Spokesman of the Defence Headquarters, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, sounded like a broken vessel at a press briefing in Abuja last week while countering Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State’s avowal that Boko Haram terrorists control three local government areas in the state. That is what happens to people who try to turn the truth on its head. Nwachukwu speciously dismissed Zulum’s call on the military to recapture the affected local governments, saying, contrary to the governor’s claim, “no Nigerian territory is under the control of terrorist groups – Boko Haram and ISWAP.”
The DHQ spokesman added: “I want to make it very clear that Boko Haram has been pushed to the Tumbus, the islands within the neighbouring countries of Chad and Niger Republics where they are hibernating and from where they launch attacks on soft targets. He also stated that the military was relentless but cautious in rescue operations to liberate Leah Sharibu and other hostages held by the terrorists, in order to ensure their safety.
Nwachukwu has suddenly forgotten that Zulum is the governor and Chief Security Officer of the state, who gets undiluted information from all the nooks and crannies of his state. Zulum would love to govern and access all local governments in Borno State in conformity with his mandate. So, he has no business with turning the truth on its head. The governor, who listed the local government areas controlled by Boko Haram as Marte, Kukawa and Abadam, appealed to the military authorities to reclaim the seized territories from the terrorists.
The governor had also raised concerns over what he described as the rising wave of attacks by the terrorists,
especially the attacks on six Borno villages within three weeks. They had attacked Chul village after similar attacks on Rumirgo, Lassa, Mussa, Kufa and Gwandam. This is the truth the military must respond to appropriately.
I guess Nwachukwu is unaware that Zulum courageously made his assertions in the presence of his superiors – the Defence Minister, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd); the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique. His superiors did not raise any objection while with the governor. Nwachukwu is also unaware that thousands of people displaced in Marte, Kukawa and Abadam, by Boko Haram are now in IDP camps, unable to return to their homes. This DHQ spokesman should move his office to Abadam for just a day if he truly believes in all the gibberish he has been propagating.
The biggest drawback to the war against Boko Haram is the persistent lies that the terrorists had been technically defeated and degraded. As I pen this piece, there are over 700,000 traumatised people in 33 IDP camps in Borno State. These people can’t return home because their towns and villages are under the control of the terrorists. I wonder why these hapless persons would choose to remain in these dehumanising camps, if their towns and villages are safe. In these IDP camps, people struggle for a meal a day, while scores die daily of hunger, disease and malnutrition. Zulum was right when he told General Magashi that keeping thousands of people in IDP camps with no source of livelihood “is like building material for Boko Haram insurgents on recruitment missions in villages.”
The same “technically defeated” Boko Haram daringly invaded Damaturu, Yobe State’s capital last Sunday with scores of fighters. The military and other security forces had to struggle to push them back. A terror group strong enough to attack a state’s capital has clearly not been “degraded.” Only last Sunday, several aid workers were abducted by Boko Haram in an ambush along Monguno-Maiduguri Road. The guerrillas are roaming freely in many areas in Borno State, after successfully dismissing military bases. Borno State is facing an unprecedented mess, with 22 of its 27 local governments either fully or partially controlled by the terrorists. Aid agencies can’t access many local governments in Borno. Thousands of people are also living in squalid conditions in Borno IDP camps.
This other talk by Nwachukwu that the military had been cautious in its bid to rescue Leah Sharibu and other hostages held by the terrorists, “in order to ensure their safety”, is balderdash. That was what they were telling us until five of the aid workers abducted near Damasak, in Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State were killed. It was so painful that these people were in the dungeons of the terrorists for almost six months with little effort to secure their release, until they were executed. The relief personnel could not be rescued because the Nigerian military lacks the equipment and manpower for such. This is the truth. The Nigerian state failed these patriots who were working on a project for traumatised residents of Borno State. The only woman in the team abducted in Damasak, Grace Taku, runs the risk of being killed by the terrorists. Alice Loksha, a nurse and a mother, who was abducted during an attack in Rann in March 2018 is also still with the terrorists.
Well, our gallant soldiers are doing their best but lack the capabilities to end the war. My submission has not changed: We must hire the best brains from anywhere in the world to assist our military to end this war. The ultimate aim is to decapitate Boko Haram. The strategy for getting result against Boko Haram is largely through aerial power. Technology, quality equipment and quality manpower will be needed. It requires quality fighter jets and quality armoured attack helicopters. Our gallant military lacks the competence and equipment for these. So, our President must hire Israeli or Russian mercenaries to finish this war. This is the only way forward.
Credit: Yemi Adebowale, Thisday