Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam seems to believe that Boko Haram fighters are better equiped than soldiers — going by his call for better guns for troops battling the insurgency in his state.
Gaidam also cited “poor intelligence” and inadequate support of the military action as part of the reasons why the insurgency thrives.
He said if the war must be won, soldiers must be given superior arms and ammunition as well as better intelligence gathering.
Damaturu, the capital of Yobe, was the scene of last Thursday’s deadly attack by the Boko Haram in which many soldiers and insurgents died.
Gaidam donated N1million to each of the widows of the dead.
The governor, inspected the areas destroyed by the insurgents. He was accompanied by the Joint Task Force (JTF) Commandant in the state, Col. Aliyu Abdullahi and Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai.
He said: “It appears to me that the security operatives, the police and the army and every other security personnel, were taken unawares. I have been taken round and based on what I have observed, we don’t have enough intelligence all over the state to give information. If our security operatives were on 24 hours alert, some of these things would have been averted and these boys would not just come to the town and start shooting.
“I have also observed that some of the weapons used by the insurgents are superior weapons in capacity, which are much higher than the ones obtained by the military or the police in Yobe State.
“I wish to call on the Federal Government to prevail on the Defence Headquarters to ensure that they provide high profile capacity weapons to the army, if this insurgency is to be averted or stopped.
“The military, the police and other security men in Damaturu only have AK 47 rifles. Maybe a few high profile weapons are there with the military. We need more of trained personnel on ground and more equipment to fight the insurgents.
“The Federal Government is interested in seeing the end of the insurgency but if the type of weapons used by the military and police in this place does not change, I think the chances of defeating this insurgency is very remote. They must be provided with high-profile weapons.”
The governor added: “How can you have a smaller weapon and somebody has a rocket launcher that can destroy a building, let alone a human being. If the Federal government provides the required weapons for the security agencies, the problem will be over within weeks.”
The tragedy of the invasion of Damaturu came to the fore yesterday. It emerged that no fewer than 35 bodies in military uniform were deposited at the morgue.
Twenty soldiers are hospitalised in Jos, the Plateau State capital, it was also gathered. Many insurgents were killed by the troops.
Thursday’s attack in Damaturu was the first raid in a major urban centre in several weeks by the insurgent group waging a four-year Islamist uprising.
Police and residents said large numbers of Boko Haram fighters, some in vehicles and others on foot, stormed Damaturu after dark.
Armed with guns and explosives, they attacked and torched four police buildings, sparking a fierce, hours-long gun battle with the security forces.
“We have received lots of bodies in the last three days from the attacks. I counted 35 bodies in military uniform,” said a senior official at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital, who requested for anonymity.
An army officer based in Jos, the Plateau State capital, said 20 soldiers had been admitted at a hospital there, suffering from “gunshot wounds sustained in the battle against Boko Haram in Damaturu”.
“They were brought here for security reasons and better medical facilities,” said the officer, who also asked his name to be withheld.
The military rarely discusses troop fatalities following Islamist attacks
Contacted by the AFP, Yobe State military spokesman Capt. Lazarus Eli did not deny reports that dozens of soldiers were killed during the clash.
“We do not have any data on the death toll,” Capt. Lazarus said.
Boko Haram has repeatedly worn military uniforms as a disguise during attacks and it was not yet clear if the bodies were those of insurgents or troops.
The day after the attack, witnesses and local officials did not say the insurgents who staged it were disguised in uniforms.
Nigeria’s sweeping offensive against Boko Haram has entered its fifth month and the military has described the group as being in disarray and no longer capable of attacking major population centres.
But the success of the operation remains unclear and the attack in Damaturu, apparently carried out by a significant number of insurgents in a heavily fortified city, has cast further doubt on the effectiveness of the military offensive.
There are, however, signs that Boko Haram has been pushed back into the Northeast, its historic stronghold, after carrying out attacks across the wider North through much of 2011 and 2012.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa States in May and vowed to permanently end the uprising.
Jonathan must decide whether to extend the emergency measures when the six-month mandate expires next month.
The conflict has killed thousands since 2009.
