THERE has been a renewed
onslaught, even if on a more subdued scale, by Boko Haram insurgents in
recent times, driving it home more clearly the fact that the war against
the Islamist terrorists is far from over. Admittedly, the radicalised
Islamists have been well degraded and their capacity to inflict
large-scale destruction associated with their past activities has been
firmly curtailed. Yet, this is the time for the military to redouble
their efforts to make sure that the last vestiges of the terror group
bent on spreading its evil ideology in the North-East of the country are
rooted out once and for all.
Among evidence that the military
are in this for the long haul is the recent bomb attack in a park in
Maiduguri that claimed eight lives. Another report has it that, in
separate attacks last month, no fewer than 34 people were killed, eight
of them soldiers. One of such attacks was an ambush against a convoy in
Bama, near the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, where three soldiers and
three of their attackers were killed, according to a statement credited
to the military.
While another statement by Sani Usman, Acting Director, Army Public Relations, said nine suspected terrorists were killed in Operation Lafiya Dole
near Bulabulin, Boko Haram, in a report that could not be independently
verified, also claimed that it had killed more than 40 soldiers of the
multinational forces operating in the North-East. As recently as October
19, a Reuters report quoting the Nigerian Army said 13
soldiers were wounded and an unspecified number declared missing after a
clash with Boko Haram fighters at Gashigar, near the border with Niger
Republic.
Also responding to the same
incident, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, to which a faction of
Boko Haram has pledged allegiance, tweeted that 20 soldiers of the
Nigerian Army and the neighbouring Niger Republic had been killed, with
many others wounded. Similarly, in another report quoting the military,
seven Nigeriens were killed in separate attacks in the Diffa region near
the country’s border with Nigeria. Reports of attacks in Cameroon are
also becoming common.
Amidst these attacks, the
Nigerian authorities have been declaring themselves victorious in a war
that is still raging. Speaking at a seminar in Port Harcourt, the
Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau, said, “The war in the
North-East with the Boko Haram has been fought and won –as the Boko
Haram elements have been routed, degraded and are being decimated.”
Although Dambazzau, a retired Lt.-Gen. and former Chief of Army Staff,
spoke in July, the current Army chief, Tukur Buratai, also a Lt.-Gen,
re-echoed his sentiments in September, claiming, “The Nigerian Army has
not only succeeded in routing them (Boko Haram members) from their camps
in the region, we have been able to block these criminal elements from
crossing down to these areas or rebuilding their camps anywhere.”
Without doubt, the Nigerian Army
has done a lot to clip the wings of the terrorists who have been
credited with killing up to 30,000 Nigerians since scaling up their
operations in the country in 2009, yet, the war can hardly be said to
have been won. From a period when the presence of the terrorists could
be felt in up to 15 local government areas –when they even declared
Gwoza as the headquarters of their so-called caliphate more than two
years ago –the Nigerian military, in collaboration with their
counterparts from Niger, Chad and Cameroon, have successfully liberated
practically the entire swathe of land taken by Boko Haram.
While this represents a
significant step forward, compared to periods when bombs were raining
down in areas such as Abuja, Jos, Kano and other areas outside the main
theatre of the war in the North-East, it does not in any way represent
victory for the military. There is no way the Nigerian authorities can
claim victory in the war when Boko Haram is still present within the
territories of the country’s neighbours –Chad, Niger and Cameroon. As
long as Boko Haram is active in any of those countries, Nigeria will
always remain a target of attack as was the case when the terrorists
were based in Nigeria, making incursions into the neighbouring
countries.
Besides, it should also be noted
that some significant progress has been made with the return of 21 out
of the 218 Chibok girls kidnapped from their hostel over 900 days ago;
but nobody should forget that no fewer than 197 others are still in
captivity. The war cannot be won when captured Nigerian citizens are yet
to be freed. This premature declaration of victory is also why Abubakar
Shekau, declared dead several times, has continued to resurface and
taunt those who claimed that he had died.
From reports, it appears the
authorities are already beginning to mismanage the little success
achieved so far. Complaints are filtering through that the welfare of
the soldiers is once more, not getting maximum attention. The soldiers
are reportedly grumbling about their allowances being slashed and the
poor quality of food they are being served. There are also reports of
shocking infiltration of the death cult in the military leading to a few
humiliating routs. These are clear evidence that the decay and
corruption that plagued the military during the Goodluck Jonathan era
are gradually creeping back into the operations of the Nigerian
military. These are allegations that should be thoroughly investigated
and if found to be true actions should be taken.
This should be time for the
military to press home the advantages they have gained so far. And, in
doing so, they should bear in mind the warning of James Chapper, the
United States Director of National Intelligence, who said, “Despite
losing territory in 2015, Boko Haram will probably remain a threat to
Nigeria throughout 2016 and will continue its terror campaign within the
country and in neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad.”
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