UN’s Thought-Provoking Dispatch on Boko Haram

President Muhammadu Buhari must swiftly rejig the sagging war against Boko Haram to save Borno State from unprecedented anguish. This is the long and the short of the dispatch to our President from the United Nations on Wednesday. The announcement by the UN that it had withdrawn 260 aid workers from Monguno, Kala/Balge and Kukawa LGAs, following the resurgence of attacks by the terrorists, and that its humanitarian service delivery in the troubled region had dwindled, are confirmations that things have gone from bad to worse in this war against terrorism.

The communication by the UN was thought-provoking. It expressed concern about the upsurge in attacks and informed further that more than 30,000 people had arrived in Maiduguri from Baga following Boko Haram’s attack on the town. Its Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, said:“Clashes on December 26, 2018, between Nigerian government forces and non-state armed groups in Baga town, on the shores of Lake Chad, about 200 kilometres north of state capital Maiduguri, triggered the massive displacement, with most women, men and children converging on already congested camps for internally displaced people in Maiduguri or Monguno town. A subsequent attempted attack on Monguno on December 28, 2018, has exacerbated the situation, generating further displacement.”

Kallon, who visited the Monguno and the Teachers’ Village IDP camps, added: “The impact of the recent fighting on innocent civilians is devastating and has created a humanitarian tragedy. It is heartwrenching to see so many of these people living in congested camps, or sleeping outside with no shelter. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict and the United Nations is extremely concerned about the impact that violence in north-east Nigeria, especially in Borno State, is having on civilians.

“30,000 internally displaced people have arrived in Maiduguri, mainly from Baga, in recent weeks. The majority of these people have arrived since December 20,

It is heart-wrenching to see so many of these people living in congested camps, or sleeping outside with no shelter. Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict and the United Nations is extremely concerned about the impact that violence in north-east Nigeria, especially in Borno State, is having on civilians

2018, often after arduous journeys with young children. These people include an estimated 20,000 internally displaced people who have arrived in Teachers Village camp in Maiduguri, stretching the camp’s capacity beyond the limit.”

The reality from the theatre of war in Borno State, as dispassionately presented by the UN, does not tally with the stories that Buhari and his war commanders have been telling Nigerians. We are in a mess in this war as seen from the Baga debacle; this is the truth that must be told. Our President must wake up; else Boko Haram will overrun Monguno and move on to Maiduguri.

Our gallant soldiers are doing their best but lack the force and firepower required to eliminate Boko Haram. I am not sorry to say that Buhari has not, in practical terms, shown commitment to end this Boko Haram tragedy. Else, he would have gone for the best manpower from tested countries, coming into the theatre of war with their equipment and munitions.

Our chivalrous troops can’t handle Boko Haram alone. We need seasoned mercenaries from Israel, Russia or South Africa. They will come in with their armoured helicopter gunships, mine-resistant APCs, drones and the most modern machine guns. This is the only way Nigeria can end this war. This country must employ the best fighters from anywhere in the world to end this trauma called Boko Haram. The ultimate aim is to genuinely decapitate them.

Our President must swiftly ensure the release of the $1 billion approved for this war and expend it on the recruitment of mercenaries. Our gallant soldiers are ill-equipped, poorly motivated and battle weary. They struggle for field allowances and equipment on the war front. Many of them have over-stayed on the war front, contrary to the rules of engagement. That was why some soldiers openly protested at the Maiduguri Airport last year. The military urgently needs a change of leadership. The service chiefs have spent almost four years, yet, no result. This slide in the war against the terrorists, is to a large extent, a failure of leadership.

Just on Monday, the terrorists came close to Maiduguri, when they attacked three villages - Auno, Sajeri and Dala Lawanti - in Konduga Local Government Area, burning scores of houses in the process. At least three civilians, including an Islamic cleric, were killed, while hundreds fled the communities into Ngomari area of Maiduguri. Things are evidently very bad on the war front.

Buhari must also be bold enough to act on the recent Defence and Foreign Affairs report on the Nigerian military, published by the United States-based International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA). It reported that massive corruption among top military chiefs appointed by President Buhari is responsible for the sagging war against terrorism. The intensity of Boko Haram assaults across villages and towns in Borno State in the last few months is a further confirmation that this report is on point. If our President is genuinely interested in ending the bloodshed in the North-east and parts of the North-west, he should get a copy of the ISSA report and engage it proactively.