hand, blamed their senior officers for insincerity, accusing them of corruption and leaking vital information to the terrorists.
Coupled with the nagging issue of indiscipline, cowardice and sabotage, the Nigerian Army under Minimah were also punctuated by alleged conspiracy from the international community, which was highlighted by the failure of the United States and her allies to fully assist in the purchase of the needed weapons to prosecute the war against terror. This conspiracy came to the fore during the botched $15million arms deal in South Africa.
The Konduga Battles, General Court-Martial and Turning Point
Despite these setbacks, Minimah like other great war-time generals did rise to the occasion in collaboration with other Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser (NSA) to turn the tide of war against the Boko Haram terrorists.
Symbolically, the battle for Konduga where the Nigerian Army inflicted heavy losses on the insurgents on several occasions, including the killing of the Abubakar Shekau impostor, Mohammed Bashir (aka Damasak), reversed the psychology of an invincible Boko Haram. This was attributed to change of tactics by the Nigerian Army, which prior to that period had suffered some embarrassing losses including the famous “tactical maneuver into Cameroun”.
More importantly, the General Court-Martial (GCM) instituted by the Minimah led Nigerian Army to mete out appropriate punishment to erring officers and soldiers whose acts of cowardice had helped dent the image and impact negatively on the morale of the military, had been described as one of the ultimate strategies that changed the game against the terrorists. It would be recalled that despite the general outcry, Minimah with the support of other service chiefs embarked on the trial, sentencing and dismissal of the bad eggs that had in one way or the other derailed the war effort.
In addition, Minimah through the instrumentality of the NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, the CDS, Ministry of Defence and ultimately, approval of President Jonathan were able to acquire the right kind of weapon that helped to turn the heat on the terrorists that today almost all the lost territories have been recovered. Also, the same stakeholders were fully involved to secure the cooperation of the once reluctant neighbours of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) with the troops from Chad, Cameroun and Niger Republic playing a significant role to starve the terrorists of any safe haven in their respective territories.
In the same vein, a combination of the above factors, which was as a result of his deft leadership, would not have been possible without a harmonious working relationship with other service Chiefs, especially the CDS and CAS.
Hearing from The Horse’s Mouth, Other Stakeholders
There is no one who can describe better how the Nigerian military was able to turn the tide against the Boko Haram terrorists within the space of six weeks, having not been able to achieve that years back, other than one of the arrowheads, Gen. Minimah.
The COAS had in a recent interview with some journalists in Abuja, noted that about three to four key factors were responsible for the dramatic turnaround against the terrorists. According to him, the game-changing factors were the change of military tactics, enforcement of discipline through the court-martials, purchase of new and appropriate weapons, and the agreement with the neighbouring countries of the LCBC to join the war.
The Army Chief said that the obsolete weapons and the difficulty in acquiring the right kinds of arms and ammunitions derailed the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency war in the North East.
He said: “It is a common knowledge too that the Nigerian Army has been demanding equipment from the government, it is a common knowledge too that part of the seething problems of the war against the insurgency has been requisite modern equipment for the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Armed forces.
“It is a common knowledge too that the equipment the Nigerian Army had, were old , aging, obsolete equipment and that we were doing local repairs to maintain them. It is common knowledge too that the Nigerian troops were running from battle, it is also common knowledge too that the government was doing everything it could to buy equipment for the army”. According to Minimah,” the equipment that arrived changed the battle dynamics, changed the battle platform, everything reversed, the terrorists started running, and we changed the battle, that is what happened.
“The personality of the chief of army staff, utility of the equipment that arrived, changing the dynamics, changing the individual soldiers, that is what we have done. So for the common man who does not understand, let him have his rights to free speech, he can interpret it any way he wishes, but for you who know you know that certainly nobody was keeping war, to be dying and losing colleagues every day because he hopes he was going to win at the end. What of if victory does not come at the end. Leave them, it’s their right to free speech”.
On the Court-Martial, Minimah made it clear that the gale of desertion from battle field, cowardice, sabotage and general state of indiscipline was more damaging to the counter terrorism efforts than even lack of arms and ammunition.
“What you do not know too is that the battle had been turned before the equipment arrived, because the average officer realized now that if he runs, he would be court martialed.
“The soldier knows that if he runs away he will be dismissed. So everybody was prepared to stand and fight and die, because if you run back there is nothing. And for the fact that they stood and fought back for hours instead of running caught the Boko Haram by surprise...and terrified”, he said. In the same vein, the COAS noted that, “at one point these equipment came in, and with my personal effort of ensuring that officers and soldiers were court-martialed, dismissed for running in the face of adversaries, for abandoning the equipment we have and running away and so forth, the psyche of the Nigerian soldier changed”.
Minimah said that he and other Service Chiefs were able to convince the authorities at the Council of State Meeting, drawing their attention to the fact that apart from the arrival of the needed weapons