NIGERIA CAN’T DEFEAT BOKO HARAM - BORNO GOVWritten by Chris Agbambu and Leon Usigbe -Abuja Tuesday, 18 February 2014 00:00
Nigerian Tribune
OVERWHELMED by the relentless attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno communities, the state governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima met with President Goodluck Jonathan in the Presidential Villa, on Monday, where he declared that the terrorists are unstoppable.
Fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, Shettima said “Borno is in a state of war,” while he dismissed the talk of election in the state where, he said, the people were more interested in their survival.
He observed that the insurgents had more sophisticated weapons than the military, a development, he said, enabled them to operate at will.
However, he absolved the military of blame, as he blamed the situation on leadership.
“Well, in a nutshell, what we are being confronted with is that we are in a state of war. It is what I came to update Mr President.
“The sooner we stop playing the ostrich and rise up to the challenges of the day and marshall all resources towards visualising the antics of Boko Haram, the better for all of us.
“But the bottom line is that we need more resources, more votes on ground. In all fairness to the officers and men of the Nigerian Army and police, they are doing their best, given the circumstances they have found themselves.
“But honestly, Boko Haram are better armed and are better motivated than our own troops. And believe me, I am an eternal optimist, as I have always said but I am also a realist. Given the present state of affairs, it is absolutely impossible for us to defeat Boko Haram,” he said.
On the reported threat by Boko Haram to launch an onslaught on Cameroon if the country continued to assist the Federal Government to fight the insurgents said to engage in cross border raids, Governor Shettima said he was not aware of such threat.
“I am not privy to such an information, but the president has assured us that he will put in his best to see that the unfortunate tendency of the Boko Haram overrunning communities and butchering innocent souls is brought under control,” he said.
When asked if the president was aware that Boko Haram insurgents were better armed than the military, he remarked that he had adequately briefed him on his observation.
“I made it emphatically clear to Mr President that the Boko Haram are better armed and better motivated. Anybody who is following events in this country can attest to the fact that they have a very smooth sail overrunning communities, killing people.
“Have we ever succeeded in thwarting any of their plans? They went to Konduga and did what they wanted to do. They held sway for many hours before they left. They were in Kauri, Idzge and I don’t blame the Nigerian military. Honestly, we the leaders should be held responsible for our failure in leadership,” he said.
The embattled governor said though 106 persons were killed in Idzge alone in the most recent attacks, his government was yet to compile the actual figure of those who lost their lives in other communities to the Boko Haram terrorists at the weekend.
“In Idzge alone, we lost 106 people and they raided eight other communities. So, until I get back home, today or tomorrow, I cannot give you the exact figure. But some were hospitalised with very grave injuries. So, I am afraid the figures might climb,” he noted.
Speaking on whether 2015 election could be conducted in Borno State under the present circumstances, the governor warned politicians to quit playing politics with the issue, noting that people were more interested in the preservation of their lives.
“It’s too early for anybody to talk about election when human lives are involved. Power comes from God and he gives power to whom He wills.
“I don’t care a hoot whether elections are held, but I do care that peace is restored in Borno and the North-East sub-region. So, people should stop playing politics,” he said.
Offensive against terrorists continues —DHQ
The unfortunate attacks being carried out against troops and innocent civilians by the insurgents will not deter the military in its ongoing onslaught against terrorists in some parts of the country, the Defence Headquarters has stated.
A statement issued in Abuja by the Director, Defence Information, Major-General Chris Olukolade, said “terrorists, who move from village to village attacking innocent civilians are those escaping from the onslaught against their makeshift hideout on the border and entry point from neighbouring countries.”
According to him, “the fighting patrols by air and land are being stepped up in the forests and hills of the affected areas and other parts of the North-East, where the Boko Haram terrorists are hiding.
“The security forces will continue to employ necessary fire power to enhance the effectiveness of the mission until the terrorists are duly curtailed,” he said.
Speaking further, the army spokesman said “locations that are prone to attacks are being reinforced, while the general area is now under heightened surveillance and patrols.
“Some suspected perpetrators of the recent assault have been apprehended and weapons recovered from them.”
While appealing for the patience of the general public, he said “the citizens in the affected areas are encouraged to provide security agencies with timely information, so as to forestall the activities of the fleeing terrorists whose attacks on soft targets are intended to provoke fear and create a false sense of invisibility.”
Niger Republic arrests 20 Boko Haram militants
Niger Republic has arrested about 20 Boko Haram militants from neighbouring Nigeria, suspected to be planning attacks in Niger’s South-East, Nigerien security officials said on Monday.
The alleged plot to strike Diffa, a Nigerien town that borders Nigeria’s Borno State, followed Nigerian army offensive against militants that had pushed thousands of refugees and some insurgents across the porous border into Niger.
Niger’s army chief, General Seyni Garba, told troops in Mali during a visit that the militants were preparing attacks on markets and other gathering places in retaliation for Niger’s stance against extremists in the region.
Niger has emerged as a firm ally of France and the United States in the fight against al-Qaeda-linked groups in the Sahel.
It is a base for French and US surveillance drones and Niamey has deployed 650 troops in neighbouring Mali to back a French-led campaign against Islamists there.
“The bloodbath planned by the terrorist organisation to punish our country has fortunately been avoided,” Garba was quoted as saying in Monday’s edition of Le Sahel, a Niger state-owned newspaper.
Garba, speaking while visiting Nigerien troops in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Mali, said the arrests took place in Diffa.
A Nigerien security official told Reuters that 20 Boko Haram militants, all Nigerians, were arrested in the sweep late last month.
“It was a cell that was planning attacks on Diffa and the surrounding areas,” the officer said, asking not to be named.
Another military officer said the cell was identified by Niger’s anti-terrorism unit and placed under surveillance as soon as they entered Niger’s territory.
