Disparaging military efforts in Borno act of ingratitude to Buhari, Youth Forum tells Zulum

The Unity Youth Forum ( UYF) has warned Borno State governor and his officials that any attempt to disparage the military is an act of ingratitude to the troops on the frontlines as well as President Muhammadu Buhari. 

The group expressed disappointment with Zulum over his incessant outbursts targeted at the military despite being a major beneficiary of its various operations since 2015. 

Recall that the governor had lashed at the troops following a reported attack on his convoy after a visit to Monguno last week. 

President of the forum, Comrade Isah Bello Isah, in a statement on Friday, said Nigerians are fed up with Zulum’s persistent show of emotions without putting in place the necessary strategic actions. 

According to Isah, Zulum by his utterances has not shown appreciation for the efforts of  Mr. President to rid the nation of insurgency.

He added that the governor has lost touch with reality, especially after joining forces with ” unscrupulous elements to undermine a leader like PMB who has given his total best to the war against insurgency through constant attacks on the military”. 

On behalf of the forum, Comrade Isah, however, advised: ” Zulum to stop acting like a sophomore undergoing training in leadership and learn to show more maturity”.

The Unity Youth Forum stated that there is ” more about governance than playing to the gallery”, urging the governor to give respect to whom it’s due.

Read the full statement below:

After years of monitoring the coordinated efforts by the current administration via the Nigerian Armed Forces, to dislodge Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists in the Northeast and particularly Borno State, the Unity Youth Forum (UYF) is saddened by recent developments involving the military and the Borno State governor, Prof.Babagana Umara Zulum.

The Borno State governor was captured on camera trying to vilify the military by accusing them of being behind the attack on his convoy at Baga while returning from a duty tour of Monguno LG in Borno State. 

Prof. Zulum, after the incident, was seen in a widely circulated video, challenging the military and querying how possible it is for Boko Haram to launch an attack in Baga when according to him there are over 1200 military personnel there.

His conclusion which was not as a result of any known investigation but basically made out of emotion has however come as the unkindest cut of all past and present attempts by a few to disparage the military. 

This is because Borno, and by extension Zulum, has been the greatest beneficiary of military operations in the Northeast such that ordinarily, it should have been the last to join in any attempt to mock the military institution in Nigeria. 

Since the Nigerian civil war which ended in January 1970, no state in the country has tasked the military and benefitted in terms of combat and defence operations like Borno State.

You will recall that it was the killing of some soldiers and civilians in communities bordering Nigeria and Chad in Borno State, that led then General Muhammadu Buhari to order a military operation that almost overran Ndjamena in the early 80s.

In the early 80s also, the military was deployed to Borno State following civil unrest and violence occasioned by the remnants of the Maitatsine sect that had taken refuge in Bulumkutu, a suburb of the state capital, Maiduguri. 

During the reign of Col. Buba Marwa as governor when crime peaked in the state, it was the military that was used to flush out the criminal elements terrorising the state. 

It was also in Maiduguri that the first confrontation between the police and the Boko Haram members occurred and when the conflict went out of hand, it was the military that was invited to intervene and it dutifully did that and even arrested the sect’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and handed him over to the police.

As the sect took up arms against the Nigerian State and made Borno the launch pad of their insurgency, the military more than any institution, has been at the forefront of trying to liberate the state and return normalcy in the entire Northeast region.

This has come with a heavy price on the part of the military as many of its personnel have been killed, many maimed and many of their families shattered due to the dislocation of their breadwinners.

Many young and vibrant officers, some of whom had just married have been dispatched to early graves all in the bid to secure the lives of citizens.

Though the military is not complaining as these incidences happened in the course of discharging its statutory function of defending the territorial integrity of the nation, it would be the height of ingratitude for anybody in Borno to raise voice against the military like the Borno State governor and some of his officials have been doing lately.

The Borno State governor has, without basis, in the recent past, accused the military of extorting money from motorists on the Maiduguri- Damaturu road.

He has also accused the military of abandoning their duty posts for people to be slaughtered by terrorists at Auno even though the allegation was not correct. 

The military also clashed with Borno State government officials led by the deputy governor of the state, who insisted that people must be tested for Covid-19 before being allowed to enter the state against security advice. 

Then the recent unfortunate outburst of the governor in Baga and his threat to use hunters instead of the military to fight Boko Boko Haram.

In all these occasions, the Borno State governor and his officials had come down heavily on the military without showing appreciation for the much it has done to save the state. 

The Borno State governor has forgotten that were it not for President Muhammadu Buhari who ordered that theOperationall Headquarters of the fight against insurgency to move to the theatres of operations in 2015, that the insurgents had captured almost the entire northern Borno senatorial zone and were making attempts to take the state capital.

He had forgotten that were it not for the sustained military operations and the appointment of the current set of service chiefs, that many local councils in Borno would have still been under the control of the terrorists.

He has also forgotten that if not for the military intervention and the opening of a Situation Room for the Northeast in 2019, that the election which brought him into office would also not have been possible. 

We, therefore, see the attempt by the Borno State governor and his officials to disparage the military as an act of ingratitude not just to the military, but to President Buhari who is doing his best to secure the nation.

Governor Zulum by his utterances has not shown appreciation for the efforts of  Mr. President to rid the nation of insurgency.

By joining forces with some unscrupulous elements to undermine a leader like PMB who has given his total best to the war against insurgency through constant attacks on the military, shows a disconnect from reality.

This is totally unacceptable and condemnable.

We call on Zulum to stop acting like a sophomore undergoing training in leadership and learn to show more maturity.

There is more about governance than playing to the gallery.

True leadership is also about giving honour to whom it is due.

Much has been done by President Buhari and the Nigerian Armed Forces to sustain the peace Borno State is enjoying now.

The Borno State government should not in the bid to gain applause scuttle it with careless and reckless statements.

Foreign Interests and the new terror propangada against Nigeria

By Richard Murphy

There is nothing wrong with holding a media briefing, like the one held by the Commander of the US special operations command for Africa (AFRICOM) Dagvin Anderson. The United States’ military top brass warned that al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province now have presence in the northwest of Nigeria and that they are spreading their reach to the southern parts of the country.

But when viewed against the backdrop acceptable behaviour, Anderson’s action, which in reality is United States’ action, is wrong on more than one level. The US has advantage to glean intelligence on terrorists because sometimes these killers are its puppets, carrying out orgies of destruction while thinking they are in charge when in reality, they are implementing US programs. If the US became aware of al-Qaeda or Boko Haram incursion into southern Nigeria because of its participatory advantage, the responsible thing to do is called intelligence sharing. This involves making contact with the corresponding officials or desks on the Nigerian side.

This did not however happen. Rather, apparently as part of a grand script and conspiracy, the US – as represented by Anderson, rushed to a media briefing to disclose its finding. This action is not a mistake but a premeditated and calculated move to undermine Nigeria as can be seen from the automatic consequences that are already trailing the media reveal.

The most prominent consequence has been the terror sown in the mind of Nigerians, who erroneously place misplace confidence in the capacities of the US as a superpower. The thinking is that if the United States said it then it must be accurate but that is a fallacy. The Council for Foreign Relations, the destabilizing think tank through which the US undermines sovereign nations, had predicted that Nigeria will unravel in a 15 years timeframe, which lapsed five years ago. The Council has become livid over the failure of its projection and its marketing officer for Nigeria, John Campbell, a former ambassador to Nigeria, has been on the offensive in the past few months; knowing that CFR uses implanted operatives and deep state strategy, it will not be surprising that Anderson’s media briefing was crafted by the Council to advance its agenda following Campbell’s dismal failure at gaining traction in the quest to wreck Nigeria. So, sowing terror among the population was a major intent of that media briefing.

For a country that practically exploited local discontent to create first the Taliban and later al-Qaeda, the US update about terrorists’ push into southern Nigeria is more of a strategy for nudging their operatives and their terror cells in the direction their next round of crimes against humanity should take. There is the outside chance that the terrorists were not thinking of southern Nigeria short term, mid term and even long term but that briefing by Anderson has now put innocent people living in these areas within the cross hair of the terrorists. By the way, we should all be concerned about the nomenclature, “al-Qaeda” which is not an active brand name for the killers operating in Nigeria. If Africom is talking about the spread of a group that is not currently dominant in Nigeria, then questions should be asked whether the plan is to import them from Somalia or Egypt.

The Media briefing is a false flag operation, one that is intended to initiate the process of conferring legitimacy on the scums that the US plans to export into Nigeria to continue and expand the terrorist acts at which Boko Haram had failed. A rebranding into ISIS franchise, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), had also failed given the recent outcomes of their engagements with the Nigerian military. If the US plans to replace them with a repackaged terror group then it is natural that it resorts to al-Qaeda, its creation over which it seems to have better control than Boko Haram and ISIS.

Nigerian authorities should read the danger signs well. In all its decade old insurgency, Boko Haram and its ISWAP variant, have been more of consigned to the Lake Chad Basin and Sambisa Forest, which means it is not able to do much damage to infrastructure – the towns and caught in the orgy of destruction are usually rebuilt in short time. Hinting the terrorists to go south is asking them to go into the parts of Nigeria with the economic infrastructure and population density that will hurt the country badly if attacked. Is this big brother turning the screw on Nigeria for spurning its request to headquarter Africom on Nigerian soil?

The desire to see the terrorists move south has further disadvantages for Nigeria. The more built up southern Nigeria will be a major challenge for the military since that will call for urban warfare, something that few armies in the world have experience with. It must be noted that opening up a new frontier in the anti-terror war will spread the military thin in addition to throwing up human rights issues if such an unprecedented operation is allowed to become necessary.

It would have been reassuring to see Anderson, Africom and the US deny these possibilities. Unfortunately, other engagements of these entities have only gone further in lending credence to the possibility that the plot against Nigeria is being accelerated. Campbell’s meddling for instance has proven to be a part of a larger operation to promote discontent, which will create the distraction necessary to provide cover for the terrorists to move around undetected – like them travelling with those supposedly mobilizing for anti-government protests being organized by his associates. The onetime American Ambassador to Nigeria recently took part in a virtual conference where the dissent that is now being used as cover to ferry terrorists across the country was planned and agreed. He is also leading these so-called activists to run propaganda that targets government troops for demoralization while new pro-terrorists’ allies are being recruited into the cyber arm of Boko Haram. There has thus been a consequent spike in the number of articles and posts that attack the military as corrupt and incompetent.

By now, these foreign interests that are trying to spread terrorism across Nigeria should have learnt vital lessons. The first is the chain of unintended outcomes that accompany the destabilization of other countries over petty geo-strategic interest. There is the tendency for things to spread beyond what the plotter anticipates. We have seen that much in the Middle East where the terror grown by foreign interests is again exported to the countries that sought to destabilize others. There is also the risk that the puppet terrorists will eventually disown their masters and then get out of control as is the case with ISIS and those that sponsored them.

But since Nigeria’s detractors will not relent, the responsibility falls on the government to take precautions while citizens must rise up to defend their land from invasive forces that are sabotaging their country from afar.

Murphy is a security expert based in Calabar.

Don’t sack service chiefs, increase army funds, Umahi tells Buhari

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Friday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to increase funding and logistics to the Nigeria Army, rather than contemplating sacking the Service Chiefs.

The Governor who stated this during Ground Breaking Ceremony of Nigeria Army Reference Hospital, Abakaliki, praised the Army for their gallantry and dedication towards securing the Territory of the Nation.

He noted that the assignment of the Army was not an easy task and as such, needed the full cooperation of Citizens at all levels to succeed.

“The Chief of Army Staff needs cooperation and information so that they can do their work. We should increase the funding and logistics of the Army to aid their performance, rather than changing them. They should increase their funding. The Army is very crucial for the Nigerian people.

“Let me thank the President for finding Ebonyi fit to site this project. Ebonyi is very lucky with the Army. We will continue to partner you. we expect him, the Chief of Army Staff to Commission the internal roads we did for the Army.

“The new GOC is more like a brother. We want to thank you and appreciate you for being an Ebonyi man. Thanks for choosing this State for the citing of this project.”

Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai stated that the Nigeria Army had made tremendous progress in its fight against insurgency, terrorism and different forms of criminality in the Country.

Represented by Lt. Gen. Lamidu Adeosu, the Chief of Army Staff expressed optimism that the new Hospital upon completion will be able to render services to patients across the Southeast, South-South and other geopolitical zones of the country.

“The new Hospital will provide effective and efficient health care delivery to the people of the Southeast. it will provide medical care of our soldiers. It is a 200-bed capacity hospital to handle healthcare for our troops and the Nigerian populace in Cross River, Benue and south-east and South-South. It will take care of our troops and host communities.

“I am particularly happy that we can make it here despite the pandemic. We have made remarkable progress against insurgency and other forms of criminality. Our gallant troops should keep it up. May the gentle souls of those that have departed rest in perfect peace.”

Edo: Campaign should be about Ize-Iyamu not Oshiomhole, PGF boss warns

…Lauds Akeredolu’s reconciliatory moves in Ondo

The Director-General All Progressives Congress (APC) Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has warned that should the party allow sacked party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to lead campaign for the party’s candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, APC may not win the September 19, Edo state governorship election.

In statement issued Friday in Abuja, titled, ‘Progressive politics –which way APC? the PGF DG cautioned that Ize-Iyamu must be very visible and seen as the face of the campaign if APC wants Edo people to vote for the party’s candidate.

“It is important that immediately following the resolution of APC’s internal leadership crisis with the emergence of Mai Mala Buni Caretaker/Convention Planning Committee, internal party debate is promoted on issues of strategies to bolster our electoral viability. This should not be taken for granted. The test for all of this is Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

“How our leaders are able to work as a united front and the messages of hope and how determined we are as a party to inspire citizens into voting our candidates should be the focus. In other words, our campaigns and our candidates must project the aspirations of the people and the feature our party offers.

“Without any doubt, the signal coming from Governor Rotimi Akeredolu SAN of Ondo state after emerging as the candidate of the APC is very encouraging and clearly consistent with the kind of progressive politics APC leaders should be promoting.
Immediately after the July 21, 2020 APC primary, notwithstanding that Governor Akeredolu won the primary election convincingly with 2,458 votes with his closest rival Olusola Oke who came second polling 262 votes, Governor Akeredolu has been going round, meeting all those who contested the elections with him and negotiating reconciliation.

“This demonstrate that governor Akeredolu is magnanimous in victory, at least within the party. With this, it should be expected that Akeredolu will approach the campaigns for Ondo governorship election based on a strategy of winning the votes of Ondo people. The message he seems to be conveying is that he respects the rights of the people of Ondo state to make their choice and he is offering himself as a worthy consideration to be the choice of the people.

“The reverse seems to be the case in Edo state. As opposed to reconciliation, it is loud drums of war that has taken over the airwaves in Edo state. Comrade Oshiomhole has relocated to Edo state and taken over the APC campaign and the campaign is proceeding in a manner that suggest the Edo state governorship election is an extension of the personal battle between the Governor Obaseki and Comrade Oshiomhole.

“The APC campaign is personalised around Comrade Oshiomhole and the candidate of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is an onlooker. The soundbite from the Edo APC campaign is so offensive to the point where Comrade Oshiomhole appear to be disowning almost every APC in Edo State between 2016 and now. To that extent, it simply means Oshiomhole is disowning himself, which may be why he went on his knee begging Edo people for forgiveness.

“We need to appeal to Comrade Oshiomhole to ‘calm down’. This campaign is not about his person. More importantly, we need to stress the point that part of the political vision of any progressive is that once elected into government, we commit ourselves to issues of agricultural development, jobs creation, education, health, infrastructural development, poverty eradication and rapid technological development.

“APC has ruled Edo state since the time of Comrade Oshiomhole as governor of the state. Up to today, whatever achievement Edo State experienced under Governor Obaseki, between 2016 and now, APC must own it, just like we should be able to accept some of the setbacks. Anything Governor Obaseki is able to achieve must be credited to APC as a party. Our Edo campaign should be able to raise the awareness of Edo people that had Governor Obaseki been in PDP, it would have been impossible for him to record any achievement.

“Based on the personalised way the APC Edo State campaign is being carried out, PDP all of a sudden is coming out very strongly to campaign for votes. If the Edo State APC campaign is to go ahead this way, when APC win the election who will run the affairs of the state as Governor? Is it Comrade Oshiomhole or Pastor Ize-Iyamu? If our party want Edo people to vote for our candidate, Pastor Ize-Iyamu must be very visible and be seen as the face of the campaign.

“Comrade Oshiomhole should take a backseat and play the facilitatory role our leaders play in all similar circumstances. Lagos state governorship election since 2007 present a good model. Without any doubt, our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, may be argued to be very influential in the emergence of candidates, from Babatunde Raji Fashola, Akinwumi Ambode to our current Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. But once a candidate emerges, the responsibility of executing the campaign largely belong to the candidate on account of which the particular candidate become the face of the campaign.

“It is important that Oshiomhole endorse a situation where the party is able apply the Lagos model to the Edo State governorship campaign especially because we want the Edo people to be able to have confidence on our candidate, Ize-Iyamu and believe that when they elect him, he will be the one that will govern the state. The responsibility for ensuring that this is done rests with the Mai Mala Buni Caretaker/Convention Committee.

“Good enough, they have setup a National Campaign Council under the leadership of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Governor of Kano State. Governor Ganduje’s National Campaign Council should be able to assume leadership and take the necessary steps to redirect the Edo State APC campaign to have a clear progressive bearing. As part of those steps, it should ensure that APC campaign messages appropriate all development achievements recorded under the APC administration of Governor Obaseki.

“In addition, we must take steps to also cut the oxygen supply to PDP campaign, which is presenting our party and our candidate as promoters of violence. Our campaign for the Edo election should therefore amplify messages of peace and what we need to do to achieve that.
“Having come out of a very difficult crisis, our leaders and all our party members must be vigilant to ensure that our politics is not recklessly managed as to reduce us to the level of just working to win elections by all means. That is far from progressive politics. Our leaders did not make all the sacrifices they made to achieve the merger of 2013 and resolve our last leadership crisis just because we want to win elections by all means, including violent conducts.
“As progressives, our commitment to winning elections must be about earning the confidence of citizens. If anything, President Buhari should be our model at all times, especially when it borders on conducting political campaigns. It is to his credit that he never associates his political campaigns with violence since 2003, which is partly the reason he could host his political campaigns with mammoth crowd running into millions without any violent incident,” he noted.

Banditry: Masari expresses gratitude to Nigerian Army, others for restoring normalcy

The Katsina State Government has expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Army and other security forces for degrading the activities of bandits and restoring normalcy in the state. 

Governor Bello Masari gave this commendation in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Ibrahim Katsina on Friday. 

Hundreds of people have been killed in the last year by criminal gangs carrying out robberies and kidnappings in the northwestern state. 

With the final clearance operation in the northeast almost completed, the troops switched attention to Katsina in June under the code name ‘Operation Accord’. 

Since then, however, the Army, in collaboration with other security agencies have launched multiple lands and air offensives, killing hundreds of bandits, leaving many others injured. 

And according to Ibrahim Katsina, the various operations are “achieving the desired result of dislodging the bandits from their hideouts and giving hope to the people to go back to their normal lives”. 

He added that the “Katsina State Government is happy to note that the general security situation in the state is gradually returning to normalcy. 

“The current security operation by the combined efforts of the military and other security forces in achieving the desired result of dislodging the bandits from their hideouts and giving hope to the people to go back to their normal lives”. 

The statement further stated that with the new lease of life, farmers have now gone back to their farms while others go about their normal duties without fear. 

While describing the efforts of the military as satisfactory, the state govt urged the military to sustain the momentum to flush out the remnants of bandits. 

“In this regard, we wish to acknowledge with satisfaction the efforts of the military and other security forces in the restoration of gradual peace and security in the affected areas. We hope that the tempo would be sustained so than expected banditry will be a thing of the past in the state,” Katsina said. 

“As you can observe, in spite of the pockets of challenges to the security operations, most of the affected communities have gradually gone back to their farms and gone about their normal duties.”

Katsina, however, appealed to citizens to avoid the temptation of joining the criminals and rather extend support to the troops to complete the good work they have started. 

“We are therefore calling on members of the public to shun all forms of inducement to go into crime, as it does not pay,” Katsina said.

“Rather they should team up with the government and security forces towards sustainable peace and security.”

Army, Airforce renewed war room will extinguish Boko Haram within 90 days – Kuanum

The strategic war room collaboration between the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, officially signposts the final end of all acts of terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria, a security expert, Mr. Terence Kuanum has said.

Kuanum , in a chat with media practitioners in Abuja, said he decided to comment on the security issue in Nigeria after a short break due to the development within the armed forces of Nigeria which is of strategic importance to the ongoing war against insurgency, banditry and terrorism. 

He said the development has to do with the war room collaboration among the service chiefs especially between the airforce and the army to wipe out criminal elements in Nigeria and stated that if sustained, would see to the end of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorism in Nigeria within 90 days.

“It’s not that the armed forces  have not been collaborating before, no; what is happening now which is of strategic importance to the ongoing war against terrorism and the other crimes is that the engagement has been enhanced at the highest level for an almost seamless interaction with the aim of emphasising results  and the elimination of excuses through the shifting of blames.

Kuanum said unlike in the past, when there were noticeable elements of inter agency rivalry, the two men  at the helm of affairs of the army and airforce have through the war room collaboration, being able to forge a common bond that trumps results at the theatre of operation rather than concern about which arm carried out the operations.

“Most of the operations are usualy joint in nature and the current strategy is deliberate to enhance efficiency through harmony. This has been highly successful in the recent past and promises better result in future because it mitigates trivialities and unhealthy competition,” he stated.

The security expert said if the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists have any form of intelligence, they should know that the time has come for them to surrender as there is no way they can escape defeat this time.

Kuanum said while the army Chief has brought innovations to combat operations which have been used to dislodge the insurgents in the past, the chief of air staff has brought finese to air operations which have resulted in precise air strikes without casualty. 

“Buratai’s coming has highly motivated the army especially with his presence at battlefield and the combat ideas he brought,” the security expert explained.
According to him, “Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai is one of the best in the continent today having been able to lead the Army from ground zero to achieve successes that no nation has ever achieved in the global war against insurgency.”

He further said the air chief on the other hand has also done much to enhance the efficiency of the force in so many ways.

“That is why recently, you don’t hear of insurgents launching revenge attacks on the military as they are want to do in the past. This is because the operations from both land and air exert heavy tolls on them and exterminates their capacity to respond,” he explained.

Kuanum said both the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Air Staff have added value to military operations that cannot be ignored.

“In the past, you hear of aircrafts being shot down by insurgents and air officers being captured while in operations, but the current chief of air staff has eliminated all that with the purchase of sophisticated ultra modern aircraft and high level training for personnel. 

He said when the CAS was appointed, he ensured the reactivation of 19 aircraft, three helicopters while reactivatimg most of the hitherto, unserviceable aircraft in the NAF fleet.

“He has also acquired 18 new aircraft, 12 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, four Mi-35M helicopter gunships, two Agusta 101 helicopters, as well as two Bell 412 helicopters, which have been retrofitted to perform light combat functions,” he said stressing that these have fully equipped personnel to go on operations successfully and the work of the joint efforts has been enhanced.

He said Nigerians have high expectations of the military which they must live up to saying the war room collaboration is one of the best ways of achieving that.

He commended the recent success of military operations in Katsina which dislodged a great number of bandits adding more of such instant actions are required to send strong warnings to criminals that they can no longer get away with such crimes.

The security expert said for the service chiefs to achieve better results however, they should like the President said, review their operations and overhaul their strategy against the terrorists.

He said with that, they would  deliver better results that will not only secure Nigeria but also make the people happy once again.

Borno Insecurity: Group urges Zulum on passion matched with strategic action

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has been urged to match his passion and emotions with strategic action if at all he wants a lasting end to the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorism. 

This was contained in an open letter addressed to the governor on Thursday by a certain Alhaji Sherif Bulama, who simply described himself as a concerned native of Gubio Local Government Area of the state. 

Alhaji Bulama, while admitting that the governor has exhibited a “burning zeal and eagerness to confront terrorism and insurgency as evidenced by your passion and commitment” noted that a lot more needs to be done, one of which is a change in strategy. 

According to the Borno indegene, a stakeholders’ dialogue involving Kanuri elders, elites and top government officials is crucial as youths would be educated after such session.

Instead of portraying the military as adversaries, he further charged Mr Zulum to sustain his earlier efforts of cooperating with troops and desist from castigating President Muhammadu Buhari at the slightest instance. 

Alhaji Bulama, however, advised  the governor to restrain from ” impulsive outbursts as every word you say is potent and has far-reaching implications”. 

Read full letter below:

Permit me to, first of all, felicitate with you on the occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir which was peacefully celebrated in our dear state.

Your Excellency, I dare say that nobody who has followed your activities since you became governor in May 2019, would be enchanted by the passion you’ve shown in not only developing the state but in ensuring the security of lives and property of citizens. 

Sir, your escape from harm after an attack on your convoy on your way back from Baga where you had gone to distribute relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, has further confirmed that our affections for your charisma are rightly placed.

Your Excellency, as an indigene of Borno State, Gubio to be precise, I felt ashamed that my governor would suffer the kind of embarrassment you went through in the course of ensuring the distribution of relief materials to IDPs and I wish to assure you of our full support in the course of providing good governance to fellow natives and inhabitants of Borno.

Sir, for you to achieve the goal of developing and securing our state, permit me to as a well-meaning citizen, offer my candid advice and suggestions on some of the ways the security challenges in our dear state can be better eliminated. 

Why Passion Alone Cannot Suffice

Your Excellency, much as you have shown burning zeal and eagerness to confront terrorism and insurgency as evidenced by your passion and commitment, permit me to say that these emotions alone cannot be sufficient to take us to the promised land.

I have noticed also Sir, that in the course of trying to prove you’re on the side of the masses, that you’ve thrown caution to the wind and have been attacking the military and even the President.

This, Your Excellency, is a path that you must avoid despite the initial cheers you’re receiving as it is both uncharitable and counterintuitive for you to continue on the route given the level of sacrifice the military has put to protect citizens and defend the territorial integrity of our nation.

Like you stated in one of your speeches, the efforts and sacrifice of the military since the insurgency began in 2009, cannot be overemphasized.

At the risk of sounding pedagogical, let me remind Your Excellency, that the military has achieved a lot in the fight against insurgency and terrorism and are largely responsible for the current normalcy in the state. This is a well-known fact that no one on earth can ignore.

Why the Military Should be Appreciated

Apart from what they have achieved in the past, the military since the coming of the current administration has been able to overrun the operational base of the Boko Haram terrorists at Sambisa forest and recaptured not less than 11 local councils in Borno State alone. This is why it is possible for many of our people to return home again.

The Nigerian military has made it possible for many IDPs to return to their communities and opened up roads that were hitherto made too dangerous to travel on by the insurgents such that between 2015 and 2018 people do not need to cross-check before setting out on any journey within or outside the state.

Your Excellency, between April and July this year, the military also intensified its operations in Borno with the relocation of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, a proud indigene of Borno, to the state and in the process, killed more than 1500 of the terrorists including 30 of their top commanders while also arresting more than 40 of their informants. This is also another fact too glaring to ignore.

The Nigerian military had this year also been able to ward off attacks in so many locations in the state including the latest attempt to penetrate Maiduguri, the state capital. 

The Peculiarity of the Borno Situation 

Much as these have been achieved through combat operations, Your Excellency must have observed that while the activities of the terrorists have been curtailed in other Northeastern states of Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi and to a large extent, Yobe, it has continued to worsen in Borno.

At first glance, this may appear to be so because of the proximity of Borno to Chad, but on a second look, this reason appears untenable as some of the states mentioned equally share large swathe of their borders with other Boko Haram infested countries. 

What makes the case of Borno peculiar is that there are certain factors that exacerbate and fuel the crisis. 

The Real Problem 

Your Excellency, after more than a year in office, you must have noticed that the Boko Haram issue is not religious as it was initially made to appear. 

The truth Sir is that there are people who are making money off these terrorist activities and there are top politicians from our state who for selfish interests, do not want the insurgency to end. 

The elites, elders and stakeholders from our state are perpetrating this violence and benefitting financially from it and that is why this group of people hardly condemn the atrocities committed by these terrorists. 

Sir, I’m sure you are well aware that our people know these terrorists but have for reasons best known to them, failed to take the necessary actions against them.

Other factors militating against the successful clean up of terrorism in our state include the thriving but illegal smuggling along Bama axis, the turf war at the fishing business in Baga and other places and due to high wired politics. 

Need for Change in Strategy 

Your Excellency, I make bold to say that if we desire to see the end of this insurrection as quickly possible, then you must change your strategy due to the following reasons.

As you must have noticed, the majority of the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists are our Kanuri brothers and sons.

Due to that, I will suggest here Sir that you should initiate a stakeholders’ dialogue and invite our Kanuri elders, elites and top government officials to discuss frankly among ourselves and find ways of getting the message across to these youths.

I’m sure Sir, that once this is done, the youths will see our seriousness and sincerity in ending the crisis and would have no problems withdrawing from their turfs.

Secondly and very important Sir, you must sustain your earlier efforts of cooperating with the military and desist from castigating Mr President which you started in the early days of your administration and discontinue this attitude of portraying them as adversaries. 

Your Excellency, you must as a leader restrain yourself from impulsive outbursts as every word you say is potent and has far-reaching implications.

Let me in conclusion, Sir, remind you that the Boko Haram conflict is in its 11th year now and has claimed the lives of several thousands of people, displaced more than 2.3 million and has left at least 7.7 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance and created deep social and psychological wounds which cannot be allowed to continue. 

It is my belief and that of many indigenes of Borno, that given your track record, these measures are not beyond you to take to achieve complete elimination of terrorists and insurgency activities in our state and Nigeria as a whole. 

I thank you and trust this will get your desired attention. 

May Allah guide you on the right path.

Our Governors and the security threats in northern Nigeria

By Ghazali Al-Mustapha

It is now a common sight for governors to sprint to Abuja to seek respite each time there’s perceived security breach in their respective states. They do so at a lightning pace. Usain Bolt will feel like a proud father. 

In their customary pattern, the governors are billed to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari again later this week after Tuesday’s National Security Council meeting. The planned gathering has drawn concern from across the board, especially after the purported attack on the convoy of Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, said to be on his way back after distributing relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

There were also claims of an attempt by insurgents to take over the state capital, Maiduguri in addition to the security challenges in Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger, Plateau and Benue states where banditry, abductions and cattle rustling have become rife. 

As the governors prepare to embark on another athletic exercise, however, the focus has once again shifted from the main issues resulting in the security threats in the north to politics. Once more, certain forces have tried to paint a gory image, depicting that the insecurity has to do with the Service Chiefs.

The President, though, by involving relevant stakeholders like the governors and other political appointees for the next meeting has shown that he understands the issues beyond a single narrative and is willing to interrogate the situation at the appropriate quarters. On their part, meanwhile, the governors exhibited despondency and utter cluelessness whenever security issues arise. 

The governors hide under the ridiculous fabric that since they do not control any of the security agencies, the mandate falls on the Federal Government to address such problems. Doing so, they completely ignore the fact that as chief executives of specific spaces, they constitute the first line of defence with their constitutionally assigned roles of ensuring the security and well being of citizens in their respective states.

Recall that at the end of a meeting with the President on security matters in 2017, the state governors were made to realise their greater roles in providing adequate security for citizens even more than Abuja. The same year, the Northern Governors’ Forum met and decided to collectively tackle the issue of insecurity bedevilling the region as one entity instead of leaving it to the individual states affected to do so.

In a communiqué read by the chairman of the forum, then Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, the governors took other measures like resolving to accept the recommendations of the Body of the Attorneys General of the 19 Northern States to domesticate the model Penal and  Fiscal Responsibility Law and the model Administration of Criminal Justice Law through the necessary legislative actions by subjecting them to the individual peculiarities of the states.

They also identified some of the factors that make the security situation in the region intractable to the porous borders which they say allows criminal elements to move freely within the West African sub-region; access to arms through the black-market and the lack of strong legal framework.

The governors went further admitting that the huge forests in the north allow bandits to easily move from a place, making it difficult to engage them in combat.

But they unanimously agreed that the military has been overtasked with the task of ensuring adequate security as they were in operation in almost all parts of the country. 

This underscores the fact that the issues are beyond what combat operations alone can handle. Additional proactive measures must be taken to avoid deterioration to the point where military engagement would be required like putting in place a comprehensive business plan as well as opening discussions to boost power supply and offer financial assistance to citizens. They acknowledged that the military has done much to reduce the magnitude of violence in the region.

For instance from 2009 when violence broke out in the Northeast till now, the military has done a lot to bring the situation under control. These are obvious in the fact that the military had recaptured an area spanning 20 local councils with a population of about two million inhabitants in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States once taken over and declared a caliphate by the insurgents.

Admittedly, so much was lost due to the activities of the insurgents; the destruction of infrastructure and large-scale humanitarian crisis owing to the sacking of many communities. But the military was able to reverse all that, making it difficult for the terrorists to continue such attacks while opening markets and roads hitherto closed.

Governors and politicians in states like Adamawa, Bauchi and Gombe which were initially ravaged by Boko Haram have taken the initiative to cooperate fully with the military in terms of logistical support, frequent consultations and provision of relevant actionable intelligence.

They have also made steps to disabuse the minds of their youths against violence, engaging them in productive economic activities and involving communities in early detection. However, their counterpart in Borno and to some extent, Yobe, have fallen short in that regard.

This perhaps explains why insurgency has almost been obliterated in the aforementioned states yet continued to escalate in Borno and Yobe as the governors and elders abandoned their own duties to the military. 

The current governor of Borno, unfortunately, unlike his colleagues, seems not to have grasped the enormity of the task on his shoulders, instead of jumping at the slightest instance to blame the military. He isn’t alone, though. 

The politicals elites in Borno have remained on the sidelines, doing almost nothing to support the military. There are reports that they chose to act that way as they were profiting from the smuggling businesses and the take over of the multi-million naira fishing business in Baga.

There’s is also the report of the lack of conscious efforts to reduce the level of poverty in Borno which is making insurgency to thrive in the state.

One, however, expects that since the stakeholders and political class have realized that the military cannot do all, they should have stepped up efforts, embarking on alternative dispute resolution mechanism, ensuring fairness and justice in the conflict between communities and providing the enabling environment for all citizens to cohabit with one another without any fear of molestation. 

To tackle insecurity squarely, Zulum and other governors obviously need to do more than embark on their usual trip to Abuja. They have to provide leadership at the various levels including the local government and communities.

They need to ensure that political thugs who were armed during the last elections are disarmed and deradicalized as quickly as possible. The governor also needs to be in constant consultation with citizens of their respective states. Only then can they dash to the nation’s capital and no one would bother. Absolutely none.

Al-Mustapha is a security expert and wrote from Kaduna.

Insecurity: Group prays divine wisdom for Buhari, security agencies

The National Inter-Faith and Religious Organizations for Peace (NIFROP) says Day 19 of its ongoing 21-day intercessory prayers is dedicated to praying for President Muhammadu Buhari and the nation’s security architecture. 

The group, consisting of Muslim and Christian faithful across the country made this known during its meeting on Thursday at the Unity Fountain, Abuja. 

Addressing the audience, National Coordinator, Bishop Sunday Garuba, revealed that President Buhari needs “divine wisdom” to steer the country to greater heights amidst conspiracy over his “accountability and transparency”.

The cleric added that Nigerians must pray against agents of darkness that don’t want to see Nigeria remain a united country, going as far as sponsoring acts of violence. 

He further charged citizens to support the security chiefs and troops on the frontlines who are in the middle of a war they know nothing about. 

While urging President Buhari to remain steadfast and resolute, NIFROP, however, assured that in no distant time there will be testimonies, forecasting that Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists and other enemies of Nigeria would be a forgotten issue. 

Read the full speech below:

My brothers and sisters in the Lord’s vineyard,

Today indeed marks a wonderful day in our intercession prayers for our dear country, as well as our God, ordained President Muhammadu Buhari. We are gathered in unity to pray for Gods intervention in Nigeria, and by the special grace of God, all our prayers and supplications to God shall be answered speedily through Christ our Lord.

My brothers and sisters, Day 19 of our intercession prayers is devoted to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Security Architecture in the country. As such we are going to join our hands together and cry unto the heavens from where our help cometh from for His divine intervention in the life of President Muhammadu Buhari and the security architecture in the country. 

The revelations that have come in in the course of our prayers and fasting is such that we must pray against if we want to see Nigerian remain a united country. The level of gang up against the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is phenomenal, and the reason for this is the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari elected to stand on the side of the people by ensuring accountability and transparency in the governance of the country. 

These agents of darkness are angry because what is happening in Nigeria is not what they wanted for the people. They wanted a regime of tears and blood where the people would be deprived and where a few people would feed fat from the system. 

My brothers and sisters, God has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari must be careful as his enemies are all out ferociously to undermine and destroy his administration and all the good works he has started since 2015. 

These same individuals are busy sponsoring acts of violence across the country and causing untold harm to innocent people all in a bid to destroy the laudable achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari. 

My Brothers and Sisters, God, has revealed that while the enemies are killing innocent Nigerians in the villages, their agents are using the cyber-space against those genuinely fighting and serving as threats to them. And as such, they have launched all manners of attacks against our military. 

Dear Brothers and Sisters, we must be consoled by the words in the bible in the book of Psalm 91: 7 “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come to nigh thee.” .Our consolation can also be seen the Holy Koran as stated “The invocation of Allah by a Muslim person for the benefit of his absent brother is accepted. There will be an angel right next to his head who is entrusted with the job of replying, ‘Amin, and for you the same,’ every time he invokes Allah for his brother to earn all that is good and righteous.” 

We are also to learn from the words of Ezekiel 22:30, “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” We are to be those who stand in the gap, who lift our nation with all it favours and faults before the throne of God, and pray that He continues to work in our midst. 

The word of God is unambiguous in this regard hence the need why we must continue to carry on on our quest for Gods intervention in the affairs of Nigeria. That we have come to the 19th day of our prayer and fasting is an indication that something is about to happen in our dear country. 

By the anointing of God that I tap from, I declare that all those that have plotted evil against President Muhammadu Buhari shall be put to shame. They shall not know peace until they repent from their evil ways. 

The book of 2 Chronicles 7:14 says that  “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 

My brothers and sisters, I want us to know this fact. That we have come together under one roof regardless of our ethnicity and religions is an indication that God is with us and he would never let down in shielding President Muhammadu Buhari from the snares of those that have risen against Nigeria.

God has asked us to warn President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to render selfless service to Nigeria, and he should not bow to the evil plots of the enemies of Nigeria in their desire to destroy Nigeria.  

God has asked us to warn President Muhammadu Buhari of the grave implications that awaits him should he deviate from rendering selfless services in any way to Nigeria.  

My dear brothers and sisters, I am using this medium to encourage President Muhammadu Buhari to maintain calmness and allow God to fight his battles for him. The book of Deuteronomy 20:4 says “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

My dear brothers and sisters, what, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Our prayers and supplications are before the King of Kings and the Host of Heaven. And the One who has promised us great victory in Nigeria. 

I want to encourage all us at this point not to relent in our prayers to God almighty for President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as the heads of the various security agencies that have continued to remain in battle with the enemies of Nigeria. 

We must pray fervently for God to grant our security agencies great victory in battle and his promises in the book of Joshua 1:3 -5 “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon that I have given you. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you”. 

I want to use this medium to tell us all that God that sits on the throne shall preserve Nigeria. God shall keep us safe and sound just as the book of Psalm 91;4 says “He will cover Nigeria with his feathers, and under his wings shall Nigeria find refuge; his faithfulness will be our shield and rampart.

I want to thank us all once again. I trust we shall all come together again in testimonies at the end of the 21-day intercessory programme for Gods protection over President Muhammadu Buhari and  Nigerian in general as he leads Nigeria on the path of greatness. 

God bless us all 

Allah yarzuquna jJamie anwayahfazna min kuli al’adhaa.

easaa Allah ‘a yasud fi hayatina.

Boko Haram: Group vows mass action against insurgency

A group under the aegis of Initiative for One Nigeria (ION), have vowed to hold massive campaigns to create awareness in support of the military’s efforts in the war against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.  

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Abuja, Secretary-General, Comrade Ohene Dominic Ejembi, said there is need for active participation by all citizens, stressing that the war against the insurgents shouldn’t be left alone for the Federal Government and military. 

According to ION, from its findings, there has been neglect from politicians, community heads as well as relevant stakeholders in charting a solution to the insurgency. 

Describing the efforts of the military so far as “brilliant”, the group believes much more can be achieved if all and sundry would elect to come together and support the Nigerian military wholeheartedly.  

The Initiative for One Nigeria, however, reassured by closing all gaps and working together with the military, the country will experience a rebirth in the coming days. 

Read the full statement below:

The Initiative for One Nigeria, an organization dedicated to the peace and progress in Nigeria welcomes you all to this important press conference convoked in the light of the fact that there has been an erroneous mentality that the war against insurgency is the preserve of the Federal Government /Military alone.   

While it is understandable that this line of thought has been entrenched in the system for so long, however, it is not too late to change the mentality to that of collective endeavour rather than a job for the Federal Government/Military alone.

It is instructive to state that the Initiative for One Nigeria has carried out extensive research on why the war against insurgency in Nigeria is prolonged and the findings from the various reports indicate that there has been near neglect of charting a Nigeria solution to the insurgency and the critical stakeholders have not availed the much-needed support.

The Initiative for One Nigeria states that there is no better time for all and sundry to come to the table and work with the Federal Government in the fight against insurgency as these insurgents are not spirits but humans that reside in Nigeria.

It is indeed a statement of fact that ending the Boko Haram scourge rest within us as Nigerians because we have the wherewithal and the know-how to end the insurgency, but a situation where the citizens are not cooperative with the Federal Government and the military, there would always be setbacks. This is not restricted to Nigeria alone but in other climes that have experienced insurgencies and successfully overcome it.

We must also realize that the effort to end Insurgency in Nigeria must be a collective one, and the time to act is now. The participation of the citizens of Nigeria is as critical as the efforts of the Nigerian Military in the insurgency crisis in Nigeria.

It is common knowledge that indeed there have been gaps that were created as a result of the nonchalance and the politics of bitterness as displayed by some members of the political authorities in North-Eastern states in the country as well as other parts of the country. This has to end as a matter of urgency. 

It must be noted that the role of the community leaders in ending the Boko Haram scourge cannot be overemphasized. And this much they must realize and extend their support to the Nigerian Military because at the end of the day, Nigeria would be the ultimate beneficiary. 

The Initiative for One Nigeria is of the firm conviction that Nigeria can defeat the Boko Haram insurgency especially with the level of commitment displayed by the Military since 2016 when it gained ascendency over Boko Haram and the consequent recapturing of all Nigerian territories that were hitherto under the control of the Boko Haram group. 

The dislodgement of the Boko Haram group from their operational base in Sambisa forest is another highlight of the efforts of the Nigeria Military in the war against insurgency in Nigeria. It is thus our considered opinion that should the efforts of the Nigerian Military had been complemented with support from other critical stakeholders; the war against insurgency would have long become history in Nigeria.  

This also reinforces the position of the Initiative for One Nigeria, as well as other groups of like minds that have been advocating for cooperation from all and sundry in support of the efforts of the Nigerian Military thus far. 

We wish to place it on record that this position of ours should not be construed to mean that support from the civil populace has not been availed, but rather not in the right proportion and this is responsible for where we are today in the war against insurgency.

The Initiative for One Nigeria wishes to state that should Nigeria get overwhelmed by the Boko Haram scourge, we would all have our selves to blame because of the opportunities to proffer Nigeria solutions to the Boko Haram Insurgency has been availing itself to us in ways too numerous to mention.

It is a function of two things; its either we take the opportunities and end the insurgency, or we live with the consequences of the insurgency that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people. 

The Initiative for One Nigeria states that the efforts of the Nigerian Military have been brilliant as evident in the various successes recorded so far. These efforts can yield the ultimate result if all and sundry would elect to come together and support the Nigerian Military wholeheartedly.  

The Initiative for One Nigeria is holding this press conference as a clarion call to all citizens of our great country in absolute reverence to our National Pledge to Nigeria our country, to be faithful, loyal and honest. To serve Nigeria with all our strength to defend her unity and uphold her honour and glory so help us, God. 

The Initiative for One Nigeria is confident that in the coming days and weeks, there would be a rebirth in the country where all Nigerians regardless of their ethnic and religious affiliations would come together and assist the Nigerian Military in the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

It is indeed time to end insecurity by closing all gaps and working together with the Nigerian Military as they continue to push for the final decimation of the Boko Haram group. 

I thank you all for your patience and time, and we desire that in no distance time, Nigeria shall be indeed free from the threats posed by the Boko Haram group.

Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

Thank you all, and God bless.