Nigeria Times

By Kolawole Anthony

Nigeria is indeed a dynamic country. This is a country where some of its citizens have not been fair to it despite what they have benefitted over the years. That Nigeria remains, a country is indeed by the mercies of God because when one is availed some of the things happening in high places, you would indeed weep for Nigeria.

I am worried because of the insensitivity of some supposed elderstatstmen in the county who instead of devoting their time and resources towards making Nigeria better are instead busy fueling ethnic and religious division across the country. One of such individuals is General T.Y. Danjuma.

General T.Y Danjuma remains one of the few Nigerians that benefitted immensely from Nigeria. Till date, his source of wealth aside questionable is worth a whopping $1.2 billion according to a report published by The Commonwealth Activists, United Kingdom.

The report described T.Y. Danjuma as one of the purveyors of disunity in Nigeria who has used his position and influence as a former Chief of Army Staff, former defence minister as well as his fortune to fester ethnic conflict in the North Central region of Nigeria.

“In Nigeria, there have been various agitations along ethnic and religious lines that has somewhat resulted in conflict in most states in North Central Nigeria. States such as Taraba, though in North East has experienced an ethnic conflict that most stakeholders have attributed to political interference and the quest for ethnic domination.”

“It was also identified that some political leaders and highly exposed people from these states have contributed to the festering of the conflict in the region. One of the identified is a former defence minister and businessman Theophilus Danjuma of the Jukun ethnicity in Taraba state. T.Y Danjuma as he is fondly called has been fingered to be using his influence and resources to be fuelling conflict between the Jukuns of his home state of Taraba and the Tivs of Benue state.”

I indeed agreed with this position because over the years there have been instances where T.Y Danjuma was alleged to have been arming militia groups in his home state of Taraba to wreak havoc in neighbouring states all for ethnic domination and thereby heating the polity and compounding an already fragile atmosphere.

This insatiable quest has also led to some form of religious tension in the country where wild allegations of acts of genocide against Christians was pushed into the public space through proxy groups and associations, which in recent times have been coming from outside the shores of Nigeria. The recent report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group, U.K. was also identified as one of those ways T.Y Danjuma and his cohorts have been using to cause disaffection in the country. This much was highlighted in the report by the Commonwealth Activists.

“It has been widely speculated that since the coming of Muhammadu Buhari as president, some far-reaching measures were taken to make some extraordinary wealthy Nigerians account for the sources of their wealth. One of such individuals is T. Y Danjuma, who is believed to have been uncomfortable with the stance of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.”

“It was also stated that government probe of the frequent clashes between the Jukuns and the Tivs revealed that T.Y Danjuma has on numerous occasions used his resources to arm Jukun militia groups to wreak havoc in communities in Benue state. This much it was revealed was responsible for the frequent clashes between militia groups in Taraba and Benue state. This is against the position canvassed by the APPG that the government of Nigeria is subtly encouraging genocidal actions against Christians in Nigeria.”

This is the phenomenal T.Y Danjuma and why I indeed stated in the opening paragraphs that some Nigerians have not been fair to the country despite what they have benefited from the country over the years. This is also of the heels that the Zaki Biam and Odi massacres were carried out during the period T.Y. Danjuma was the Defence minister and must have given the all-clear for the operations in his capacity as the Minister of Defence.

This is indeed despicable and an indication that the likes of T.Y Danjuma are out against the interest of Nigeria. The fortune he made from Nigeria is indeed phenomenal. The Commonwealth Activists report did reveal some of the shoddy deals he perpetuated while in was in office in various capacities.

“Danjuma was awarded the oil block in 1998 by the regime of a former dictator and fellow army officer, Sani Abacha, making him one of a handful of Nigerians that made wealth from the country’s energy reserves. Danjuma paid $25 million in 1998 for the oil field exploration license that made him a billionaire. A year later, he became Nigeria’s defence minister as the country returned to democracy.”

“In some quarters it has been stated that the source of the $28 million was gotten from illicit deals he perpetuated while he was in government. However, this claim has not been verified since there has been no document that has indicted him for fraudulent practices.”

T.Y Danjuma remains a soldier of fortune who milked Nigeria through his involvement in shady deals that was aptly captured by the Commonwealth Activists report wherein it was stated

“An analysis by Private Eye magazine revealed Danjuma as one of several “politically exposed persons” using mysterious U.K. shell companies for money laundering. Danjuma was among 40 of the “world’s better connected wealthy elite” who “conceal assets” with the help of shell companies.”

With all of these revelations about T.Y Danjuma, I am not sure Nigerians should be deceived by his public posturing pretending to be carrying out acts in the interest of the country. And to think that such an individual that ought to serve as a uniting factor in the affairs of Nigeria is ironically the one festering ethnic and religious conflict in the country.

I dare to say that if T.Y Danjuma has his way, he would have sold Nigeria even in his old age. This is how despicable his actions have been and a reason why the relevant authorities in Nigeria must see to the fact that the likes of T.Y Danjuma should be brought to book to account for his atrocities against Nigeria.

The amount of resources he has expended in causing ethnic and religious tension in Nigeria would have been used to improve the lot of the people because after all his wealth his ill-gotten because there is indeed no justification with his career and income to equate with his current net worth that runs into billions of dollars.

If not for anything, I am glad that the Commonwealth Activists indeed did justice in revealing T. Y. Danjuma as a purveyor of disunity in Nigeria despite the grandstanding depicting himself as a man dedicated to the socio-economic wellbeing of Nigeria. The reverse is the case because here is a man who is ethnically parochial and religiously intolerant, and who for him the only thing that matters is for the domination of his Jukun ethnicity above all other ethnicities amongst its neighbours.

I think at this point we must learn to call a spade a spade to realize that T.Y Danjuma remains with his ancient habits that thrive in exploitation and divisive tendencies in furtherance of an intrinsic and insatiable penchant to continue to feed fat from Nigeria.

It is thus a blessing in disguise that indeed the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari has been able to address the T. Y Danjuma obsession with Nigeria, which he sees as his birthright and would go any length further to protect his interest at the detriment of national development.

I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for standing on the side of the people and no matter the resources channelled towards casting aspersion on the credibility of the efforts of the present administration, the truth shall always prevail. While it is not in my position to render advise to T.Y Danjuma to change his ways and make firm commitments towards peace and stability of Nigeria, I would however still say that this is the time for T.Y Danjuma to repay Nigeria with good deeds. The choice is his as posterity would not be kind to him if Nigeria goes up in flames.

Kolawole PhD wrote from Keffi.

By Lawrence Audu

The spate of insecurity in Nigeria has elicited concern from various stakeholders. The activities of Boko Haram insurgents, militant groups, armed bandits, kidnappers and other forms of criminalities have indeed tasked our security agencies. Not only has the continued state of insecurity threatened the very fabric of national integration in the country and created the ecology of fear, disquiet and anxiety, it has also called to question to the role of the various security agencies in the country.

Investigations revealed that the deployment of the Army in Internal Security Operations has dramatically increased since the return to democratic governance in Nigeria. Another factor that is responsible for the excessive deployment of the Army on ISOs is the fact that the Nigeria Police Force that is constitutionally charged with the responsibility of tackling internal security challenges is mostly poorly funded, ill-equipped and ill-trained to handle them.

These factors have often made civilian authorities to heavily rely on the expertise of the Army and its sisters’ forces, the navy and air-force to manage internal security challenges. In effect, the regular engagements of its personnel have made the organization to assume the position of the first line of internal security defence which ordinarily is the role of the police.

In an article published by the International Crisis Group, it was stated that since assuming office in May 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed new and more competent service chiefs, relocated the military command centre dedicated to the fight against Boko Haram to the northeast and probed past weapons procurement.

“These actions have had salutary effects, but the benefits will be short-lived unless they are followed by formulation and implementation of a comprehensive reform program that encompasses the entire defence management spectrum, including leadership, oversight and administration. Failure to implement such reforms would leave the military distressed and Nigerians vulnerable to the current and future security challenges.”

The effectiveness of the Nigerian Army in Internal Security Operations in Nigeria has also been commendable according to findings. The various operations involve the massive deployment of military assets and manpower and are being carried out simultaneously at a period of dwindling national revenue and protracted war against terrorism and insurgency, thereby stretching the Military too thin. Regardless of this fact, the Nigerian Army has indeed proved reliable as evident in the success of its various internal security operations taking place around the country simultaneously.

In all these multiple facts indicates that the Nigerian Army remains instrumental in addressing the various security challenges in the country and its exploits in recent times have indeed endeared it in the heart of Nigerians that jump at any given opportunity to be a part of a well repositioned Nigerian Army.

According to available statistics, the various Nigerian Army recruitment has been overly subscribed by young Nigerians desirous of adorning the Nigerian Army uniform into the officers and soldiers’ cadre. According to a former commandant of the Nigerian Army Depot in Jaji, Kaduna state, he stated that the rush to join the Nigerian Army in the past five years has been phenomenal.

“As commandant of the Nigerian Army Depot, we were inundated daily with the request for enrolment into the Nigerian Army. And the instances where recruitment was conducted, those that were lucky to be enlisted during training do exhibit a burning passion that is quite impressive. Throughout my stay as the commandant, I would say that I have not seen a situation where there is such much excitement on the faces of young boys and girls.”

It was also discovered that the same experience is the case in the Nigerian Defence Academy, where cadet officers are training. Our findings revealed that the Nigerian Army always comes top as the Service for preference for cadets in training.

According to a professor of criminology from the Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna, he stated that the Nigerian Army remains the most sought after security agency in Nigeria and retaining it as the pride of the nation.

“We must understand the complexities of crime and criminality in a country as diverse as Nigeria. Despite the avalanche of conspiracies against its operations wherein it has been mischievously propounded in sections of the country that troops of the Nigerian Army are demoralized and deserting the Army. The reverse is indeed the case. Applications have continued to pour in and those placed on reserve list exhibit as much excitement as those recruited.”

“From our findings, the urge to join the Nigerian Army is as a result of the various innovations introduced in the past five years. With improved training and doctrine, welfare and other additional incentives make the Nigerian Army the most sought after security agency in Nigeria.”

Findings also indicate that in the past five years, the welfare of troops has received much-needed attention. Salaries and allowances have been reviewed and promptly paid. It has been established that these and many more innovations introduced has indeed boosted the morale of the troops engaged in the various counterinsurgency and internal security operations of the Nigerian Army across Nigeria.

The operations of the Nigerian Army have also received commendations for its adherence to best practices. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, detention facilities under the purview of the Army meet international standards. Head of ICRC delegation in Nigeria, Mr Karl Mattli, who made the assessment, went further to offer additional support to the Army in sustaining this standard.

There is no gainsaying that the Nigerian Army has thus regained its place of pride as an institution where discipline and professionalism is the watchword. One must also recognize and commend the fact that our officers and soldiers are now motivated to do what they have committed to doing for the country. This supports the ranking of Nigeria as the 4th country with the strongest Army in Africa due to the successes recorded in peacekeeping missions and the fight against terrorism.

Nigeria has also been ranked 43rd strongest Military in the world in 2020 by the Global Fire Power, especially in finance, logistics and defence budget. The implication of the ranking is the fact that there has been the considerable introduction of transparency and accountability, unlike in times past where monies meant for military operations were diverted to private pockets.

Findings from this ranking revealed that the regime of transparency and accountability is also a significant factor responsible for the repositioning of the Nigerian Army as a professional fighting force. Credit must indeed be given to the leadership strides of the army authorities, especially since 2015 when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed leadership of the country.

The conclusion derived from this investigation is that the Nigerian Army of today remains committed in the preservation of the territorial integrity of the country as well as addressing the various security challenges in the country. The various indices indeed point to the exploits of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai whose giant strides have indeed positioned the Nigerian Army for exploits.

The narrative that the Nigerian Army is desolate is false; instead, it is bustling with activities. This position was confirmed during the Nigerian Army Day celebration 2020 where the Chief of Army Staff inaugurated several projects across the eight divisions of the Nigerian Army. Consequently, the bulk of the negative attribution to the operational effectiveness of the Nigerian Army in Nigeria is propaganda and not a reflection of the reality on the ground as the Nigerian Army remains highly sought after amongst the various security agencies in Nigeria.

Audu is a security writer and works for TheNigerian News.

By Abba Alli

If there is anything that bothers the president today, it is the case of northern Borno state where our troops are still battling remnants of Boko Haram terrorists. This area remains the sore point of the seemingly dwindling war against terrorists in the North-East region of Nigeria.

According to the words of Governor Babagana Zulum, when President Muhammadu Buhari visited the state earlier in the year, he expressed surprise that Nigerians have “so quickly forgotten the past, some have tried to compare the situation in Borno now with what it was prior to 29th May 2015, when all the major roads leading to Borno were closed except the Maiduguri-Kano road”. 

He further said, “There were sporadic killings and attacks even here in Maiduguri metropolis. About 20 local governments areas of Borno State were displaced, but from May 2015, we have recovered most of the displaced local government areas. By the year 2016 and 2017, we have almost celebrated the demise of the Boko Haram insurgency”. This was reported earlier in the year by Premium Times.

I had to refer to the quote above as proof that adequate effort has been made on this Boko Haram issue and in fact, results have been achieved. We have moved away from daily attacks, daring assaults on barracks, endless roadblocks etc.

By then, most of the local governments that were hitherto under the control of the insurgents were liberated by the Nigerian Army. Before 2015, many states in the region were under constant attacks by the terrorist group. Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Gombe and Bauchi States were major targets with the first three the epicentre of the violence.

However, some few years down the line Adamawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states have all been liberated from the activities of this terror group. This was as a result of hard work and dedication to the mission by the President and our great military. This did not happen by chance, though.

During his campaign days, President Buhari made clear his three major priorities; tackling insecurity, building the economy and fighting corruption. There is no doubt that top on that list is tackling insecurity and Mr President has shown his desire and commitment to succeed at that by his many actions.

His first foreign engagement upon assumption of office in 2015 was a visit to neighbouring Chad to discuss issues bothering on collaboration between both countries to tackle the menace of Boko Haram. Thereafter, he made one of the best decisions of his administration yet in my own opinion, which is the appointment of quality and tested officers as service chiefs of our Armed Forces.

That appointment will mark a turning point in the battle against insurgency. I was particularly impressed with the choice of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, a  battle-tested soldier. He was already at the time head of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). Perhaps the experience from heading that operation was what helped his smooth take over and immediate success recorded upon his assumption of office as COAS.

There is no doubt that his appointment was a game-changer. He got to work immediately, acting on the orders of Mr President to relocate the command and control headquarters of the war against insurgents to the Northeast region. He immediately relocated to Borno and within a few months, the results started coming in. The same troops that left their arms and ammunition and fled from Boko Haram returned back under a new dedicated and committed leadership to take on the terrorists.

The Nigerian Army fought back gallantly and decimated the insurgents hard across the entire region. By early 2017, the sect had suffered casualties aplenty. They lost all capacity to carry out coordinated attacks as they usually did.

I had to make all this narration so that those who may not have been following the events in the region keenly can understand where we were before now and where we are now without which we may not appreciate our current situation.

The war against insurgents, terrorists, separatist groups and others are not really your regular or conventional wars guided by any rules. While state actors like the Nigeria Army are bound by rules and international conventions, Boko Haram/ ISWAP do not operate under any rule and are not committed to anything. They are there for the destruction of humanity.

Unconventional wars like this can be quite complex and tough to handle. In most cases even when a solution is found, they have to be applied surgically. The case of Borno remains a serious worry to the President. He knows his government has done a lot to tackle the menace of terrorism in the area yet the rate of sabotage of success is high, especially in the Northern region of Borno.

Whilst other states and in fact many areas in Borno have been able to maintain the successes of the Army in defeating the terrorists, northern Borno remains an exception. What could be the reason for this continuous set back in this area?

What strategy did the military deploy in other areas and failed to put in place in the northern Borno area? Or what have people in other areas done that Northern Borno people didn’t do? These are critical questions we need to ask ourselves as a nation going forward. I do not have all the answers but I am sure if a round table is organized to discuss this, answers will come.

For instance, Biu in southern Borno State used to be one area where series of attacks took place a few years ago. Today, however, the area is quite safe. The civilian JTF ( a community vigilante group) is reputed to work closely with the Nigerian Army and other security forces. You can see the clear desire by the community elders and the youth to work together for the peace of their community. I hear they work and support the security forces very well. With this amount of cooperation perhaps we should not be surprised that the community is now very peaceful and economic activities have almost normalized there.

This cordiality of all stakeholders in that area cannot be undermined in the process of restoration of peace to the community. Part of the benefits of the return of peace is the establishment of the Nigerian Army University in Biu town. The world-class institution is a testament of President Buhari’s commitment to the total restoration of peace in the entire region. This university has bolstered economic activities in the area.

If you told a visitor to Bui town today that just a few years ago this was an epicentre for Boko Haram attacks in the area he may not believe you. That is the kind of success stories you get when communities are united for a common course.

That said, the issue of the northern part of Borno will have to be critically looked at by all stakeholders. The President seems to have done a lot to tackle the Boko Haram crisis across the North-East and there has been good success in my opinion. The little area remaining in the northern region of Borno, however, requires the collaboration of all stakeholders.

Whilst I do not want to be critical of any group now but it is important that stakeholders in Borno especially leaders of the northern part of the state come with open and sincere minds on how to end the terror of the insurgency in their area.

I have watched and read over the years the inconsistency of purpose of some elders of this area. In fact, there was a time some were even calling for the total withdrawal of soldiers from Borno State. I could not comprehend it. Is this to help the sect gain more ground? Similarly, when you hear some of the elders calling for the removal of service chiefs, I marvel at the logic. How do you change performers with results to show? Who does that? Exactly what could be the aim of those calling for that. These are some of the kind of calls by some elders in that area that cast some doubt on their sincerity to end this war soon.

Mr President has done a lot. I recall in one swoop a whopping $600m USD was expended on 12 super Tucanos fighter jets alone. That is aside from another military spending which is way higher than that. It is not easy on a nation that desperately needs cash for upgrading her basic infrastructure such as roads, rails, electricity, water etc. The nation needs funds to improve education, health, commerce etc. Yet President Buhari continues to devote huge resources to support the war against terrorist in the region. Mr President has tried, our military has also sacrificed a lot.

It is time to have all hands on deck to solve this issue. The elders of Borno will have to be a part of the solution. I am calling on the elders and indeed all stakeholders in the northern part of Borno to come together to resolve this issue once and for all. Quit the politics of distraction and give full support to the military and indeed the government to end this crisis once and for all.

No one will benefit from a peaceful Borno like the natives. Let’s all come together and agree on what needs to be done to finish off these terrorists. Military might alone may not solve this especially if the terrorists get any form of support from the local communities. It is now time to expose all saboteurs in this war and no one can do that better than the people in the northern part of Borno.

Alli is a forensic psychologist and wrote from Maiduguri.

By Subomi Adejare

Youth unemployment in Nigeria has been a worrisome trend in recent times. The government has initiated quite a several initiatives towards addressing this challenge. However, there seems to be a current trend in addressing the unemployment challenge in the country, and it is coming from the unlikely of places.

The Nigerian Army in recent times has provided that platform where Nigerians from all walks of life have expressed considerable interest in being a part of the national development of the country.

The Nigerian Army of today has been transformed into a force to reckon with in addressing the various security challenges in the country. These feats have endeared it to most Nigerians that quake at the opportunity to be a part of the success story of the Nigerian Army during its various recruitment processes. This is despite the insinuations in certain quarters that officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are disillusioned and leaving the force in droves.

Investigations indicate that the reverse is the case as the various recruitment process of the Nigerian Army has been oversubscribed to the extent that some scholars have attributed the interest in the Nigerian Army to a couple of factors which includes but not limited to improved welfare, professionalism and accountability and transparency.

According to insider sources, in the history of the Nigerian Army there hasn’t been a time where the Nigerian Army has witnessed massive recruitment rate as seen in the past five years. They attributed this happening to the leadership strides of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai who since assumption of office has led the Nigerian Army into reclaiming its place as the pride of the nation.

In a recent survey conducted, it was realized that interest in the enlistment into the Nigerian rose astronomically in the last three years. The various indices attributed to it indicated that the Nigerian Army had become a chosen occupation for most young people in Nigeria because of its numerous efforts in addressing the security challenges in the country.

Despite the number of casualty or cases of voluntary disengagement experienced in the Nigerian Army, many Nigerians still see the Nigerian Army as the choice destination. It has been estimated that the enrolment rate into the Nigerian Army rose by 45% for recruits, 40% for Direct Short Service Commission, 35% for Short Service Commission and 65% for direct regular. The stated figure implies that there have been considerable improvements in the condition of service in the Nigerian Army.

In one of the recent interviews conducted for intake into the Nigerian Army, one of the prospective candidates stated that joining the Nigerian Army would be a dream come true because as an army officer, he would give his all in service to fatherland. This indeed sums the sentiment of the bulk of those that that have indicated interest to join the Nigerian Army. It must be stated that the draw-in factor is the transformation witnessed in the Nigerian Army in recent years.

From available findings in the training and doctrine command of the Nigerian Army, it was identified that the Nigerian Army recently introduced training programmes that address some of the psychological challenges experienced by officers and soldiers engaged in its various operations.

A professor of human psychology from the University of Nigeria Nssuka, Dubem Okonkwo stated that what the Nigerian Army has introduced in some of its training programmes is capable of transforming it into one of the best forces in the world.

“There is a need to ensure that the various cadres of the Nigerian Army are geared up for the challenges ahead, especially with the issues associated with asymmetric warfare. We have had issues where some individuals get overwhelmed with their involvement in warfare, and they go berserk. These are normal occurrences, and so far, there hasn’t been any pronounced case in the Nigerian Army.”

The leadership of the Nigerian Army has indeed lived up to expectations through the leadership by example approach example introduced by the Chief of Army Staff, especially in the prosecution of the Boko Haram insurgency. According to Tunde Lawal, a top recruitment expert, he stated that the rush for enlistment into the Nigerian Army is a function of the fact the leadership of the Nigerian Army has made the operations of the Army fashionable and with a human face.

“In situations where you find officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army engaged in CSR initiatives such as conducting medical outreaches, assisting in the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons back to their communities and a host of other charitable ventures sends a very strong message. It says loud that aside tanks and guns, there is also a human face to the Nigerian Army and this on its own is a driver hence the rush for enlistment into the Nigerian Army.”

The Nigerian Army might also have been experiencing a facelift because the Chief of Army Staff has prioritized the welfare and capacity of officers and soldiers to do exploit. And this must also have endeared him to the hearts of young Nigerians that have in recent times indicated serious interest to join the Nigerian Army.

This fact was corroborated by Yemi Sanya, a military historian, who alluded to the fact that the numerous innovations he has introduced in the Nigerian Army since he assumed leadership has caused a turnaround in the fortunes of the Nigerian Army and made it indeed the pride of the nation in line with its slogan.

It is therefore not surprising that the Nigerian Army has become the preferred choice for young Nigerians wishing to contribute their quota to national development. The onus, therefore, rests on the Chief of Army Staff to create that enabling environment for those that have been deemed qualified to be enlisted into the prestigious force to maximize their full potentials. In this case, the issue of low morale and deserting the Nigerian Army does not arise; instead, the reverse is the case.

By Charles Obi

There is an illustrative video making the round. Produced by HumAngleTV/ATJLF, the 6 minutes 5 seconds clip titled “Knifar: Women Facing Forced Family Separation by Soldiers Cry Out, But They are not planning to give up hope” is an attempt to revive attention in the plight of its subject matters. Or is that really the case?
It is supposedly written by one Kunle Adebajo and reported by Ahmad Salkida, discredited former journalist that has defected to the dark side through open collaboration and facilitation of Boko Haram.
The video is in reality a subtle attempt at blackmail, a little bit of manipulation of the facts and a lot of shock and awe on the sensitivities of its audience. So bereft of facts, evidence and reality is the video that its producers resorted to cartoonish drawings for illustration with the occasional still photographs when they could have accessed real life footages to depict what they want to convey to the world.
It is possible to argue that these producers deliberately shunned actual videos as a sort of strategy to grab attention but this is something that the compelling graphics and transition elements could have easily achieved not to talk of the expensive musical score, soundtracks and clatter of gunshots and bomb explosions effects that ran the entire length of the subtitled clip.
The larger problem lied with the subtitle text, which testified to a deliberate shunning of a voice over, which a production of that stature should get if it was genuinely intended for good. Those text lied bold faced. They painted a scenario that depicted the military as forcing the disappearance of the husbands and sons of the women referenced in the title.
Note must be made at this point that the other collaborators and sources mentioned in the clip cast a dark pall of incredulity on the entire work. It is bad enough that the format of the video, the avoidance of actual footage, a refusal to have a compelling voice over and other shortcomings raise a big question mark on the video. But to cite Amnesty International and Médecins Sans Frontiers, which are international non-governmental organizations that have been supportive of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Above all, the scenarios painted in the video are consistent with standard military/security procedures in countries battling insurgency. It usual for troops to take in suspects, investigate them and proceed to the next logical step depending on whether the suspect is indicted or not. The only thing different in depiction made by the video is the way and manner this process was twisted for mischief by alluding to rights abuses without evidence.
The story is also old hence the attempt to revamp it and present the tired narration as something fresh. Even before this video was produced, those found to be unconnected with terrorism have since been released, reunited with their families and even empowered to rebuild their lives. Even among those found to be terrorist affiliates, there are ongoing programmes to deradicalize, rehabilitate and reintegrate them into society.
The international NGOs cited as sources and authorities in the clip are known to be enablers of terrorism in various guises and are not to be trusted. They likely sponsored the flick to revive attention to their campaign against the Nigerian military, which had failed woefully because they never relied on facts. Perhaps they would not have been so indicting if they can again be allowed access to privileged military information that they can again pass to their charges in Boko Haram’s fold.
But the largest red flag in that video is mention of Ahmad Salkida as the author of the stories narrated in it. Salkida and the peaceful existence of a nation state should not occur in the same piece because the only cause that matters to him is that which advances the interest of terrorists. How is it possible that the world will believe stories narrated by a man whose most recent occupation is being the diffusion pipe for Boko Haram propaganda?
One thing is clear with the video making it into the wild. All the people in the chain of the video production and distribution have become impossibly desperate. Salkida no longer have exclusives since Boko Haram is no longer able to capture any hostage or do the kind of damage that was raw material for Salkida’s propaganda piece.
The only thing left for Salkida to report as things stand is the punishment his Boko Haram/ISWAP clients have been receiving at the hands of the Nigerian military that has been bombarding them aerially and snipping them off the face of the earth on ground. Even with the support of his international NGO handlers, if the HumAngle video is the only response Salkida could marshal in the face of the threat to his livelihood then he is a truly broken man, one who that video clip cannot save.

Obi is a security expert and wrote from Idumota, Lagos.