The Nation Newspaper

Tag: boko haram

  • Despite attacks, INEC vows to conduct elections in Madagali

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) in Adamawa says the Monday night attack by suspected insurgents in Madagali Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, will not deter it from conducting elections in the area.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that there was an insurgent attack in Kirchinga and Shuwa villages of Madagali LGA.

    Mr. Kasim Gaidam, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) told NAN that the commission was committed to conducting elections in designated areas in Madagali.

    “The Independent National Electoral Commission, the good people of Madagali and the entire Adamawa State have resolved to ensure election is conducted in Madagali.

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    “No amount of threats, intimidation and sabotage would stop INEC from conducting the elections,” Gaidam said.

    The REC said the commission, with the support of security agencies and other relevant stakeholders, would ensure the successful conduct of in the area; and Adamawa in general.

    Gaidam, who noted that there were more than 81,000 registered voters in Madagali LGA, assured the electorate that INEC would not disenfranchise them.

  • Boko Haram kills five in Adamawa

    Boko Haram insurgents attacked three communities in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State Monday night, dislodging policemen on routine duty and wreaking havoc on the town.

    A security officer who spoke on the incident on condition of anonymity Tuesday morning said the insurgents killed three people, destroyed 20 shops and three cars and carted away valuable items.

    The anonymous security officer named the communities affected as Shuwa, Kirshingari and Shuari.

    This latest attack confirms fears over the security situation in Madagali, the only local government area in Adamawa State where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier said voting would take place in only three communities, including Shuwa.

    Residents said the insurgents who arrived in several vehicles about 7pm Monday, took over Madagali until soldiers from Gulak and Michika intervened to engage the insurgents in a battle that lasted for about two hours.

    The Commander of 28 Task Force Battalion in Mubi, Lt Col Haruna, said the insurgents had been repelled.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa State, DSP Othman Abubakar, assured that a combined team of security personnel had brought the situation under control.

    Madagali is one of the seven LGAs in Adamawa State that Boko Haram once seized. The situation remained so bad in the area just before elections in 2015 that the elections did not hold there and the neighbouring Michika LGA.

  • Army repels Boko Haram attack in Yobe

    Troops of 159 Battalion, Forward Operational Base (FOB), Sector 2, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, on Monday evening repelled attempted terrorists incursion into the border town of Kanama, Yunusari Local Government of Yobe.

    The Acting Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Lt. Njoka Irabor made this known in a press statement issued in Damaturu.

    Irabor said “The terrorists came in at about 5:30pm and started shooting sporadically and vigilant troops of the FOB engaged them.

    “Consequently, the terrorists were overwhelmed by the superior firepower of the gallant troops of 159 Battalion and the well-coordinated air support from the Air Component of Operation LAFIYA DOLE.

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    “This resulted in inflicting casualty on the terrorists, while some of them retreated with gunshot wounds.

    “The resilient troops have embarked on hot pursuit of the fleeing surviving attackers towards Niger Republic border.

    “Further details of the casualties on the terrorists and recoveries would be provided on completion of the mop up and pursuit operations”, he said. (NAN)

  • Buhari’s exemplary punches on Boko Haram insurgency

    Public affairs analyst, John C. Maxwell,  once echoed that  “The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense.” President Muhammadu Buhari is one such archetypal leader whose one unyielding obsession  was Boko Haram insurgency, when he  emerged as Nigeria’s democratic leader in 2015.
    President Buhari knew Nigeria was under suffocating siege by Boko Haram insurgency. It was apparent that if his national government hedges in firmly and squarely tackling and uprooting terrorism from the shores of Nigeria, it was as good as bidding farewell to the corporate existence of the nation. He knew Nigeria wanted to reclaim their country from terrorists; live in peace and security.
    And the problems were multiple.  He inherited a demoralized, unmotivated and poorly equipped military, led by an inept leadership. Soldiers in the trenches fighting Boko Haram were owed salaries and allowances. They operated more like unwilling horses.
    The shame of Nigeria manifested when Nigerian troops of the Nigerian  Army 213 battalion, Operation Task Force Mike and 234 battalion, shirked from the battlefront in Gwoza township as they approached the  Islamists militant Boko Haram from Madagali in 2014 in the Northeast.
    This expressed supremacy of Boko Haram insurgents, which seriously bruised the pride and dignity of the Nigerian nation-state was the signpost of the extent the terrorists had taken over Nigeria. The factsheet revealed that by May 2015 when President Buhari mounted the saddle as Nigeria’s leader, Boko Haram had effectively captured, controlled and administered 17 LGAs in the Northeast.  The insurgents also established partial control of another seven local government areas in the region.
    A greater number of the sensationally abducted Chibok schoolgirls by insurgents were still in captivity and generally, over 20, 000 Nigerians, comprising women and children were held hostage by the Islamic militants. Camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) dotted the landscapes of the Northeast, as thousands fled Nigeria to neighbouring countries.
    A United Nations (UN) report  estimated that over 2.4 million Nigerians were displaced by Boko Haram insurgency.  In a media interview in 2013, the then President Goodluck Jonathan said, Boko Haram insurgency has claimed the lives of over 13, 000 Nigerians.
    Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) became Boko Haram’s favourite striking point. They attacked the UN Building, security formations, shopping malls, motor parks and a dozen other places on a daily basis. Fear, pains, agonies, deaths and destructions in most parts of Northern Nigeria were the bitter pills insurgents forced Nigerians to swallow unmolested.
    President Buhari reviewed the scenario and understood the wisdom of a commentator, PeteHoekstra, who said, “Real leadership is leaders recognizing that they serve the people that they lead.”  Buhari knew Nigerians needed his service in extricating them from the claws of lethal terrorism.
    Thus, President Buhari’s first official directive on his Inauguration day was that the Nigerian Military Command should relocate to Maiduguri from Abuja to battle  Boko Haram.
    Buhari stated in his speech that, “The command centre will be relocated to Maiduguri and remain until Boko Haram is completely subdued. But we cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.”
    Next, President Buhari knew it was imperative to inject fresh blood into the military leadership in the country. And in July 2015, Nigeria had a new set of Service Chiefs   and Lt. Gen. T.Y. Buratai was appointed the Chief of Army Staff  (COAS) and leader of the counter-insurgency  operations in the country.
    And believing in the principle of John MacAthur who knows “A leader focuses on objectives, not obstacles,”  in  Gen. Buratai’s first verbal interface with Nigerians on the Boko Haram terrorism, he vowed to confront the insurgents fearlessly and decimate them by December 2015.
    The President now re-equipped the empty armory of the Nigerian military to adequately arm them for the ardous task and to conquer all obstacle on their path to corner victory. He also prioritized payment of salaries and allowances of Nigerian military, especially troops in the trenches.  It was a tonic that revived the dampened spirit of troops, who were in high spirits and went to extra miles in crushing insurgents.
    Therefore, President Buhari’s rejig of the Military’s top echelon was a major setback to the terrorists, who were persistently assailed   and defiantly by Nigerian troops on the battlefield. Gen. Buratai  migrated  the counter-insurgency war to the doorstep of the terrorists and begun to record streaks of victories for Nigeria.
    In essence, by December 2015, the administration of President Buhari had successfully subdued and decimated Boko Haram insurgency. By the turn of 2016, the Buhari President started reclaiming Nigerian territories seized and occupied by insurgents in the Northeast.  And December of the same year, Nigerian troops, invaded and captured the dreaded Sambisa forest, by penetrating its Camp Zero, the safe haven of Boko Haram’s factional leader, Abubakar Shekau and other top commanders.
    Looking back at yesterday, President Buhari’s imprints in battling insurgency in Nigeria in the past three years have posted rewarding and impressive results.  Over 16, 000 Nigerians under Boko Haram captivity have been rescued and reunited with their families and communities. Over 100 of the Chibok schoolgirls have been rescued and nearly all the Dapchi schoolgirls were expeditiously rescued from their captors.
    Majority of the IDPs camps in the Northeast have been dismantled, as thousands of IDPs, including those in the diaspora have returned to deserted communities and villages in secured environments.  Quite significantly, the Buhari Presidency has now confined the atrocities of Boko Haram to the fringes of Lake Chad Basin and far-flung areas of the Sambisa forest enclave.

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    The Buhari Presidency has not just stopped Boko Haram from capturing more territories, but no Nigerian territory is under Boko Haram occupation now. All the 17 LGAS have been retaken by Nigerian troops.  And all religious and traditional rulers dislodged or deposed by insurgents in the Northeast have been restored on their positions. Most cities in the Northeast, under the furnace of the Islamic militants like Maiduguri  and Damaturu  now bubbles with life, as  another sign of the restoration of normalcy.

    In the words of Peter Drucker,  “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.”  So, President Buhari sauntered on Nigeria’s leadership pulpit and immediately grasped the enormity and severity of the menace of Boko Haram. He spoke less or, showcased his leadership through actions than words.
    Today, Boko Haram is an emaciated monster in the country, as their capacity to recklessly visit horrendous atrocities on Nigerians has been decapitated considerably. And President Buhari  is currently angling for the final defeat of Boko Haram insurgency with Nigerian troops  ongoing clearance operations in  the region.
    Nonetheless, the victory of Nigeria over Boko Haram has come with a great cost in human and material resources to the nation. To Nigerians who have paid the supreme price and still battling against insurgency, President Buhari consoles or encourages with the words of Steve Buyer thus; “For those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, we are grateful that such men and women were among us. For those who continue to serve, we honor their commitment. For those who return to civilian life, we honor their service.”
    Okpabi, a researcher in Peace and Conflict Resolution wrote from the Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja.

     

  • Troops neutralise four terrorists in Borno

    The Nigerian Army said on Monday that four Boko Haram terrorists have been killed by troops during an encounter with the terrorists at Mallam Fatori, Borno State.

    A statement signed by Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu said three soldiers were however wounded during the exchange of fire by troops and the insurgents.

    He added that weapons of different types were recovered from the terrorists by the gallant troops.

    Colonel Nwachukwu said: “Troops of 118 and 119 Task Force Battalions of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in northern Borno have neutralised 4 Boko Haram terrorists in an encounter yesterday night at Mallam Fatori, a border town in Abadam Local Government Area of Borno state.

    “On Saturday 2nd February 2019, a group of Boko Haram terrorists attempted to attack the town taking advantage of darkness but met their Waterloo in an encounter with gallant troops of 118 and 119 Task Force Battalions.

    “The vigilant troops engaged the terrorists with heavy firepower and instantly despatched 4 of the attackers to the great beyond, while some of them escaped with gunshot wounds.

    “The fleeing surviving terrorists abandoned some of their weapons and equipment which were recovered by the troops.

    “The recovered items include 1 Light Machine Gun, 1 Rocket Propelled Grenade 7 (RPG 7) tubes, 3 Rocket Propelled Grenade Bombs, 3 Rocket Propelled Grenade Chargers, a belt of 200 rounds of 7.62 mm (NATO type) ammunition, 5 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition and 4 Hand Grenades.

    “The gallant troops are unrelenting and are further exploiting their success, as they engage in hot pursuit of the fleeing insurgents.

    “Three soldiers, however, sustained various injuries during the encounter. They are all in stable condition and receiving medical attention.”

  • Air Force strikes Boko Haram in northern Borno

    The Nigerian Air Force said last night that it killed some terrorists during its air strikes on Boko Haram logistics base in northern Borno.

    Its spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola in a statement, said the strikes were conducted after intelligence reports indicated the presence of the insurgents in the area.

    Air Commodore Daramola said: “The Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed an Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) logistics base near Arege in the northern part of Borno State.

    “This was accomplished in an air strike conducted yesterday, 2 February 2019, after series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions revealed the presence of some vehicles and equipment, well camouflaged under dense vegetation in the area.

    “Accordingly, the ATF scrambled a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the location, supported by an ISR aircraft which conducted the Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) for the mission.

    “The BDA revealed that the Alpha Jet’s bomb strikes scored direct hits on the target location, totally destroying the vehicles and other logistics items, thereby further degrading the terrorists’ capabilities.

    “At the end of the attack, the entire area was engulfed in fire and terrorists in the location neutralised.

    “The NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, will sustain its efforts to completely destroy all remnants of the terrorists in the Northeast.”

  • ‘Boko Haram planning to win public sympathy by releasing of rustled cattle’

    The Nigerian Army on Sunday said it had uncovered plot by Boko Haram insurgents to win public sympathy through the unconditional release of rustled cattle to the owners.

    In a statement, Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, reported the Theater Commander, Maj.-Gen. Benson Akinroluyo, as disclosing that the insurgents deceived people by voluntarily returning cattle, hitherto rustled from the owners in the northeast.

    Nwachukwu disclosed that the Commander raised the alarm while addressing troops of Sector 2 during a three-day operational tour conducted between Jan. 31 and February 2.

    “The army has uncovered the employment of deception by Boko Haram terrorists to win the confidence and support of locals in the North East.

    “Boko Haram terrorists now engage in cattle rustling and later return the rustled cattle to their owners, thereby deceitfully creating the impression of Good Samaritan and presenting themselves as protector of the people.”

    Nwachukwu described the gimmick as dangerous ploy, stressing that the trend must be checked to avoid escalation.

    He tasked the troops to prevent any form of cattle rustling by the insurgents, noting that the they now used it as a means of psychological warfare to make the locals see them in positive light and be receptive to their ideology.

    The commander also called on community and opinion leaders to educate members of their communities on the development.

    “You must be vigilant and not fall for the antics of the terrorists; cattle rustling has earlier been identified as a means of raising funds for Boko Haram terrorists.

    “Now they invented deceit by first stealing the cattle and later returning same to their owners to make the locals believe they are pious and possibly turn blind eyes to their nefarious activities ”

    The army therefore, called on the youth not to shun the insurgents’ propaganda and not to be persuaded to join the group, describing them as enemy of the people.

    The Theatre Commander, accompanied by the Commander Sector 2, Brig.- Gen. Mohammed Dala, also visited the troops at the Nigerian Army Special Forces School and 27 Task Force Brigade in Buni Yadi, as well as 159  and 233 Battalions at Geidam and Damaturu

    According to him, the military authorities accords priority to address operational challenges and improvement of the troops’ welfare.

    The commander also visited troops undergoing medical treatment at the Sector 2 Field Ambulance. (NAN)

  • Rann: Army denies killing of 60 by Boko Haram

    The Nigerian Army on Saturday dismissed as misleading reports by the Amnesty International (AI), alleging that 60 displaced persons were killed by the Boko Haram insurgents at Rann community in Kala Balge Local Government Area of Borno.

    Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Operation Lafiya Dole, made the clarification in a statement in Maiduguri.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Amnesty International in a report alleged that Boko Haram insurgents attacked the community sequel to the withdrawal of troops from the area.

    Nwachukwu disclosed that there was no evidence of such attack as well as murder of 60 persons by the insurgents on January 28; as claimed by the organization.

    He said: “The attention of the Theatre Command, Operation LAFIYA DOLE has been drawn to recent claims by Amnesty International (AI) that troops’ abandonment of their deployment led to the killing of 60 civilians in Rann on Jan. 28, 2018.

    “Undoubtedly, it is disheartening that the situation of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs) who are already traumatized, having been displaced from their ancestral homes by insurgency, is being further aggravated by recent callous Boko Haram attack on the IDP community.

    “However; it is most unacceptable and unfair for AI to make such outlandish and unverified claims that troops abandoned their deployment a day before Boko Haram attack on the location, thereby exposing the IDPs to a deadly attack.

    “This claim is not only bereft of truth, but in its usual mannerism, another futile effort by AI to portray the Nigerian military as incapable and project the Nigerian government as not protective of her people in the eyes of the global community.

    “It is, therefore, inevitable to address this misinformation being peddled and fed the public from  AI’s obviously uninformed report’’.

    Nwachukwu explained that the insurgents attacked the community on Jan. 14, as against Jan. 28, as claimed by the Amnesty International.

    He added that during the encounter with the insurgents on Jan. 14, the troops proved their gallantry, neutralized two suicide bombers and three Boko Haram fighters, while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

    The army spokesperson revealed that the Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen. Benson Akinroluyo, accompanied by the Commander Sector 1, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Brig. Gen. Bulama Biu, conducted a long range patrol and battle damage assessment exercise at Rann and other adjoining communities in the area.

    He observed that the report of the assessment exercise indicated that there were no records of 60 persons killed in the insurgents’ attack as claimed by the AI.

    “Contrary to AI’s claims, at no point of the assessment indicated the killing of 60 persons made either by members of the community, whom the Sector Commander interacted with or by the members of the Multi National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), who were at hand during the assessment.

    “Again, the alleged 60 dead bodies were not recovered during search and rescue operation conducted after the attack, as AI would want members of the public to believe.

    “The troops commenced a clearance operation in villages surrounding Rann and destroyed Boko Haram terrorists’ camps that were uncovered during the operation.

    “In one of such clearance operations on Jan. 30, the troops encountered an ambush staged by the terrorists along Gamboru – Mafa Road and gallantly fought through it, overpowering the insurgents,” he said.

    According to Nwachukwu, another issue in the controversial AI report is the alleged attack on Rann on Jan. 28.

    He said, whereas there was no such attack, rather, an alarm was raised by IDPs in Rann over the sudden withdrawal of troops under the MNJTF from the location, to which the authorities of Operation LAFIYA quickly responded.

    “The Commander Sector, Operation LAFIYA DOLE returned to Rann on Jan. 29, with reinforcement troops to beef-up and support the troops there.

    “The astronomical statistics of human casualty touted by AI and the alleged abdication of duty by our selfless and resilient troops cannot hold water in the face of facts.

    “Facts of the several exemplary physical involvements of the Theatre Commander and the Commander Sector 1 as well as Commanders of 22 Brigade and 3 Battalion in ensuring normalcy returns to Rann and the reinforcement and replenishment of the troops,” Nwachukwu said.

    He also blamed the organisation for inability to verify facts in the compilation of its report, adding that the organisation wrongly accused the military of wrongdoing.

    Nwachukwu noted that the troops deployed to the frontlines become victims of the insurgents’ attacks and sacrificed their lives in defense of the people and the country .

    He said the military authorities were deeply touched by the demise of those who fell during the insurgents’ attack in Rann and sympathised with humanitarian organisations and aid workers affected by the attack.

    The army spokesman stressed that the atrocities perpetrated by the insurgents was a clarion call to international and local communities to support the Nigerian military to enable it end insurgency and restore peace to the troubled region.

    While reiterating the commitments of the Army to defend the nation’s territorial integrity, protect life and property, Nwachukwu said that the military would not be distracted from its duties by smear campaigns. (NAN)

  • 60 killed in deadliest Boko Haram attack on Rann, Borno – Amnesty International

    Amnesty International claimed yesterday that no fewer than  60 people were killed in the  January 28, 2019 attack on Rann, Borno State, by Boko Haram.

    “We have now confirmed that this week’s attack on Rann was the deadliest yet by Boko Haram, killing at least 60 people,” Osai Ojigho, Director of Amnesty International Nigeria said in a statement.

    He added: “using satellite imagery we have also been able to confirm the mass burning of structures as Boko Haram unleashed a massive assault on Rann, most of which is now destroyed.

    “This attack on civilians who have already been displaced by the bloody conflict may amount to possible war crime, and those responsible must be brought to justice.”

    Source: Amnesty International

    He said: “witnesses told us that Nigerian soldiers abandoned their posts the day before the attack, demonstrating the authorities’ utter failure to protect civilians.”

    The terrorists allegedly stormed the town on motorcycles on the fateful day setting houses ablaze and killing those left behind.

    Eleven bodies were found within Rann town, and 49 bodies were found outside.

    Read also: Amnesty Int warns FG against hostility towards journalists

    The human rights group quoted an eyewitness as saying: “Ten of us [Civilian Joint Task Force] came from Cameroon to Rann for the burial. When we arrived, we found and buried 11 corpses within the town, but the soldiers told us that they buried several others yesterday [30 January] who had decayed. Outside the town, we recovered and buried 49 dead bodies all with gunshot wounds.”

    Attempts  to get the army  for comments on the Amnesty International’s account yesterday  did not succeed

  • Buratai and the price for national honour

    I reflected intensely, on the presidential and national assembly elections held February 23, 2019. My thoughts meandered far and near.  The gory images of violence before and after the elections kept assaulting my psyche. I feared and dreaded February 23. I wanted to relocate to a neighboring country for safety.
    I wasn’t alone in this cage. Nigerians were generally apprehensive. The signposts of phobia were everywhere in the country and President Muhammadu Buhari knew it. Mr. President, a security czar of the military ilk, got the message clearly that conventional civil security alone cannot police Nigeria on Election Day and post-election period; the feverish days results are enthusiastically awaited.
    Buhari knew the army  is the only saving grace.  So, he called the COAS and leader of counter-terrorism in Nigeria, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai  to render assistance to regular civil security. Buratai complied with the instructions of his Commander-In-Chief (C-In-C).
    To this minute,  I can’t believe that the elections were not only peaceful, but free, fair and credible. The trouble shooters dreaded the sight of soldiers in obscure localities and the amassed weapons of mass destructions were not released on Nigerians.
    I know, the party thugs and their debased chieftains knew any such attempt could be met with stiffer response from the Army. And as far as I know Gen. Buratai, the culprits will not escape. They will be hunted to the remotest part of their ancestral villages or fortified dungeons.
    So, they never came out to ply their violent trade. And Nigeria is happier.  The election observers from the international community are more excited and have argued plausibly that Nigeria did not burst into flames anymore. They have commended the Nigerian Army and indeed, sister security agents for the marvelous job.
    I hate violence. I hate killings.  I hate public anger expressed with swords and daggers. I understand, there is no admissible theory which prescribes absence of conflict, where human beings co-exist.  But dialogue is usually the way out. Where angst rise to the point of violence, I detest it infinitely.  But Gen. Buratai and the Army he leads have saved us again.
    And it is the reason which has prompted me to scribble this piece. Gen. Buratai is always there at the hour of need.  He thinks Nigeria at all times. He thinks the security, peace and unity of Nigeria. I am hued from a military family. But in recent times,  no Army General has impressed me like Gen. Buratai.  Most of us may not understand, the inferno Nigeria faced until President Buhari came on board and  appointed Gen. Buratai as COAS with the silent message that “make  your troops available for internal security, anytime I so request.”
    We have remained the only country in Africa with multiple insecurity threats. Each time I reflect on it, I am always tempted to dismiss our nation, as a failed state. But when I look at President Buhari, he rekindles my hope and animates my faith in this country. He actions assures me that we shall not slide dangerously into perdition.
    Can we talk to ourselves or conscience? Can we ask reflective and soul-searching questions on why we are facing Boko Haram terrorism; violent secession agitations; militancy, armed banditry and cattle rustling, herders/farmer clashes and other numerous communal or insurrectional crises? Do we want peace in this nation?
    How do we look at ourselves and fraternity for the troubles we create and the blood we spill delightedly? And the one person bearing the brunt of  our senselessness is Gen. Buratai and his troops. They know nothing about it; they are not part of the secret meetings we hold in dark chambers or places to breach national security or kill ourselves.
     But soldiers are the ones paying for our evil. Many have lost their lives for us to be secured from the aggression of these demonic forces.   I am eternally grateful to the Army.
    Those who attempted to compromise the electoral process in the first round of the elections met their waterloo. Soldiers arrested and handed them over to the Police for prosecution. We enjoy post-election peace today because Gen. Buratai was the silent “emperor” or shadows of peaceful elections or the omniscient eye watching over the security of Nigeria.
    I don’t know when President Buhari is holding the next national merit award. But may I talk to my President publicly on this forum. Your Excellency, Sir, the COAS, Lt.Gen.  Tukur Yusufu Buratai is eminently qualified for the 2019 national merit honors in Nigeria.  I am a citizen of Nigeria from Nasarawa state and Gen. Buratai is my nominee.
     I am not passing this message through a third party. Mr. President, my political leader,  I am addressing you publicly and directly.  I won’t suggest the title of the national merit honours you will confer on Gen. Buratai. But I know,  if you grant my request, you will give him one of very best on behalf of Nigerians in appreciation of his service to fatherland.
    I can’t wait to see the next list of Nigerians for its national merit award. One name that must feature prominently is Gen.  TY Buratai. If Nigerians do not see his name, my President, Nigerians will query you.  He has justified himself in service to the nation from the first day he enlisted into the Nigerian Army.
    He is the first COAS staff, I know in Nigeria who clads himself with fighting garments and jump into the trenches and jungles to fight enemies of Nigeria alongside his troops.  His patriotism is unequalled. Politicians dread his shadows like a vampire because they know, he cannot be compromised or influenced,  no matter the amount in millions offered to him as bribe.
    Soldiers under his watch dare not go close to politics.  They are apolitical or neutral and any Army personnel who violate this rule, directive or code faces the most severe consequences.
    Buratai has proven to be a dependable ally of the C-in-C, President Buhari. He has dispensed himself as a soldier and leader  who can be trusted with any national assignment and he will deliver just the way it has been spelt.
    Some silent, undercover forces monitored the Army  to see their actions  on civil duty  during the elections, as it  concerns national security, but found no fault. Nothing was found! Rather, the Army’s roles have been acknowledged in stabilization of the polity and the electoral process. The report   in commendations of the Army is really awesome.  Gen. Buratai didn’t do this alone,  but with his commanders and lieutenants whom he has trained to think, reason and act like him all day.
    Even  Boko Haram insurgents who tried to stop the elections in the Northeast met stiff resistance from the Army and the elections held peacefully in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Terrorists who again, tested the might of the Nigerian Amy these states were randomly captured by our troops who had laid ambush on them.
    I have no doubt that democracy has come to stay in Nigeria. But  honour must be given to only those who have paid the right price. My President, Gen. Buratai has done a lot to stabilize our democratic journey and national security. As a citizen of Nigeria, please, Your Excellency, do me this favour; inspire Gen. TY Buratai and  his troops commanders with the next national merit honours awards.
    Odoma wrote this piece from Asokoro, Abuja.