He warned from the onset that this fire on the mountain be contained as quickly as possible. He warned of the impending danger coming and the resultant consequences. Those who ought to hear and have heard turned deaf ears. Today, the little fire on the mountain has become an octopus ready to consume the nation–no thanks to the Boko Haram sect.
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State will never be tired of telling an audience that cares to listen, his story on the baptism of fire foisted on Borno by the notorious, dreaded and blood thirty sect years back. To him, he was assailed by the unholy wrecking visit of these demons of destruction and extremists to Borno and shouted loudest for salvation that refused to come. While calling for bail-out, he had severally pointed out that the fire on the state is fire on the nation, as a vanquished Borno is a withered Nigeria. But his was a lone voice in the wilderness.
As a matter of fact, a governor of a neighboring state to Borno, during the earlier lamentation of Gov. Shettima, came out and publicly declared that there was nothing like Boko Haram in his state. However, not long and, before the shout of Jack Robinson, Northeast has become the hotbed of Boko Haram insurgency and this, in the speed of meteor, moved to other parts of the country with Abuja, the nation’s capital in flames as evidenced by the bombing of United Nations building, Nigeria Police Headquarters, Nyanyan Municipal garage and others. Today, the havoc of the sect goes beyond the nation’s boundaries.
Officially, destruction so far stood at $9 billion dollars worth of destroyed infrastructure with over 2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPS), over 100,000 deaths and several thousands of widows and orphans with un-quantified military loss in human and material. Of this amount, Borno State has the lion’s share of the burden to tune of $6 billion dollars, 54, 911 widows and 52, 300 orphans Boko Haram has been rated as the most dreaded insurgent group spilling blood and havoc with impunity and sagacity.
However, notwithstanding the viciousness and inhuman disposition of the sect, it was not allowed free ticket to prowl unchecked. Efforts were made by the authorities, especially the Buhari’s Administration to check its onslaught to the extent that the shrew has been tamed and technically degraded. While all the Local Government Councils hitherto held by the insurgents in the affected states have been retrieved by the military, its Camp Zairo in Sambisa Forest is now in the hands of the Military. Following the heat on the terrorists, the central command structure of the sect has been broken with members scattered in all places. Its fire power has been substantially reduced by the assault of the nation’s ground and air forces. Confidence of the Federal Government to secure the nation has been reinforced. Commercial activities have been restored in the affected zones while some of the IDPs are returning to their permanent homes, some newly-built or rehabilitated by the state
government.
The shift is gradually moving from war to post war as rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement is mostly the agenda now in vogue as the military action appears now to be on the finishing
lane.
No doubt, people can now have a sign of good riddance to bad rubbish. However, it is not over until it is over. Peace has come, peace has been experienced and is being experienced. There is evidence of hope at the end of the tunnel.
However, the great expectation of lasting peace and freedom from this holocaust that has marred the happiness of the people continues to be a mirage as a result of intermittent suicide bombing and re-insurgence of terrorism in the affected zone, especially in Borno state. The people live in hope, fear and
despair. They are quarantined in atmosphere of suspense as a result of inter-play of forces in discordant or conflicting tunes. Today is peace, tomorrow is summons of the terrorists and next is the harvest of the suicide bombers and mischief makers at work. Behold, the people are on the receiving end where in war zone environment uncertainty and fear are common commodities.
Victor Izekor, a journalist and public affairs analyst is a member of Board of Advisers, The Point Newspaper.
