‘How anti-terror war can succeed’

A commentator, Nono Mohammed, urges Nigerians to support the fight against insurgency by the Buhari administration to rid the country of the Boko Haram sect.

In the build-up to the 2015 presidential election, the alarming level of insecurity in the North-east region of the country had attracted national and international condemnations. That was because the outlawed Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, perpetrated brazen attacks that claimed thousands of lives and destroyed property that are better calculated in the region of billions of dollars.

They captured territories where illicit taxes where imposed on locals in their various colonies claimed across the states of the Noerh-east; they abducted people for ransom and many residents in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and some other northern states became IDPs while security agencies were seemly rendered impotent.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was seriously bashed from every angle for its inability to curtail the relentless terror attacks carried out by the Boko Haram sect. It was a major part of why the electorate revolted against former President Goodluck Jonathan, and which reflected in the electoral defeat the PDP suffered at the 2015 polls.

However, from the outset of the Buhari administration, attention was beamed on the activities of the government in the area of fighting insecurity, particularly in the North-east, being that it was an important aspect of the three fulcrums of his campaign promises: to recover the economy, fight corruption and end insecurity. It was not and has not been easy either.

But recall that on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, when Buhari’s campaign officially took off in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, President Muhammadu Buhari stated that “The fundamental issue facing this country is insecurity…I am appealing to you, the damage done to this country is great. The level of unemployment, level of insecurity is intolerable. The journey has begun. It will take time; it will take patience; it will take support from you to make sure that we succeed.”

When he eventually clinched the presidency, Buhari never ceased to state that securing the country was paramount to his administration and that the security issues afflicting the country would be decisively dealt with.

Though the government faced scathing criticisms from the opposition over the degree of success already recorded in the fight to stop the activities of the rampaging terrorists especially as they questioned at intervals, the meaning of technically defeating the insurgents, but an undaunted president and his men have continued to highlight the successes recorded in the fight against insurgency.

Some of such records are however, obvious. Unlike what obtained over seven years ago, when Boko Haram attacks became so rampant across the states, even then, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja was struck on several occasions. The United Nation (UN) headquarters was not spared. They attacked newspapers head offices, several lives were lost during the attacks on Nyanya motor park, Suleja, Kano, Sokoto, Kogi, Borno and Adamawa States disturbing attacks.

Irrespective of political divides, hardly would there be any resident of some of the worst hit areas that would place the current government anywhere near the immediate past government in terms of genuinely combating the menace of insurgency. Relatively, today, all the nefarious activities of the sect in most of the affected states have stopped.

In recent past, visitors to Chibok, Bama, Dapchi and other smaller suburb communities in Borno States, particularly in 2015, would confuse the area for communities in some Arab countries as all the road signs were written in Arabic, but on recapturing the communities, not only were some the perpetrators apprehended, they were all chased away and now the people have been liberated.

Also, unlike before, the usual night life has returned to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. Now, football fans are enjoying weekly football leagues in Maiduguri, schools have been reopened, education of pupils is not suffering the kind of setback that was commonplace and many roads that were hitherto closed have been reopened.

It’s been a consistent story of waterloo for the insurgent lately. Residents were relieved on Monday, February 12, 2018, when troops dislodged Boko Haram terrorists from their most fortified hideout, the notorious Sambisa forest.

The reason for the military exploit against the terrorists is not farfetched. Not only is the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd) facing the alleged consequences of his supervision of the mismanagement of $2.1bn arms fund, government on the other hand, put enough funding into the military to properly position the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

The Federal Government has said it repeatedly that it had acquired enough equipment to curtail Boko Haram activities. The coordinator, National Information Centre, Mike Omeri, said contrary to insinuations, the military is more equipped and well trained to curtail the activities of insurgents.

Something that would also count in favour of the ruling APC government is that while under PDP’s Jonathan, 276 Government Secondary School girls were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Chibok town in Borno State between April 14 and 15, 2014, but a number of the girls were set free by due to negotiations under the Buhari administration.

Fifty-seven of the schoolgirls had managed to escape within the first few months of their abduction but in May 2016, one of the missing girls, Amina Ali, was found. She was the one that hinted that the other girls were still alive. She however revealed that six had died.

Later in October, 21 more girls were freed. A month later another girl was rescued in January 2017, while 82 of the girls regained freedom later in May and one more girl rescued in January 2018.

On February 19, 2018, when armed militants disguised as soldiers took away 110 girls in trucks and escaped, it was a low point for the APC government but not oblivious of the fact that its inability to bring the girls back portended negative consequences for his government. Thus, through negotiations, 104 out of the girls were reunited with their loved ones on Wednesday, March 21, 2018.

Five of the girls were reportedly crushed to death by the vehicles conveying them when they were kidnapped, while one of the girls, Leah Sharibu was held back by her abductors for declining to denounce her Christian faith,

Though her case has drawn a lot of sentiments among Christians across the nation, the government has maintained that it is doing all that was within its power to bring back the girl. Government is sure to score itself so highly if it succeeds in getting freedom for Sharibu.

Now, some of the communities in Borno and Yobe States are already being rebuilt and some of the IDPs are already returning. This is the most important indication that the insurgents have been defeated. They only focus on soft-targets in their attacks and government is confident that they are gradually fizzling out.