BOKO HARAM RESURGENCE: THE NEED FOR PROACTIVE MEASURES IN COUNTER INSURGENCY OPERATIONS

By Zanna Hassan Boguma

While lauding the efforts of the Nigerian Army for their gallantry in repelling attacks by the dreaded Boko Haram in some parts of the state, much is needed to be done in areas around MMC and Jere were the insurgents were now believed to have been hibernating and in areas of the Lake Chad region. The recent daring attacks in Nganzai, Bama, Benisheik and Jakana and the incessant and daring attacks by BHT on the innocent on our high ways is becoming a source of great concern to citizens living in the state.

We’ve been hearing of successes recorded by battalions outside Maiduguri during the leadership of Generals Lucky Irabor and Nicolas Rochas in their clearance operations in the famous Sambisa forest and other areas where the Boko Haram were having a free reign. But since the change in the mantle of leadership, the story became different with the BHT gaining vigor and more guts in attacking military bases and formations displacing and killing our forces and putting lots of fear in our citizens. The BHT that were hibernating around the Alau axis and Jere and those in the Lake Chad were allowed to have field day without any pursuit.

Our men of the armed forces were confined to their bases only to defend themselves without taking the offensive to the enemy resulting in casualties on the part of our forces which greatly demoralize them making many to desert. From our layman’s understanding of counter insurgency, offensive operations should form part of fighting terrorism.

In most cases, the terrorists were not pursued rather, they  were allowed to go thus, making them more daring to attack and always allowed to go which smack only a mockery of our security. I wish the military high command will copy the counter insurgency measures adopted in Iraq and Syria were the ISIS were fought in collaboration with the help militia among the local communities.

Arming the CJTF, hunters and vigilantes to fight alongside our soldiers will bring a lot of successes as experienced in many of such operations in the past which needed to be given importance now that the matter is escalating by the day. The insurgents were now drawing more closer to local governments around the state capital and lack of offensive and clearance operation has even given them the courage them to successively attack military convoys and bases outside Maiduguri.

The recent attack on a convoy along Maiduguri Kano road, the attack in Nganzai, Bama, Benisheik, Mainok, Jakana and that of the Action Against Hunger team on Humanitarian work, and sneak operations which was released to media is a clear case of mockery and abuse.

In counter insurgency operations, you don’t wait to be attacked by the enemy rather, you take the war to the enclaves and hide out of the insurgents. Anything short of that is counter productive and giving impetus to the enemy to continue untended.

Cases of desertion and abandonment of formations need to be thoroughly investigated. Cordon and search operations must be seriously intensified and punitive expeditions carried out to uproot the enemy in their hideouts. These will greatly assist in countering the insurgency.

There are many unanswered questions to be asked as to the sincerity of the operation and there is a seeming cases of sabotage, conspiracy, collaboration and negligence in the last series of attacks which needs to be thoroughly investigated. The Presidency must act now before the matter goes out of hand. The National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff and that of Air Staff who were from the Northeast must stand up to their responsibilities.

The recent attack on a convoy along Maiduguri-Damaturu road is a particular case which raises a lot of eyebrows. and the picture painted by this is not good. In a seeming problem whose end seems far away, the attackers were said to have been in a formal conventional military uniform with which they carried out the attack and in many similar attacks.

The claimed that the attackers wore military uniforms shows they know of the convoy and what they needed, the vehicles were conveying our soldiers and were not followed or even traced to date.

The attack was not far away from the state capital which can be promptly responded to by the military. Though air component was said to have responded, but with little impact. There were formations in strategic places on the routes to Maiduguri which can provide quick response, the air component is also around but all these were not used timely as they always turned up late after the incident.

Further to this, before this attack on these villages, the same BHT daringly attacked the military convoy and took away some of their vehicles on the same route. These incidences have sent shivers to all the resident of the unfortunate villages on the attitudes of the present crop of he men of our armed forces.

If soldiers from Chad, Cameroon and Niger on the MNJTF will have followed the insurgents to their hideouts and conduct offensive attacks, there is no reason whatsoever by our nation’s military to stay in their bases only to repel attacks and always be defensive. There has to be a change in strategy to meet the challenges of insecurity in the region and Nigeria in general.

I am therefore appealing to the National Security Adviser, the Chiefs of Army Staff and Air on behalf of the teeming citizens of Borno to direct the theatre command and battalions in the Operation Lafiya Dole to review the present strategy which is not yielding any result and come up with more proactive measures in countering the insurgency in the Northeast and in other regions bedeviled by insecurity.

I am also appealing to them to provide modern arms to our CJTF and hunters who were ready to assist in the operation to end the insurgency. Our people wanted to go back to their ancestral homes. Moreover, the hunters were key in this operation because of their knowledge of the terrain and in tracking.

His Excellency the Executive Governor of Borno state Prof. Engr, Baba Gana Umara Zulum mni fsne has the intention to assist as he severally opined and in his decision to increase the number of hunters and vigilantes by paying them allowances and providing logistics. The President too has already given the required political will and has vowed to provide all necessary equipments and logistics to the armed forces in securing our nation.

At the beginning of this administration, the tempo and zeal to nip the insurgency in the bud is unprecedented until the change in command of the operation. The recent laxity and sluggishness in the fight against the insurgency is causing us sleepless nights contemplating on what went wrong?

I also wish to use this medium to congratulate Maj. Gen. Abdulmalik BIU who is also the son of Borno on his recent promotion and pray for his success in his carrier and to appeal him to take this challenge as a call to duty and to up to our expectations. Posterity will judge us as leaders if we did not discharge our responsibilities correctly.

I am calling on His Excellency our most promising and patriotic leader to lead a high powered delegation of our Traditional Rulers, Elder Statesmen and Religious Leaders to Mr. President to thank him for his good intentions for Borno and the Northeast and appeal to him to once again charge our armed forces to redouble their efforts in the counter insurgency operations.

We also wish to thank the Hon. Speaker of the House of Representatives and his team for finding time to visit Borno to share in our time of sorrow and also appreciate the Senate President and his Distinguished Senators for their support in approving a motion on the security situation in Borno and other part of the country.

I wish the authorities concern will re-strategize their operational status and modus operandi. Just as was the case in Syria and Iraq, the military should take the offensive position to deal with the problem. You don’t just wait for the enemy to strike. Having the maxim “never allow your enemy to understand your fears and weaknesses” at the back of their minds.