You observe as they move in camouflage vehicles in different directions, with assorted weapons of war, from Maiduguri onward to North, South and Central parts of the State. They are look sober as the vehicles rolled away in uniformity. Their soberness and worried look is understandable.
They are moving to face the unknown – going to the battlefield in a hostile and unfamiliar environment. Some may return victorious and some might not, as it may be their last journey on mother earth. For the past seven years, this has been the story of the Nigerian military fighting the Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast, especially, Borno State.
In the war against the insurgency, members of the Nigerian military in addition to members of the Civilian Joint Task Force have paid the supreme price for fighting to prevent the dismemberment of Nigeria.
The recent sporadic activities of the suicide bombers, claiming several lives, are unsettling the mind. More worrisome is the inability of the authorities to determine the sponsors of this heinous crime
Indeed, the fighting troops have continuously put their lives on the line for the survival of their fatherland and in the process some were killed and maimed while some got missing in action. Besides, the civil populace has got it own share of the tragedy as they were made captives, killed or conscripted by the terrorists.
Compared to their losses and setbacks, the military has recorded more successes than failures. Apart from liberating all hitherto held local government council areas and communities from the terrorists in the affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, Sambisa forest, the last bastion of the terrorists is now under heavy siege from ground and air assaults of the military.
It is now countdown on Sambisa, the adorned tourist destination of the region that has now become the dreaded forest. However, even after the military victory, it is not yet Uhuru (freedom). This is because there are still more rivers to cross. There are obstacles from individuals or groups aimed at not only frustrating the military from stamping out the insurgency, but perpetuating the zone.
From the onset of the insurgency, the military that has sacrificed heavily for the preservation of Nigeria has warned and is still warning about the unpatriotic disposition of these self-centered Nigerians, who prefer blood to peace.
The irony of this is that most of the individuals or groups are from Borno in particular and the North-East in general. For example, in his valedictory speech during a pulling out parade in his honour in Abuja in August 2015, the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, said that we wouldn’t have been where we found ourselves today “perhaps if we had all stood against the terrorists at the onset through public condemnation of their activities and active collaboration with the military to confront them rather than use it as a tool to advance sectional, tribal, religious and political interests… we must therefore support our government and security forces to tackle the current security challenges.”
Similarly in September, 2015, a statement issued in Abuja by the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Kushasheka, read in part, “… the Nigerian Army wishes to inform the public and send a very strong final warning to some prominent individuals and political groups, who hail from Borno state in particular and Northeast, generally, that there is information on plans by some highly placed individuals and political groups to undermine and scuttle the fight against insurgency in this country.
The unscrupulous individuals and their cohorts are determined to reverse the gains made and scuttle our efforts of achieving the presidential directive to defeat Boko Haram terrorists within three months. They are enlisting the services of some non-governmental organisations in this grand design…” Only recently, the Airforce boss, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, charged Nigerians to expose all those behind the current incessant suicide bombings.
No doubt, Nigerians appreciate the efforts of the military to stamp-out terrorism at all costs. However, the recent sporadic activities of the suicide bombers, claiming several lives, are unsettling the minds of the people.
More worrisome to Nigerians is the inability of the authorities to let the people know the sponsors of this heinous crime. Are they invisible or sacred cows? Certainly, the sponsors, the accomplices and the foot soldiers of the Boko Haram are among us and except properly identified, we all are moving corpses, as we could be struck anytime by the unknown enemies.
The military has done and is still doing its part. The authorities and individuals must complement its efforts. Not to do what is expected of us in the current disposition is to place our destiny in the hands of the terrorists and if so, it is not yet Uhuru (Freedom).
Victor Izekor, a journalist and public affairs commentator, writes from Maiduguri at victor_izekor@thepointing.com
