By Idoko Ainoko

Yesterday, it was reported that the Borno House of Assembly honoured the State Commander of the now disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, police unit, CSP Ibrahim Mohammed. The SARS Commander was honoured with a plague for what the House of Assembly said was for his gallantry in the fight against insurgency in the state.

Members of the Borno Assembly from reports gleaned, said they were impressed with the way the Commander and his team had on three different occasions, 13th, 14th  and 21st July, encountered the Boko Haram terrorists at Mainok in Kaga LGA,  Auno -Jakana- Damaturu road and on the  Maiduguri-Damaturu road and engaged the terrorists in fierce battles while recovering several arms from them.

It is a good thing that the people of Borno have started acknowledging the efforts of security agencies in fighting terrorism and honouring those who have put in efforts to secure the nation. In the past, they had, save for the occasional commendations, carried on as if such efforts don’t matter. 

But still, one cannot fail to notice the of hypocrisy in the so called honour given to the boss of the defunct SARS in Borno State. The honour coming at the time it did and the manner it was presented suggests there is more to the issue of the award than meets the eye. The first is the timing. Military operations have been going on in Borno State and other parts of the Northeast for more than 10 years, but no arm of the state government has deemed it fit to honour all the gallant men that have sacrificed their lives to ensure their safety until now.

Curious still, is the fact that the latest of all the three instances sited by the Borno House of  Assembly where it says the SARS encountered Boko Haram happened almost three months ago but the Borno Assembly which has been  in session all these days did not see the need to hoounur the police unit until a groundswell of opinion has been established  about their unprofessional conducts and protesters rose in their thousands and succeeded in getting the government to disband the outfit.

Another thing is that the SARS team has not been the only security agency operating in the Northeast that has done creditably well in securing the territorial integrity of the nation.
If the award does not have political undertone, other heads of agencies that have done well on fighting terrorism would have equally been honoured alongside the Commander of the defunct SARS.

It is well known that the Nigeria Armed Forces with all its components of the Army, Airforce and Navy have been engaged in military operations in the Northeast and have more than 300 instances of where it had either repelled, killed, captured or destroyed the camps of the terrorists. 

The military it was that entered Sambisa Forest and pummeled the base of the insurgents and they fled leaving their weapons and emblems which were recovered and presented to President Muhammadu Buhari. 
This year alone, between April and May, Nigerian troops, using both aerial and surface tactics killed over 3,000 of the insurgents, captured their weapons, arrested their top commanders and informants as well as rescued captives. But all these seem to have been lost on the Borno State Government. 

Added to that, the Borno State governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum had on two occasions being saved from harm by the military yet no arm of the state government has yet deemed it fit to honour the military for its efforts. 
Other agencies like the Nigeria Civil Defence Corps, NCDC, the Department of State Security Services, DSS, and many others have also made their contributions towards defending the territorial integrity of the nation as well, but at no time did the Borno State government considered them worthy of such an honour.

It would appear that since there is a nationwide protest against SARS and the Borno State Government had in the past used the unit to portray the military in bad light, all it wants to achieve by honouring the police unit is to downplay the sacrifice of the military and the other security agencies in Borno. 

Otherwise, it is difficult juxtaposing how the rescue of two soldiers by the SARS would be hyped and overblown over the many instances the military had equally rescued and defended policemen.

When the insurgents overran the Mobile Police Training Camp at Gwoza, Borno State, it was the military that went in and took it back; when the terrorists sacked the police barracks at Bama, it was equally the military that recaptured it. Yet no arm of the Borno State Government ever remembers that. Rather, the Borno State Government have done the contrary, by making disparaging remarks about military operations in the Northeast.

Under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, elders in Borno State outrightly demanded that troops be withdrawn from the state.
The current governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum and other state government officials even made worse allegations on the military by accusing  the military of extorting money from motorists plying the Maiduguri- Damaturu road, accusing the military of abandoning their posts at Auno, when some travellers were killed on that route and also accusing  the military of being behind the attack on his convoy at a small town near Baga.

The  Borno State Commissioner for Information,  Alhaji Babakura Jatau, had at a time also accused the military of profiting from the war against insurgency. 

It is my view that since the Borno State Government or any of its agencies have  not been forthcoming in rewarding excellence, this so called honour might have been  aimed at mocking the Military. If not then what is the motivation for the award?

Since the SARS has been disbanded, the award cannot be said to be to encourage them to do more. Since the award is selective it is viewed as discriminatory on the other agencies.

Hence one cannot really fathom the motive for giving such an award at this time. More worrisome is the fact that this kind of selective treatment is capable of demoralizing the gallant troops, that have continued to make sacrifices in defence of the fatherland.
The Borno State Government and its agencies need to be more circumspect in handling issues related to security in the state. 

Ainoko is a public affairs analyst and wrote from Kaduna.

By Abraham Ochayi

The recent events in the country have indeed brought to the fore some salient issues that have long been neglected by the generality of Nigerians. In my opinion, Nigerians didn’t take note of the renewed conduct of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in the discharge of their duties, especially in the past five years. The emphasis has been on the activities of terrorist, militants and other non-state actors that have wreaked havoc in the polity.

In some quarters, it was also stated that the Nigerian Army is not living to expectations in addressing the spate of insecurity in the country, clearly forgetting that the interventions of the Nigerian Army in internal security operations is not a core responsibility, but an added responsibility and it was expected that the Army should have gone for the jugular, clearly forgetting that there are rules of engagement that must be adhered to in the enforcement of peace in the country.

That the Nigerian Army has lived up to expectations with regards to the respect for human rights of every Nigerian citizen is indeed commendable. This is where I give credit to the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai for this rare display of foresight. Come to think of it, if the Nigerian Army had been indiscriminate in its operations, I am sure the country would have gone up in flames because the Army is traditionally trained to kill. This is the starkness of the reality that we must come to terms and indeed appreciate the conduct of officers and soldiers in its civil-military relationship.

I must not fail to commend the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai. I won’t be wrong if I liken him to Nostradamus, the man who saw tomorrow that a day would come where the citizens would revolt against brutality by law enforcement officers. That the Nigerian Army established human rights desk in all its formations to investigate allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated by military personnel, and also work to strengthen the Army’s capacity to protect human rights and report annually on progress was essentially to avoid protests such as this.

According to available information, the concept note for the efforts of the Human Rights office is as a result of the increasing interest of local and international Human Rights organizations and institutions in the Nigerian Army human relations footprints but specifically in areas of operations in North East.

The strategic importance of this action cannot be overemphasized in the sense that it has proven to be that effective tool towards keeping the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army under check in the discharge of their duties. While it is understandable that Nigerians have not come to terms with this initiative, it can’t take away the fact that the leadership of the Nigerian Army has indeed displayed an unalloyed commitment towards the protection and preservation of human rights in its operations.

This is indeed a masterstroke that should elicit commendation from all concerned stakeholders in Nigeria because if not for anything, it indeed kept officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army in check in the discharge of their duties and significantly reduced incidences of human rights abuses and brutality that has become the focus of the recent protests across the country.

It is thus my considered opinion that indeed the Chief of Army Staff. Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai saw tomorrow and did all within means to ensure that officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army do not abuse the rights of citizens of the country even in the face of provocation. I am glad; if not for anything, the Nigerian Army has evolved into a professional force that is conscious of the rules of engagement in warfare in line with the International Humanitarian Law. The Nigerian Army is regularly liaising and facilitating interaction with the human rights organizations to strengthen its capacity at promoting human rights; and as well as developing a network of contacts of human rights offices in Nigeria. This is also commendable.

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai has indeed set worthy examples that ought to be emulated by the bulk of those occupying positions of authority in the country. This is indeed a product of critical thoughts that centres on the dynamics of a plural country like Nigeria. The conduct of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army has also given hope to the ordinary man and woman on the streets and entrenched a regime of transparency and accountability.

Some would say in the Nigerian Army that the fear of Buratai is the beginning of wisdom. This is not because he is fierce-looking, but the fact that he has enthroned a regime of respect for the rule of law and conformity to the rules of engagement in the prosecution of the war against terrorism and other acts of criminalities in the country.

When one makes some comparison with what the Nigerian Army was before 2015, it would indeed be realized that a lot has changed and all thanks to the proactive leadership provided by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai in repositioning the Nigerian Army for greater effectiveness. The flagrant disregard for the rule of law is now a thing of the past as far as the operations of the Nigerian Army is concerned. Officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are constantly reminded that there are consequences for their actions should they go overboard and violate the rights of citizens. You also hardly find military personnel engaged in acts of oppression, extortion or harassment. That used to be the case in times past, but not under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai.

It is on this premise that I have long advocated that indeed the challenge with Nigeria is that of credible leadership and nothing more. The Tukur Buratai example is indeed demonstrative of a commitment to set Nigeria on the path of greatness’ consequently; it won’t be out of place if Lt Gen. Tukur Buratai is regarded as a leader with foresight and a lesson in history.

Leadership in Nigeria must tow this example for Nigeria to sustain its present drive towards sustainable development. We must also be reminded that indeed for Nigeria to make progress, our crop of leaders must think strategically and outside the box. The Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai example says it all and should serve as a reference point in leadership in Nigeria.

Ochai wrote this piece from Ibadan.

By Thomas Uzah PhD 

Sometime in June 2015, barely 10 days after the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s democratically elected leader, a BBC Africa Security Correspondent, published an analysis, captioned; “Will moving Army to Maiduguri help Nigeria against Boko Haram?” The report captured President Buhari’s earliest decisions and actions in office to stymie the raging and devastating Boko Haram insurgency in the country.

Though the analysis encapsulated different conditions of the subsisting insecurities in Nigeria, a phrase was catchy. He wrote about the Service Chiefs perception and response to the Presidential order to relocate the Military Command and Control Centre from Abuja to the Northeast, the hotbed of the insurgency. President Buhari issued the order to centralize operations nearer the heart of the insurgency, ease bureaucratic bottlenecks and speedy decision-making on the field combats.

But some Military Chiefs loathed this directive. They preferred the comfort of cosy offices in Abuja, then shadow anywhere near the theatre of war. Therefore, they were hesitant, silently grumbled and clandestinely remonstrate. Eventually, though, they bowed to the supremacy of Military creeds, as the BBC report later exposed.  

The catchy phrase in the report chanted defiantly on the relocation of Military Command and Control Centre to the Northeast epicentre of Boko Haram terrorism stated; “However,  the new strategy has not gone down well with some top military men, who view it as a symbolic, populist move by President Buhari, attempting to set himself apart from the previous administration under Goodluck Jonathan.”

Time explains seemingly complex mysteries. The phrase made it abundantly clear the phobia of some senior military officers under the previous administration in leading troops to dismantle the dreaded Sambisa Forest, Boko Haram’s most secured fortress. It was a forest where insurgents hid and persistently emerged to bloodily strike the heart of Borno State and other parts of the Northeast.

Formerly, Sambisa was Boko Haram’s centre for training recruits. It served as a venue for plotting their heinous atrocities and recuperation ground after strikes of violence on communities and villages. Boko Haram’s factional leader, Abubakar Shekau and top commanders of the sect had their most vaulted “mansion,” in the forest’s “Camp Zairo.” Some refer to it as Camp Zero from where they easily coordinated their atrocious acts. The natives called Camp Zairo “Sabil Hida”, meaning the “righteous place,” but insurgents renamed it after they annexed it.

However, the face of the counter-insurgency operations changed with the arrival of Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and ombudsman of the anti-insurgency operations. He started commanding the battle from the front and not the back seat, very fruitfully and rewardingly. The crack Infantry Combatant never faltered nor dreaded the trenches or waterfront any day. Even the ambush and attack on his convoy by Boko Haram terrorists didn’t scare or dissuade him.

Gen. Buratai studied the minutiae of the insurgency and discovered a huge concentration of terrorists in Sambisa. He vowed they must not be allowed to possess the forest and then planned several months to capture it. 

And when Gen. Buratai and other Commanders led troops to strike in December 2016, Shekau, his top commanders and foot soldiers sheltered in this enclave were massively dislodged. Some insurgents met their waterloo in the encounter with troops; while a few others escaped, including the factional terror leader.

But from the historic capture of the Sambisa Forest on December 22, 2016, Gen. Buratai brought back to Abuja relics of the demystification, penetration of Camp Zairo and subjugation of Shekau’s empire. The Shekau’s personal effects obtained by the Army were a copy of the Holy Quran and Boko Haram jihadi flag among others.

However, the battle to free Sambisa Forest and entrapped communities in the area had just started. It was clear Boko Haram insurgents were pained to lose their fortified fortress of shelter. Being a vast forest, the insurgents again regrouped and reoccupied other parts. In his customary fashion, Shekau sneaked and reoccupied Camp Zairo from where he organized his foot soldiers to launch pockets of attacks on obscure communities.

Regardless, Gen. Buratai never flinched. Throughout 2017, the leader of counter-insurgency operations turned the Northeast into his permanent home and intensified clearance operations in enclaves within Sambisa Forest to flush out remnants of insurgents.        

Gen. Buratai eventually pulled down the final walls of the forest; cleared all the areas re-possessed by insurgents, confiscated their weapons, again dislodged Abubakar Shekau from Camp Zairo and recaptured it by end of 2017. The second military raids on Sambisa were more deadly on terrorists. 

In a video later released, the factional Boko Haram leader confessed to suffering heavy casualties and expressed frustration with the war, preferring to die than live. Still hotly trailed by troops, Shekau disguised into a woman, dressed in hijab and sneaked out of the Northeast. He remained in the cooler and silent for months.

At the start of January 2018, Gen. Buratai sojourned back to Sambisa on an operational thank-you visit to troops and to convey the President’s appreciation to soldiers stationed in different locations of the forest who performed the feat.

The helicopter conveying the COAS from Maiduguri first landed in Bitta village, a small settlement in Sambisa. Thereafter, he proceeded to Tokumbere and then, drove in an MRAP vehicle with his team to  Camp Zairo. He arrived at the spot by 4:15 pm. There, Gen. Buratai was conducted round the Battle Groups 1 and 2 locations and addressed troops. He also inspected the armoured fighting vehicles and equipment captured from Boko Haram terrorists.

It was right inside the darkest belly of Camp Zairo that Gen. Buratai issued the order to troops on the capture of the escapee factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau “red-handed.”  “We must move across wherever this criminal is to catch him red-handed. I want you to get him by hand,” he said. 

The display of courage by Gen. Buratai was confounding. Those naturally passionate about the Army fear or dread nothing. They are not scared by the possibility of death or quake at the prospects of danger. The COAS embodies these virtues in abundance. He is more excited in the trenches than swirling on a chair in an air-conditioned office.

This can be gleaned from an axiom in the interview he granted reporters while in Camp Zairo;   “I see all operations in the field as adventurously, a thunderous conquest of the enemy. I always want to explore new tactics, new manoeuvres and approaches to achieving tactical and operational objectives. Fighting wars should be seen as fun with serious, bold, decisive and aggressive approaches to dealing with the adversaries in an unconventional military environment. It is what excites me deeply.”

No wonder, Gen. Buratai is infinitely irritated when a soldier becomes hysteric at the sight of the battle. Not long ago, at the workshop on Transformational Leaders in Abuja,  the COAS voiced a directive to all commanders to flush out lazy soldiers as  “The NA will do all that is necessary to fish out any bad eggs whose willingness to lead or follow as required has waned…Transformational leaders should not wait for them to get out of the way, you must kick them out of your way.” 

Dr Uzah is head of department, Mass Communication, Kwararafa University Wukari.

By Charles Ibekwe

The activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra have generated some controversies in recent times, and this has led to scores of deaths that if care is not taken might escalate into an unimaginable proportion. IPOB, as it is fondly called, is not new to such controversies. As a fact, IPOB has thrived on disputes that often times not leads to the escalation of violence in South-East Nigeria and other parts of the country. And the recent happenings in South-East Nigeria occasioned by the systematic escalation of killings led by IPOB indeed calls for concern.

I have long stated in numerous forums that the activities of IPOB might sooner or later escalate into a monster that would ultimately consume South-East Nigeria if the relevant authorities do not take urgent and proactive steps towards address this challenge. I did specify at the national level for the simple fact that some governors of states in South East seem to be concerned about their political relevance that they have elected to turn a blind eye to the nefarious activities of IPOB.

The reason is simple. They do not want to be seen as anti-Igbo, which by and large, would affect their political fortunes. For them, it makes more sense, politically and economically, than protecting the interest of the commoners who would ultimately bear the brunt if things get out of control.

That IPOB is waiting to assume a more dangerous dimension is an understatement. That IPOB would also be the albatross of the Igbos in the buildup to the 2023 general elections is also an understatement. The indices are clear, and the pointers are also indicative that South-East Nigeria would experience a situation that would be worse than the Boko Haram crisis in North-East Nigeria.

I am sad that if not for anything that the activities of IPOB is gathering momentum and the political leaders in South East have not seen the need to make strategic interventions that would protect and preserve the relative peace and tranquillity in the region. Instead, they are playing to the gallery. For example, I find it worrisome that IPOB would issue a sit-at-home order in all parts of South East. Whether it was successful or not, remains another topic for discussion. But the fact that there was a display of such effrontery leaves more to be imagined.

I stand to be corrected. I am not aware if there was a counter-order to that order issued by IPOB whether from the political elites or the traditional institutions in Igbo land. What does this tell us? Your guess is as good as mine.

Those that still think that IPOB does not have ulterior motives in South-East Nigeria ought to have a rethink and come to terms with the starkness of the reality that the activities IPOB has posed to not just the entrenchment of democracy in the region, and also the socio-economic wellbeing of the Igbo people as a whole.

Ironically this is what is playing out in South East, and we have not deemed it necessary to speak in one voice in total condemnation of its nefarious activities. As they say, all politics is local, as well as happiness is also local. The implication of the above is that should the Igbos elect to turn a blind eye to the gradual disintegration of the South East by the activities of IPOB, then we would have ourselves to blame.

This is also instructive when we view critically how the Boko Haram insurgent group evolved and destabilized the North East region in Nigeria in the past ten years. Boko Haram was not imported into the North East, it was a creation of the North East, and it eventually succeeded in causing the destruction of lives and properties in unimaginable quantum. With due respect, the political authorities didn’t act when they were supposed to and today what is being experienced in the region is as a result of that inaction.

I am not convinced that the South East region can cope should IPOB translate into a monster like the Boko Haram group. Some would say that there is no basis for comparison, but that in my opinion is a gross and inept thought line which would ultimately consume us as a people. I am not convinced we need a soothsayer to tell us that should IPOB allowed to thrive unabated; the South East region would be doomed.

Today, IPOB is posturing as an organization for the interest of the Igbos. Tomorrow it would turn its fangs to the very people it claims to be protecting their interest when push comes to shove, and the chicken would come home to roost.

The activities of IPOB must be addressed adequately in the interest of peace in the South East region, which is arguably the most peaceful part of the country. It consequently behoves on all well-meaning Igbo sons and daughters to do all within their means to ensure that IPOB does not cause a crisis of unimaginable proportion in South East.

We must also realize that indeed we would bear the brunt and we would all have ourselves to blame. It thus remains my firm conviction that indeed IPOB has something sinister up its sleeves, and it is not in the best interest of the South East region. Indeed the time to speak is now. For if we don’t and allow Nnamdi Kanu to get away with this great disservice to the Igbos, posterity won’t be kind to us. It is hoped that this piece would elicit the much-needed reawakening of the true Igbo spirit in all of us in the preservation of peace in South-East Nigeria. This is my two cents.

Ibekwe is a public affairs analyst and wrote from Enugu.