Recently, I was in my village in Edo State for a funeral ceremony for my beloved aunt. Precisely, I was in Sabongida Ora, the headquarters of Owan West Local Government Council between April 17 and 30. Though on arrival I got a warm reception, many still had misgivings of my continued stay in Maiduguri, the epicenter of the insurgency. I tried to calm frayed nerves in this respect, assuring them that the dark heavy cloud that hung over Maiduguri had substantially, if not totally, subsided. Among my sympathisers were, however, some pessimists, who nodded their heads not totally in agreement with my continued habitation in this security-challenged region.
I can see their justified fears, going by frightening media reports on the ceaseless suicide bombing and attacks, especially on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where nightmare is becoming the order of the day – no thanks to Boko Haram insurgents that have gravitated into various formations. Yes, I remember Governor Kashim Shettima when he said there was religious Boko Haram, political Boko Haram, criminal Boko Haram and all that. Their goals are certainly divergent but they operate in the guise and umbrella of Boko Haram.
This brings me once more to the perception of General Kenneth Minimah, the former Chief of Army Staff, who, during his pulling-out parade from the military in Abuja some years back, stated that Boko Haram’s battle would have been a thing of the past if the people had cooperated with the military, rather than their introduction of politics and religion into the whole show.
My mind equally took me back to circumstances when in the current dispensation, the military had through various statements, warned some politicians and the elite in the northeast, especially Borno, against undermining the military in its efforts to subjugate the Boko Haram sect. This is not all; recall that on some occasions, Governor Kashim Shettima had indicted some prominent Borno citizens of undermining his administration, by using some natives to incite disaffection.
Pardon me as I am digressing too far. As I was saying, I was away for a fortnight. During this period while in the local community, the news from Borno, Maiduguri in particular, was distasteful and not encouraging at all. The suicide bombers were on the prowl again and the attacks on the state capital by the terrorists intensified. My people at home drew my attention to the unpalatable happening, forgetting that as a newsman residing in Borno, it was a blight to which I had become accustomed. I though understood their concerns and fears.
At the end of the funeral ceremony, at home, it was time to say goodbye. I embarked on my journey by road to Maiduguri via Auchi, Abuja and Jos, at a particular time I had become cash-strapped. In Jos, I travelled in company with passengers in a 20-seater bus, who included seven military men. I was lucky, like the other civilian passengers, for having in our company, the soldiers; for, we had free ride to Maiduguri. And with the escape from the cumbersome situation of endless security checking on the way! Besides, while in transit, I was buffeted with some the latest information in the military circles, especially with regard to the ongoing insurgency. The recent special promotion in the army tilted more in favour of the Northeast, as a reward for the soldiers in the zone, the chirpy soldiers had chattered, amid other gossips of interest.
Really, I was more interested in that aspect of the soldiers’ discussions that centred on the battle against the Boko Haram sect. My ears literarily went to the ground and my eyes were wide open as I eavesdropped on their discussions. They agreed within themselves that the said promotion exercise had flaws and for me, that is military business. They unanimously agreed that some people especially in Borno, were hampering the success of the insurgency war. I could recollect vividly the saying of one of them: if the people of Borno think what they are doing is correct, let them continue. One day we will leave and the battle will be theirs. While other states are moving forward, Borno will be going down.
This saying gave me food for thought and a warning that, except there is a change of heart, especially by the prominent citizens-to have a holistic approach to the present security challenges facing Borno in particular-the labour of the military and the honest volition of many concerned Nigerians, to end the insurgency, might after all end as a mirage.
So far, about three million people have been displaced, with over two million houses destroyed. As the war rages, about 70, 000 widows and 60, 000 orphans have also been recorded. Property and infrastructure destroyed are estimated at trillions of naira. The tragedy is still on, with Borno accounting for about 70 per cent in casualties.
It is sad that Borno State that was one of the leading states in the country, especially in the North, has become the epicenter of man-inhumanity-to-man, thus becoming the proverbial giant with the feet of clay. Right from the ancient-day Birni to the present-day Yerwa, Borno’s position had been very outstanding in the field of Quranic or Islamic learning. The whole of Geidam once represented the massive structure of a University. In one part of the city, the great Imams read and discussed the Quran, the Tafsir; while in another part of the city, scholars were engaged in robust debates in Figh, Hadith and Philosophy.
So far, about three million people have been displaced, with over two million houses destroyed. As the war rages, about 70, 000 widows and 60, 000 orphans have also been recorded. Property and infrastructure destroyed are estimated at trillions of naira
In the sphere of Western education, sons and daughters of Borno have made significant gains. Not very long ago, this category of people occupied high positions in the various civil services and other allied fields in the country; in engineering, agriculture, technology, broadcasting, teaching, the police force, the army and in administration, name it. Borno was the first nation in the Black race to accept Islam, while the place remained an unconquered land by the Jihadists.
Today, Borno is singing a different song of woes, a song of uncertainties, a song of man hellish brutality. Borno is between the devil and the deep blue sea. Borno has become Shakespeare’s architecture of ruins -“beauty consists in ruins, a landscape of shattered homesteads, severed limbs, tattered lives, ravaged farmlands and looted barns.”
What has become obvious in this war of insurgency in Borno in particular, is that, some powerful forces or groups wouldn’t for their own selfish interest let go the insurgency. They do and give what it takes to keep this war going, provided their interest is maintained and sustained. Borno has lost much; a generation of youths is gone and is still going. Who will save Borno? Nobody but the people themselves. Until then, weep for Governor Kashim who has become the daily Chief Mourner of thousands of slaughtered souls. Weep for Borno, a state caught in the vortex of complex politics, where morals and decency have no meaning. Weep…
*Izekor, a journalist and public affairs analyst, is of the Board of Advisers of The Point.
