In the suburbs of Maiduguri town on a gloomy evening, a battalion ensnarled in an ambush, a fierce battle ensued, between a barbaric group who fights a guerilla warfare with no honor and an army protecting the soul of their country. The brutal annihilation of their fellow army had left them demoralized, in a war that has lasted for 11 years, without no victory in sight.
The mass exodus of Nigerian army from active service in north eastern part of the country has once again revealed the extent of the devastating war Nigeria has been fighting for 11years, with no victory, that has left 27,000 dead and 2.5 million people displaced.
Series of Attacks
The month of June may be the deadliest month this year as the terrorist continue to expand their territory in north eastern Nigeria and continue to cause mayhem in the volatile region.
On the 9th of June, a group of bandits stormed a village in Katsina killing over 57 people before the intervention of the security forces. That same night 81 people were killed in Borno state the major stronghold of boko haram and the most affected state by the insurgency in the country.
These attacks were not the first of its kind, on 26th of may gunmen attacked a community in sokoto leaving at least 60 people dead and on the 6th of June another attack in Zamfara left over 21 people dead. These gruesome spate of killings can be linked to the terrorist group, even if they haven’t openly claimed responsibility for the attacks. The major attack that led to international condemnation was the shooting down of the UN helicopter and the killing of the UN humanitarian worker with two other civilians. A rise of public anger.
As these attacks continue to wreck havoc on the region disproportionately, the youths of the northern region have taken to the streets to voice their discontent for the government, by blocking major highways in the northern part of the country in protest to the gory attack. Some of them have also taken to social media to voice their displeasure against the government by starting a #northernlifematters trend on Twitter Government response.
The government have espoused in a public statement that he will take drastic action against the terrorist, but often time had failed to live up to its promise. The lackadaisical approach of the government towards ending the war has shown the lack of value for human life by the current administration, while the government claim to be winning and keep reporting cases of operation that disbands the terrorists. The evidence claim otherwise everyday Nigerians keep facing the harsh realities of gruesome death and insecurities.
The extent of Boko haram’s damage continues to glare at us amidst a rise in kidnappings, robbery and other forms of insecurities. Nigerian government continues to fight on several warfront to decimate insecurity in the country. The war has led to many casualties among the Nigerian army with many of them leaving in droves, mostly because of inadequate arms to combat terrorism.
Few months ago an army commander of a particular battalion after an ambush by boko haram, came out openly in a video to criticize the Nigerian government for their lukewarm approach to ending terrorism, he lamented the lack of ammunitions and lack of intelligence among the troop.
Also, how the troops are being outsmarted by the Islamic sect. few days later, he was transfered to another unit. This is not the first time it has happened, in 2014 a military sergeant shot a captain after members of his troops were ambushed in an attack. This growing discord among the army have also revealed the extent of the battle and has given a glimpse to the untold stories at the warfront.
The chief of army staff recently set a punitive measure for captains who flee battle field out of cowardice. In order to hasten the war, this move has further fueled more cynicism and has led to public criticism against the military chief. The move is totally an unwarranted move which will reduce the morale of the already weary soldiers. While it is meant to induce obedience it should also be considered that military is a voluntary service and the service men deserve some respect and shouldn’t be ostracised to a warfront like a lamb in a slaughterhouse. The fact that they give up their comforts to protect the country should spur the government into ensuring their protection by empowering them with ancillaries to enable them fight these monsters effectively.
While the Battle Rages On.
Nigerian citizens are becoming weary of a war that has devastated the northern region of the country, and has stealthy haul economic growth by scaring investors away. The vociferous call for the resign of the military chiefs continues, as the government whose campaign promises was hinged on the annihilation of terrorism, it was the sole reason the government was elected.
When the erstwhile government of Goodluck Jonathan couldn’t handle the crisis properly. It is so unfortunate after how many years, the Nigerian government haven’t done enough to contain the insurgency. The current administration has failed again to deliver its major promise.
As the war continues, the northern region which was mostly devastated by the war continue to double down on their support for the government, these recent attacks has effectively wane their support for the president, who has done nothing tangible in the region except plunging it into more penury.
The end of the war is not in sight, as the government continues to silent dissents and has refused to deploy pragmatism infighting the devastating war. The nation continues to languish in the mercies of these merciless barbaric marauders. What remains is the hope of returning to the antebellum of sanity and tranquility.
Is Nigeria truly winning the war? Well, be the judge.
– Sunday Jude Abah a freelance journalist and writer, writes from Lagos.
