•Many insurgents killed in operations
•Gaidam seeks new military approach
•Aliyu supports emergency rule’s extension
•NEMA registers 700,000 IDPs in Borno, others
THE Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said yesterday that troops have killed many Boko Haram insurgents and reclaimed three communities in Adamawa State.
The recovered communities are Gombi, Pelia and Hong, which were occupied last week by the insurgents.
The troops have been ordered to secure all reclaimed communities.
A tweet by the Defence Headquarters said: “Our troops are in full control of Gombi, Pelia and Hong as operations to clear all areas infested by terrorists continue.
“Many terrorists are being captured as some die. Weapons and equipment are also being recovered. Mopping up ongoing in the areas.”
A military source, who spoke in confidence, added: “The ongoing military operations in Northeast are to clear all areas infested by terrorists.
“This time around, troops gained the upper hand by killing many insurgents. We cannot give the exact figures until after mopping up in the communities.
“We will provide evidence to show that troops have really taken charge of some seized communities.”
The source said the Defence Headquarters had directed that “troops should remain in all the reclaimed towns until a proper clean-up is effected and security of lives and property guaranteed.
“The trend in the past was for troops to leave any recovered area, but the insurgents are taking advantage to regroup for reprisals. More troops will be deployed in the Northeast to reinforce those on ground.”
Also yesterday, Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said the extension of the state of emergency rule would amount to nothing, if the military approach is not overhauled.
A statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Abdullahi Bego, said: “Over the past 12 months when the emergency rule declared by Mr. President was renewed twice, after the first one, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam had approached the renewal with caution, always emphasising the need for an all-hands-on-deck approach where the military troops on the ground are sufficiently kitted by the Federal Government and people across the affected states pitched in to do their parts, through vigilance, community surveillance and helping the security forces in every way possible to defeat the criminals and insurgents, who are wreaking havoc.
”However, ongoing emergency rule has, so far, failed to roll back and contain the disaster that is Boko Haram. Only 10 days ago, our very young students full of hope for the future at Government Science Technical College (GSTC), Potiskum, were killed in a very evil and grotesque manner. And there were many others before them in four schools and in communities in the affected states.”
The statement added: “Governor Gaidam believes that the presence of military troops on the ground is absolutely necessary, but not sufficient to take the war to the insurgents and to defeat them. There are other vital ingredients, which must feature now, if the current extension is to enjoy any success at all.
”One of these, Governor Gaidam believes and has voiced out on many occasions before, is the absolute need to provide heavy weaponry and military gear that the hard-working troops on the ground need. From Afghanistan to Somalia, terrorists and insurgents are defeated or forced into hiding only through the use of advanced weaponry.
“The governor has said before – and it bears repeating now – that the Federal Government also needs to adopt or build on an approach that addresses ongoing security challenges from the bottom up. That means actively partnering with local communities and community leaders to get them to enroll more actively in the fight to restore peace and security.”
The statement added that the government should provide more support to the affected communities, more than it was doing.
It said: “With more support to people who have been displaced or who have lost limps, livelihoods or loved ones to the criminal activities of the insurgents, it’s more likely that people will participate more actively in going forward.
”And this, by the way, is a measure that the Yobe State government itself has taken as the governor pushes on with mobilisation effort to get people throughout the state to continue to pray for Almighty Allah’s direct intervention and to stay vigilant and help the security forces with useful information.”
Gaidam also pleaded to the Federal Government to invest more in education and infrastructure in the Northeast to help the people to recover.
According to him, “There is no question that the affected states are doing their best in so many ways under very difficult circumstances, but the Federal Government can help accelerate the process by intervening in road construction, rebuilding and re-equipping of schools, and by setting up regional skills hubs, where young people and women would get the training they need to support themselves and their families.”
The statement also called on the government to engage in multilateral approach against the insurgents.
Also yesterday, the Chairman of Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Niger State Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan’s request for extension of emergency rule in the troubled northeast states.
He, however, opposed the dismantling of the democratic structures in the three affected states, saying such action would be unconstitutional.
Aliyu spoke after being screened for the National Assembly election by the National Screening Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the party’s secretariat in Minna.
The governor argued that the extension of emergency rule in the affected states should not be viewed from the point of performance of the security operatives in the region, but from the perspective that “Nigeria should do what is right in the eyes of the international community.”
Aliyu explained that if emergency rule is not extended, human rights activists would accuse the government of human rights abuse, adding that this would discredit the nation before the international community.
He said: “What we should understand is that what we are facing is a guerrilla war; this is terrorism. Terrorists do not respect the rules. When you need to fight the people, you need to declare a state of emergency.
“If you do not declare a state of emergency, you are susceptible to human rights abuse. There is a misconception on declaration of emergency rule. The rule did not say political structures should be dismantled”.
The request for an extension by President Jonathan last Tuesday failed to secure the Senate’s approval, as the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly was divided over the issue.
Meanwhile, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has registered about 700,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
The agency gave the statistics from its North-East zonal office in Maiduguri.
NEMA said IDPs in Adamawa are 160,198, Borno 402,039 and Yobe 116,536. They are all in various camps.
There are 12 camps in Borno and six in Adamawa.
The Adamawa camps hold 4,412 IDPs at the NYSC camp in Yola; 3,205 at Nyako Housing Estate camp; 658 at Malkohi camp; 120 at COCIN Church, Yola; 836 at the Federal Poly, Yola, and 3,272 at Damare camp.
“The Borno camps have 5,587 IDPs at NYSC camp in Maiduguri; 9,021 at Eccleziya Yan’uwaa Nigeria Church, Wulari, Maiduguri; 2,250 at Government Girls Secondary School, Biu; 5,681 at Government Girls Secondary School, Yerwa; 7,500 at Government College, Maiduguri; 4,750 at Government Girls College, Maiduguri; and 6,000 at Government Girls Secondary School, Maiduguri.
“Also in Borno, the Government Secondary School, Maiduguri is hosting 3,352 IDPs; Chad Basin camp, Maiduguri with 5,336; Sanda Kyarimi Secondary School has 1,003;, Army Primary School II, Maiduguri with 2,000; and Ngomari Gana Primary School, Maiduguri with 2,700,” it said
