At the beginning, we all thought it was one of those bad dreams that would soon blow over. It, however, didn’t take long for us to be proved wrong, as the climate of fear resurrected once more, taking us back to the ugly days when we had to sleep with our eyes wide open. No thanks to the ugly events of that fateful Monday, the harrowing experience and the trauma are back.
After months of respite from the intimidation and onslaught of Boko Haram sect, the inhabitants of Maiduguri woke up on Monday, December 2, 2013, to find themselves at the mercy of the insurgents, rubbishing the long-held belief that the state capital is safe.
But just as the residents of the once-peaceful state were beginning to recover from the shock of the attack, news filtered in of another audacious attack carried out by the insurgents on the 202 Tank Battalion in Bama town about 50 kilometers from Maiduguri.
Fifteen soldiers were allegedly killed in the Bama attack, while the Boko Haram lost 50 of its member to the firepower of the military. There were also said to be civilian casualties.
According to reports by the Borno Radio Television (BRTV), the insurgents who carried out the Monday attack came in large numbers and left through the same route after wreaking havoc on the people.
According to sources, the insurgents came in vehicles and on camels with sophisticated weapons, including anti-aircraft guns. They were said to have first attacked the 33 Artillery Regiment along Maiduguri-Damaturu road, later moved to the 79 Composite Group of the Nigerian Air Force, a short distance away.
The level of destruction at the Air Force base was alarming.
They allegedly destroyed five helicopters, mechanical workshop, vehicles and residential quarters. They also set on fire some buildings in the Artillery Barrack. Reports had it that it took the intervention of a fighter jet from Yola to avert what seemed an eventual dooms day for the people of Maiduguri.
Even while the people were yet to recover from the pains of the wounds inflicted by the December attack, Boko Haram carried out another major attack on Maiduguri on Tuesday, January 14, 2014.
Described as one of the deadliest attacks in recent times, the bomb explosion at the post office area, along Shehu Laminu Way, the commercial nerve centre of Maiduguri, claimed about 30 lives, and left several others injured. The attacks marked the return of Maiduguri to the ‘night of long knives’.
It is shocking that in less than two months, Boko Haram carried out two major audacious attacks in Maiduguri and its environ, killing several hundreds and maiming even more in its trailing of destruction.
To say that the audacity and mode of the recent attacks is worrisome is begging the question. The question on the lips of the residents now is, if military barracks where people seek refuge in the past is no longer safe from attacks, where would the defenseless people run to the next time Boko Haram comes calling?
Borno State has never had it this bad. The last five years have been traumatic and frightening for the people of the once peaceful state.
In its editorial on the Maiduguri airport attack, the Daily Trust wrote: “That Maiduguri, a city under curfew for several months completely surrounded by various formations of the military, military police and civil people, a city in virtual lockdown, could come under such sustained attack over several hours, calls to question the integrity of the military leadership and the intelligence services around them.
“According to reports, security sources stated that ‘the insurgents had a field day throughout the time they operated, between 3.30am and 8 o’clock in the morning’, a period of almost five hours, and that a security official was reported to have said that it was only after the arrival of a military fighter jet from Yola, Adamawa State (half an hour away), that the insurgents retreated. The big question here is, retreated to where?
“In fact, the question to precede this should be, how did the insurgents reach Maiduguri, and then the Air Force Base, in the first place, when the military had been telling the public that Boko Haram had been contained in a ‘little corner’ around Sambisa Forest and the mountains around Gwoza far to the South of Borno State? The reality is that such statements have exposed the military to ridicule because they grossly underestimate the capacity of the enemy they face.
“Borno State is one of the largest in the country by landmass, and the only way the insurgents could have launched such a daring attack from their ‘little corner’ would have been to drop in from the air, which was not the case. In a state full blanketed in the cordon of emergency rule, how could the insurgents move from one place to another with such ease, when all other citizens cannot?
“What mode of transportation did the insurgents use to
avoid the inevitable indications of vehicular movement? What footpaths and cattle tracks did they use that were not known by the security forces? The most ironic of the reports say the insurgents ‘caught the military napping.’ One would have thought that, in an emergency such as the North East is under; no one would be napping, let alone sleeping, to be caught in such a grievous condition.”
It is, however, particularly shocking that since the disbandment of the Joint Task force in Borno State and the takeover of its functions by the newly-established 7th Division of theState by the insurgents or whoever has been responsible the attacks have become more deadly and ferocious, with deadly attacks carried out in Benisheikh, Mainok, Maiduguri, Sabon Gari, Damboa and Bama.
The meteoric rise in the number of attacks has now raised a lot of questions, just as it is thought-provoking. The questions on the lips of the people are: ‘Who wants Borno destroyed?’, ‘Why the ceaseless and unprovoked attacks on Borno?’ and ‘Who wants to make Borno a theatre of war, a habitat of orphans, widows, people with severed limb and, in Shakespeare’s words, the ‘architecture of ruins?’
Other questions agitating the minds of the residents include:
‘How come the insurgents seem to be having the upper hand in spite of the assurances from the authorities that things are under control?’, ‘Could there by fifth columnists within the military, making it very easy for the enemies to carry out attacks?’, ‘Though there are patriotic men in the rank and file of the military who want the insurgency to come to an end, how far is the allegation that there are some members of the military who would not want the debacle to end so long as they are benefiting monetarily or otherwise?’, ‘Why is Borno State singled out by the insurgents for more heat?’ and ‘Have the insurgents infiltrated the military, making the battle against the insurgency more complex and difficult?’
However, this is not surprising, bearing in mind that President Goodluck Jonathan had pointed out before now that the Boko Haram sect had infiltrated his administration, the judiciary, legislature and the nation’s security agencies.
Similarly, while receiving members of the Turaki-led Committee on Boko Haram Amnesty/Reconciliation in audience at the Government House, Maiduguri, Governor Kashim Shettima also pointed out that there are various brands of Boko Haram. According to Kashim, there is the religious Boko Haram; you also have the political Boko Haram and criminal Boko Haram, among others.
It may not be out of place to say that all the groups or categories of the Boko Haram sect have at one point or the other operated and are still operating in Borno State. The question arising from this is, who wants Borno destroyed or in perpetual bondage?
It is instructive to also note that about a month back, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, who is also the Supervising Minister of Defence Ministry, pointed out in a Radio Nigeria phone-in-programme that the inherited security challenges in the North East was the result of local politics.
For example, some groups in Borno have for some time now been calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to stop former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff from coming to Maiduguri. The allegation is that his departure, after visiting the state, was always followed by an attack on Maiduguri or elsewhere in the state.
But the pro-Sheriff group had consistently denied this allegation, describing it as the handiwork of Sheriff’s enemies. They in turn accused Sheriff’s opponents of being the masterminds of the attacks, aimed at creating a sense of insecurity in the state. Without doubt, there is more to the accusation and counter-accusation between these two groups than meets the ordinary eyes.
It will be recalled that the Boko Haram sect leadership had distanced itself from some attacks, especially in Borno. So, who are the people behind these ceaseless attacks on Maiduguri?
Who are the politicians toying with the destiny of Borno and who are the people frustrating the efforts of the federal and Borno State governments to end the carnage?
But one thing is sure in all of this: Those who have murdered sleep in Borno on the altar of politics, ambition or for any other unjustifiable reason, have murdered their own sleep and will
themselves sleep no more.
Before the fateful day, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff had arrived Borno via Gombe airport. There were allegations that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who is said to be nursing senatorial ambition in 2015, had wanted to visit Borno for some time now, but was prevented from doing so because of the security implications of such visit.
However, following the death of Alhaji Mohammed
Malafiya, the Emir of Shani, Senator Ali came to Borno to condole with the people of Shani on the death of their Emir. And on arrival at the Gombe airport, he drove straight to Shani through Biu.
Report had it that the presence of Senator Ali Modu in Borno State generated tension and anxiety in the light of the alleged security implications of such visit. However, trouble started to manifest when on the same day, Governor Kashim Shettima was on a visit to Maiduguri Airport to inspect some equipment sent from Lagos by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) to the station which had been temporarily closed down following the attack on the Airforce base.
According to a report, about the same time the governor was on his way to the airport, a presidential aircraft conveying Alhaji Mohammed Imam landed at the Maiduguri airport. He was said to have arrived to prepare the ground for Sheriff’s arrival.
On their way to the airport, some thugs who were allegedly waiting for Mohammed Imam sighted the governor’s convoy and started hurling stones and sachets of water at the governor’s entourage and making provocative statements. At this point, the military and police operatives dispersed the thugs with tear gas, while the governor calmed down members of his entourage.
In what looked like a retaliatory measure, thugs and youths, believed to have sympathy for Governor Kashim, two days after the airport episode broke into the convoy of Senator Ali Sheriff after his visit to the Shehu of Borno palace. Report has it that the attackers were chanting “Wanyana, Wanyana”, meaning “we don’t want you” and “Kilado”, interpreted as “enemy”.
The worst came after the bomb blast when all hell was let loose. There was confusion and pandemonium as the people ran for their lives.
Youths in their hundreds ran amock, targeting the Campaign Headquarters of Senator Ali Modu in the state capital and his house in the Government Reservation Area (GRA).
No doubt, President Jonathan was right when he explained that the insurgents have gravitated from locals to international in arms or weaponry, as they assault their targets with sophisticated modern warfare arsenals.
The president equally stated that efforts were on to locate the sources of their weapons and their sponsors. Without sentiments, one must commend the Federal Government for its efforts, both local and international, aimed at halting the insurgency.
However, it is indeed sad that up till now, neither the foreign or local sponsors of this group or groups has been identified.
But it is baffling that despite the amount of money spent on the nation’s intelligence agencies, not a single local sponsor of this heinous crime has been identified, at least not to the knowledge of the public.
The effrontery with which the insurgents inflict devastating pains, especially on military locations, no doubt is indicative of local sponsors, local collaborators and local informants. No foreign businessman or entrepreneur will take his goods to where there is no market. This mean that the foreign arms dealers have the local arms buyers within and around us. They must be identified if this orgy of destruction must be stopped.
Besides, our security agencies must be proactive; they must work a step ahead of the insurgents in whatever colouration.
Most of the time, our security agencies are on the defence, leading to the need to device new strategies in the light of the sophistication of our ever-increasing opponents.
It will be a tragedy and a dent on the nation if for any reason a rag-tag group or any outfit in uniform for whatsoever reason is allowed to rubbish the reputation of the world acclaimed Nigerian Army.
Borno State, with the largest land mass in the country, shares borders with the republics of Chad, Niger and Cameroun and the security implications of such location is obvious. It is, therefore imperative that special attention be given to the state. A stitch in time saves nine.
