There’s a desperation in the operations of the country’s military that is clearly apparent to the top echelon of the institution and to Nigerians familiar with the military. While it is yet to completely route the Boko Haram terrorists and their ISWAP affiliates which operates across northeast Nigeria, Northern Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Mali, its task has been complicated by a violent reign of banditry across states in the northwest part of the country.
The development has put the military, rather unfairly, on the spot and opened its operations to all sort of scrutiny and criticism. But nothing has embarrassed the military in recent times more than the resurgence of terrorists’ activities in the northeast after five years of war against insurgency, and after claims that the Boko Haram terrorists had been “technically” degraded and defeated.
There are still daily reports of terrorists attacks and killings, with the most shocking being the recent gun attack on a United Nations helicopter bringing relief materials to victims of insurgency in Borno State. The humanitarian helicopter was shot while flying over the Damasak area, killing two civilians and badly damaging the plane. The UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, immediately announced suspension of UN air operations to the troubled northeast and called for probe of the shooting.
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Of course the experience of other countries tells us that terrorism cannot be easily and totally defeated, especially when it had been allowed to develop firm roots as is the case with Nigeria. But it is unacceptable when acts of terrorism are allowed to become daily feature of life even when the military has been fighting an all-out war against insurgents for the past five years. Why are we having a resurgence of terrorism in the northeast? Why is banditry on the rise in the northwest?
I have read statements credited to different groups, especially some so-called NGOs making excuses for the military. Some of these obviously sponsored groups claim it is the politicians who’re sponsoring the violence to portray the President Muhammadu Buhari administration as a failure. Some of the groups claimed it is those seeking the ouster of the service chiefs that are sponsoring banditry and inciting residents to protest.
It is absurd and dangerous that the military had resorted to hiring crowds to attack their critics the way politicians do. What the groups are doing amount to praise-singing for the military and attempts to protect the jobs of the service chiefs. If some people are responsible for the violence in our land, why have they not been fished out? Who are these people, and who are the people protecting them? Doesn’t the military have a directorate for intelligence gathering?
I am not in support of changing service chiefs like local government chairmen, because I strongly believe the problem is systemic and has little to do with the personality of the service chiefs. But I do not believe allowing service chiefs to stay on in the face of the recent level of violence, banditry and terrorism is useful either. These gentlemen have tried their best and should make way for fresh ideas and team to re-energize military operations.
In 2015, the president appointed Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin as Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General T.Y. Buratai as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff, and Air Vice Marshal Monday Riku Morgan as Chief of Defence Intelligence.
As an online newspaper editor, I get press statements from the military almost on a daily basis claiming to have killed or wounded terrorists and bandits, and seized their equipment. Sometimes it is the air component of the troops that “neutralizes” terrorists and ‘destroyed their logistic base.’. What I really find desperate and pathetic about the statements is the claim often made that the troops overcame the terrorists due to their “superior fire power” and that a certain number were killed but “others escaped with gunshot wounds.”
Sometimes the statements inform you that the troops had dealt the terrorists such deadly blow that they were “now scampering for cover” or that they were “begging to surrender” to troops!
While it is commendable that the military would give accounts of its operations to Nigerians on a daily basis, the people deserve to know what exactly is going on. I find it difficult to believe the statements being pushed out by the military high command, especially due to the boastful rhetoric employed. Reports coming to the media directly from the soldiers themselves have further damaged the credibility of official statements.
A journalist only needs to travel to the northeast and speak off-the-record with any soldier to hear tales about how dire the situation is with troops and the war against insurgency. The top brass of the military is aware of this. That is why whenever it issued a statement; it is always concluded with “commendation to the gallant troops” to massage the ego of troops and discourage mutiny which was common between 2014-15..
The resort to creation of Super Camps late 2019 is considered by many critics of the military as a defeatist initiative, which indicated clearly that there was a big problem with the fight against insurgency. The super camps are a small number of highly fortified locations in or on the outskirts of major towns in the northeast that serves as bases for troops. It is from the camps that the troops would launch patrols of surrounding areas.
Since the establishment of the camps, troops have been “repelling” attacks from terrorists instead of launching them. That is a major reason for the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks since they know the locations of troops and could monitor their movements either directly or through informants, who are not always in short supply.
Michael Horton, writing in a recent edition of Terrorism Monitor, asked: Is Nigeria Losing the War Against Terrorism in Borno State? Reviewing the military’s claim that it had degraded Boko Haram, and the justification for super camps, he writes:
“However, the tempo and geographic extent of recent attacks by these groups—Boko Haram in particular—indicates that these organizations’ operational capacity remains undiminished and may be on the increase yet again. Boko Haram’s resiliency is due to the almost ideal conditions for insurgency in Borno. It is also due to the Nigerian Army and security services’ failure to adopt a more agile and responsive force structure. Rather than address these failures, the Nigerian Army is making moves that signal a retreat to Boko Haram and, most importantly, to the Nigerian citizens they are meant to protect.”
Horton actually hit the nail on its head by his conclusion. But the.question he could have asked is: Is the military scared? That is a question that is certainly scary to ask!
– Mr Suleiman writes from Life Camp, Abuja. Email: tajudeensuleiman@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.