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Tag: Military operations

  • Military operations: The imperative of heeding security alerts

    Military operations: The imperative of heeding security alerts

    • By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

    The tragic air strike that took place on May 31, 2025, in the Maraya–Wabi axis of Zamfara State—resulting in the elimination of twenty armed bandits—offers a painful but important lesson about the critical importance of complying with security alerts during military operations.

    According to intelligence reports, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), while pursuing fleeing terrorists, executed a precision airstrike in a bandit-infested area. The targeted terrorists, known for attacking villages and ambushing security personnel, were attempting to regroup and escape through forest routes. In response, a decisive air raid was authorized to eliminate them before they could vanish into nearby communities.

    The operation was largely successful, neutralizing over 20 terrorists and destroying several of their motorcycles. However, the mission also resulted in unintended civilian casualties—individuals who ignored repeated warnings and evacuation directives issued by both the military and local authorities. Their tragic deaths underscore the dire consequences of disregarding security advisories.

    This incident reflects a broader and troubling trend in Nigeria’s conflict zones, where civilians often downplay or outright shun warnings from security forces. Several factors contribute to this behavior. Years of living under the shadow of violence have desensitized many residents, leading to a false sense of security.

    For some, the presence of military activity or the sound of gunfire has become so routine that it no longer triggers urgent action. Others mistakenly believe their remote villages are too insignificant to be affected, even when fighting occurs close by.

    The challenge is further compounded by the spread of misinformation and the lack of clear, real-time communication. In many communities, residents rely on rumors or dismiss official alerts as exaggerated or irrelevant, often with deadly consequences.

    In modern asymmetric warfare—especially in Nigeria’s North-West and North-East—terrorists frequently flee into villages or blend with civilians to evade capture, forcing security forces to act swiftly and decisively. Airstrikes, while effective, can have tragic results if civilians remain in or near the target area. Therefore, evacuation orders or movement restrictions must not be taken lightly. These directives are issued to save lives.

    The Zamfara incident is not isolated. Similar tragedies have occurred in Sokoto, Katsina, and Borno states, where timely intelligence was either ignored or inadequately communicated. Each of these painful events reinforces the urgent need for better awareness, responsiveness, and mutual trust between civilians and security agencies.

    Read Also: DSS, military continue dislodgement of bandits, neutralise 45 in Niger

    Survivors and eyewitnesses often express deep regret for not acting sooner. Their testimonies highlight the consequences of failing to respond to warnings. For security agencies, such outcomes complicate operations, damage public trust, and provide propaganda fodder for adversaries—despite their mission to protect lives.

    To prevent recurrence, communities must treat every security alert with the seriousness it deserves. What appears calm can escalate in moments during high-risk operations. Immediate compliance with evacuation or movement directives should become standard practice, not a reluctant afterthought.

    Proactive collaboration between communities and security forces is equally vital. Establishing local liaison officers, community radio systems, mobile alerts, and pre-designated evacuation zones can bridge the communication gap. Regular drills and public sensitization programs should be institutionalized in areas vulnerable to insurgent activity.

    Such measures not only enhance preparedness but also build community resilience. Religious leaders, traditional rulers, and civil society organizations must play active roles in educating the public about the life-saving importance of following security directives.

    Moreover, government and security agencies must enhance their community engagement efforts. Warnings should be delivered in local languages, backed by credible action, and followed by transparent communication. When civilian casualties occur, thorough investigations and appropriate restitution are essential to rebuild trust and ensure continued cooperation.

    Ultimately, the Zamfara airstrike is a painful yet instructive reminder that military success hinges on civilian cooperation. Remaining in a high-risk zone during combat operations is not an act of courage—it is a fatal misjudgment. The inconvenience of temporary displacement pales in comparison to the cost of ignoring life-saving advice.

    Security alerts are not abstract bureaucratic messages; they are grounded in intelligence and crafted to protect lives. Ignoring them could mean the difference between survival and tragedy. As Nigeria continues its fight against terrorism, every citizen must understand their role in ensuring personal and communal safety.

    Safety is a shared responsibility. The first step toward staying alive is simple: listen and act when security forces speak. The lesson from Zamfara must not be forgotten. It must instead ignite a culture of awareness, responsibility, and unity in the face of ever-present danger.

    Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Crisis Communication, Abuja.

    Email: ymukhtar944@gmail.com

  • CDS: bad roads frustrating military operations against bandits

    CDS: bad roads frustrating military operations against bandits

    Bad roads in the Northeast are frustrating military operations, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, said yesterday.

    He said bandits were taking advantage of the poor road conditions to evade security.

    The CDS spoke during a courtesy visit to Minister of Works David Umahi in Abuja.

    Gen. Musa said the military recognises the significance of a good road network as it enhances security.

    His words: “We are following your activities on the internet, and we know you’re almost everywhere.

    “I want to commend you for the efforts you are putting in.

     “We know how determined you are to ensure that our roads are back. We all know that without roads, there can be no peace.”

    Read Also; Nigeria’s security architecture stretched beyond elastic limits, says Tinubu

    The minister, who said the Federal Government was addressing road infrastructure across the country, commended the CDS for the Armed Forces’ bid to rid the country of banditry.

    On the recent killing of some military personnel in Okuama, Delta State, Umahi praised the display of maturity exhibited by the military in the face of provocation.

    “Let me offer my deepest condolences to you for your personnel who were brutally murdered while doing everything to ensure peace and security in the area. It’s quite very unfortunate,” he said.

    Also yesterday, Umahi said the Federal Government had initiated discussions with host states along the 700km Lagos-Calabar coastal highway regarding the allocation of land for the establishment of economically sustainable towns.

    He said the discussions were crucial as establishing economically sustainable towns along the road will allow nearby communities to fully harness the economic advantages of the coastal highway.

    The first phase of the highway is to be completed within 36 months.

  • One soldier killed, assorted ammunition recovered from bandits in Zamfara

    One soldier was allegedly killed and assorted ammunition recovered during an exchange of gunfire between troops dual and bandits in Zamfara State.

    The military operations, Sharar Daji and Harbin Kunama III were carried out in various communities of Zamfara state, during which 934 x 7.62mm (NATO) ammunition, one AK 47 rifle, one chain used  to  prevent their kidnapped victims from escaping and seven motorcycles were recovered from the bandits.

    According to a statement issued on Friday in Gusau by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Major Clem Abiade, the troops, while on patrol to Kara Market in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State also arrested a suspected informant to the bandits and three other suspects Lawwali Denden; Salisu Na-mansu and Kabiru Kamarawa from Kamarawa village of Shinkafi axis and Mohammed Sani from Indiri village.

    Abiade said the suspects had been handed over to the  appropriate security agency for further interrogation and possible prosecution.

    He said: ‘’The ongoing dual military operations, Operation “Sharar Daji” and “Exercise Harbin Kunama III,” are aimed at mitigating banditry and criminality that is on the high rise in Zamfara. The troops in conjunction with the Nigerian Army Deep Blue Special Forces, NAF Air Component and Vigilantes while on clearance operation to ALJUMMA FULANI and KETERE villages in Zamfara State had a fierce encounter with large number of well-armed bandits.’’

    ‘’During the encounter, seven (7) of the bandits were neutralized, while some escaped with possible gunshot wounds. Unfortunately, one soldier had paid the supreme sacrifice, six soldiers and a vigilante were wounded. Due to the superior fire power of the troops, they(troops) were able to compel the bandits to flee and abandon their camps which were set ablaze by the gallant troops.’’

    The statement noted that the Force Commander, Maj Gen Hakeem Oladapo Otiki commiserated with the family of the late soldier and prayed his sacrifice would not be in vain.

    He reiterated the resolve of the troops to tackle the menace of armed banditry and other forms of  criminalities in Zamfara and its contiguous states of Kebbi, Katsina and Sokoto.

     

  • Army trains NSCDC, NIS, others on military operations

    Sixtty-seven security operatives from the Nigerian Army (NA), Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have been trained on how to plan and execute

    Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW).

    The participants comprising 58 from the Army, two each from NIS, DSS and NCS and three from NSCDC were of the ranks of Major and Lieutenants and drawn from Lagos and Ogun States.

    They underwent a five-day intensive training at the instance of the 81 Division Nigerian Army, aimed at improving operations estimate planning and skills, military decision-making process, interagency cooperation and himan rights obligations for counterterrorism operations.

    Commending the participants for the efforts they put in their submissions, Commandant Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC)  Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Abubakar-Sadick Liman said he was optimistic they have acquired beneficial knowledge that would spur them for better performance.

    Read also: Army seeks exemption from budget envelope allocation system

    Liman who was the Special Guest at the event noted that the officers’ knowledge was broadened on intelligence gathering as a tool for successful conduct of military operations, logistics planning in MOOTW and social media, among others.

    “I am therefore convinced that these topics were carefully selected for the cadre, in fulfillment of the Army Headquarters’ and the Division’s Training Directives. This is bearing in mind the Chief of Army Staff’s (COAS’) vision.

    “Let me also quickly point out here that as middle/junior commanders and staff officers, this cadre experience will come handy in your various courses, either in your service/organisation or courses at Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC). It will equally be beneficial in command and staff roles while carrying out your professional military duties,” he said.

    Speaking to reporters after the event, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division Maj.-Gen. Musa Yusuf said the training was a directive from the COAS Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai and held simultaneously across all army divisions.

    “Training like this is done in order to improve the professional efficiency of our officers and soldiers. It is to make our officers better professionals in the discharge of their duty, be it in peace time or in operational areas.”

    Asked why the police were not part of the training, the GOC said an invitation was extended to the police.

    “All security agencies were invited because the MOOTW is internal operation and we are all aware that the police is the lead agency in internal security operations. We all have our respective roles to play.

    “But in the next training, we will ensure that we get across to them aside sending letter so that they can be present. The training is supposed to be every quarter by the directive from Army headquarters but at the division’s level, we are trying to do it more than once a quarter,” he said.

     

  •  ’Military operations in Benue, Taraba, others will avert further bloodshed’

     ’Military operations in Benue, Taraba, others will avert further bloodshed’

    A group, The Middle Belt Conscience Guard, has described the launch of operation rat race in the middle belt part of the country by the Nigerian Army as a timely intervention to avert further bloodshed in the region.

    The group called the Middle beltans to give their maximum co-operation to the military, saying it is important for them to allow the military get rid of killers under whatever guise.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday, Convener /National President, Prince Raymond Enero, commended the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, for always leading the Nigerian Army to protect the sanctity of lives of all Nigerians.

    He said: “As law abiding people, we appeal to members of all our communities to provide information that will enable troops track down the killers that are clouding our land with sadness.

    “The people of the Middle Belt region would be the ultimate winner when Operation Cat Race succeeds as we expect it to. We look forward to a time when the states in the Middle Belt would no longer be used as the poster states for avoidable bloodletting.

    “We are eager to a return to a time when the entire area covered by the North-Central geo-political zone and outlying areas are back to providing an abundance of plant and animal produce to nourish the country with surplus left for export.

    Such expectation can only come to fruition when farmers and herders are not at each other’s jugular, when expats and investors can visit to prospect without fear of being kidnapped and when people are confident of their safety while in transit for their legitimate livekihood.”

    He said the group had wished for this kind of military operation owing to the menace of the identified security problems that falls within the remit of the operation.

    He said: “We have learnt that other military and security services will be collaborating with the Nigerian Army during the operation that would target killer-herdsmen, cattle rustlers, armed bandits, kidnappers, armed militias and other criminal elements in addition to providing training for troops.

    He said similar deployments of troops in certain other geo-political zones were greeted with unnecessarily sensationalized, politicized and demonized by groups that have dark agenda for their people.

    According to Enero, such attitude was even as the larger population in these areas hailed the succession of the operations by the Nigerian Army as helping to restore peace, sanity and stability in their towns and villages.

    He appealled to the political class to desist from the tendency to exploit an operation like this for selfish gains, stressing that the sanctity of the life of the people is greater than any monetary, material or positional gains anyone could hope to make.

    He said:  “This is why we warn state governors, the leadership of farmers’ groups or associations, the leadership of herders’ groups or associations, traditional and religious leaders not to engage in any acts that would deprive the people of the Middle-Belt of the advantages of the military exercise. Because we see this as a timely intervention to avert further bloodshed in our region, we will not hesitate to rise against anyone that that stands in the path of our return to peace.”

  • Understanding Military Operations as Safeguard of State

    In the most recent times, we have had to welcome diverse operations from ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ meaning ‘Operation peace by force’, ‘Operation Harbin Kunama’ meaning ‘Operation Scorpion Sting’ to Operation Egwu Eke, which translates into ‘operation Python Dance’, etc, all out to address issues that affect the general well-being of the Nigerian society.

    ‎
    The Nigerian situation between 1999 till date when the military eventually returned to the Barracks shall remain a reference point in years to come and students of contemporary history will have a lot to up their sleeves.

    Though it has been argued that, handling the problems related to domestic violence and internal security is the basic function of the police, along with maintenance of law-and-order. However, experience overtime has shown that the police are found ill-equipped and ill-trained to handle the situations for which these police organisations are formed! Thus, calling in the military becomes the only available option
    ‎‎
    Armed groups usually spring up in unconventional ways to challenge the very existence of the state and thus, Such as well from time to time has called for deployment of troops to the street. The recent case of the Nigerian military deploying its personnel to some parts of the country is something that has been viewed with mixed feelings, arguments, counter arguments and reactions.

    Addressing such, one may therefore, need to look at what has made these operations necessary and perhaps look into what they are and if they have been able to deliver to the People.

    Looking at‎ it holistically, it is imperative to note that the ‎military is a force authorised to use lethal or deadly force and weapons to support the interests of the state and ‘some’ or all of its citizens. The emphasis on ‘some’ is that there are times, just like in the Nigerian example and as seen elsewhere that citizens turned out laws, pick up arms against the state and in this kind of unfortunate scenario, the military may have no option but to protect the interests of law abiding citizens only.

    The military typically consists of an Army, Navy, Air Force, and in certain countries the Marines and Coast Guard. The task of the military is usually defined as defence of the state, and its citizens, and the prosecution of war against another state. The military may also have additional manifest and latent functions within a society, including, the promotion of a political agenda,as recently seen in Zimbabwe, protecting corporate economic interests, internal population control, construction, emergency services, social ceremonies, and guarding important areas and state assets.

    The military may also function as a discrete sub culture within a larger civil society, through the development of separate infrastructures, which may include housing, schools, utilities, logistics, health and medical, as recently seen in the medical outreach by the soldiers in the ‘Operation Egwu Eke’, in the south east and some parts of the south South, law, food production, finance and banking. In broad usage, the terms “armed forces” and “military” are often treated as synonymous, although in technical usage a distinction is sometimes made in which a country’s armed forces may include both its military and other paramilitary forces. Armed force is the use of armed forces to achieve political objectives.

    For much of military history, particularly In a democracy or other systems, the relationship between the military and the state it serves is a complicated and ever-evolving one. Much depends on the nature of the society itself, and whether it sees the military as important, as for example in time of threat or war, or a burdensome expense typified by defence cuts in time of peace. Nigeria has learnt it’s lessons. Those living in the terror ravaged north-eastern Nigeria knows better and sees the military as an emblem of salvation. One difficult matter in the relation between military and society is control and transparency. In some countries, limited information on military operations and budgeting is accessible for the public, hence the bruhaha when a military operation is launched to quell or handle palpable threats.

    ‎Since the emergence of president Muhammadu Buhari, a retired military General in May 2015, the Nigerian military has carried out myriad of operations under various code names in a bid to continue to safeguard the state from inimical threats within.

    Operation Lafiya Dole which literally translates to ‘Peace by all means’ in Hausa. Is the military code name for the war on terror in Nigeria’s northeast. It was launched by Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai in July 2015 as a replacement for “Operation Zaman Lafiya” which implies, ‘Let’s live in peace’. There was also, Operation Sharan Daji, which was launched in July 2015 to stem the tides of cattle and other livestock rustling and armed banditry in the Nigerian Northwest region and the Operation Awatse: Launched in the Southwest to tackle militants and oil installation vandals around the Arepo, Ishawo and Elepete creeks in Lagos and Ogun States. Operation Awatse was implemented by a combined team from the Air force and Navy with plenty of support from army boots on the ground.

    Then came the Operation Shirin Harbi’ Launched in 2015 to combat the crisis in Bauchi and Gombe States. Shirin Harbi was also useful as the military sought to rein in the killers in Southern Kaduna, and then, Harbin Kunama I, which was the military’s intervention and response to cattle rustling and armed banditry in the Forest of Zamfara and environs. Harbin Kunama literally means sting of a Scorpion” also launched in 2015, in northwest nigeria.

    Crocodile Smile I, which was a South-South operation flagged off in August 2015, was targeted towards improving operational effectiveness in the creeks and halt the destructive activities of oil thieves and militants in the Niger Delta region, sabotaging and crippling Nigeria’s oil installations.

    One of the most talked about Ops of the Nigerian military is the Operation Python Dance, in Nigeria’s south East, which initially was to check the rising tides of robberies, kidnapping and cultism in and around Anambra, until the military deemed it strategically fit to float the Operation Egwu Eke II, the famous Python Dance II. This operation which was specifically aimed at checking and halting the secessionist agitation in Southeast Nigeria.

    The Nigerian military has in all these operations mentioned above, performed very well and professionally too. The military often function as societies within societies, by having their own military communities, economies, education, medicine, and other aspects of a functioning civilian society.‎ The militarist argument asserts that a civilian population is dependent upon, and thereby subservient to the needs and goals of its military for continued independence. .‎

    Every nation had different needs for internal military operations . How these needs are determined forms the basis of their composition, deployment, rules of engagement, equipment, and use of facilities. It also determines what military does in terms of peacetime, and wartime activities. All military forces, whether large or small, are military organisations that have official state, and world recognition as such.‎

    The military, generally comprising of soldiers, Navy and airmen, are capable of executing the many specialised operational missions and tasks required for the military to execute policy directives. Just as in the commercial enterprises where there are, in a corporate setting, directors, managers and various staff that carry out the business of the day as part of business operations or undertake business project management, the military also has its routines and projects. During peacetime, when military personnel are mostly employed in garrisons or permanent military facilities, they mostly conduct administrative tasks, training and education activities, and technology maintenance. Another role of military personnel is to ensure a continuous replacement of departing servicemen and women through military recruitment, and the maintenance of a military reserve. ‎
    ‎
    ‎It is evident that the Nigerian military in a bid to safeguard the state and it’s territorial integrity has conducted a number of operations in response to a developing situations. These operations are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state’s favour.‎
    ‎
    Threats to internal stability often turnout the greatest threats to national security. Having experienced a number of regional separatist struggles, and instability created by radical religious / political movements, it is understandable that the Nigerian Governments may have little tolerance for public disorder! Fulfilling the National Security function thus entails adapting capabilities in order to contribute to the collective management of regional and global security challenges. Hence, the need for military operations.

    More than the external threats, the enemies from with-in Nigeria, have demanded the pro-active deployment of armed forces to maintain law-and-order, and, to maintain sovereignty and integrity of the nation in the face of serious threats of national disintegration!‎

    All armed forces have both domestic and international responsibilities‎is. This we have seen via different operations in different parts of the country.

    It is very clear that Nigeria as a country has firmly resolved to fight the rising tide of separatist movements and has shown willpower to maintain ‘law-and-order’ all over the nation so that every citizen gets equal opportunity of development and progress. These efforts need support from all the quarters and in all forms. It is constitutional responsibility of the armed forces to deal effectively with the internal threats emanating from various sources eroding the nation’s strength and will power beside the territorial integrity.
    ‎
    Hence the big guns and tanks are sometimes needed to safeguard the state from enemies of humanity. Those who threaten the state do so also to humanity and it’s the responsibly of every nation to protect its own. This is the reason why Laws are also dynamic to protect those who protect us.
    In the Nigerian scenario, the military has done well.‎ Like Winston Churchill once said, ‘We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us’.

    Abubakar , Executive Secretary, Save Humanity Advocacy Centre writes from Abuja.

  • We didn’t invade Oporoza community  – Army

    We didn’t invade Oporoza community  – Army

    Relevant armed forces authorities in the Niger Delta have debunked reports of a military operation into Oporoza, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West council area of Delta state in the early hours of Monday.

    Some national dailies and online news outlets had Tuesday  reported a military invasion of Oporoza, in search of members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a self-styled insurgent group, which had claimed responsibility for all recent destructions of oil and gas facilities in the creeks.

    However, authorities at the 3 Battalion, Effunrun Barracks, Effunrun, Delta state, said the report of an invasion of Oporoza community was not true as there was no such operation as suggested by the report.

    When the Nation spoke to the Commanding Officer of the cantonment, Major Monday Anzaku, Tuesday, he said he was not aware of any military invasion or special operation in Oporoza as suggested by the news reports.

    “Believe be there no such thing as we have just read in the newspapers. This is my area we are talking about, how would there have been a military operation of the nature described by the newspapers without my knowledge? Even if such would be initiated from my headquarters, I would be instructed on what to do. The report is not true,” Anzaku said.

    Also, reliable sources from the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Delta, when reached to confirm if the command was involved in an operation at Oporoza on Monday, said there was no operation to the area, which involved them.

    Although unable to reach the Commander of the NNS Delta, Commodore Raimi Mohammed, a very reliable source, when asked for confirmation simply relied ” negative”.

    Meanwhile, a source from the community had told the Nation on Monday afternoon that there was no problem in the community. According to him “I have called and asked my people and they said there was nothing unusual, just the normal security patrols that come and go, nothing unusual”.

    It would be recalled that several strategic oil and gas facilities, belonging mostly to Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), have been destroyed by the insurgent group.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has also recently ordered the Nigerian armed forces to go after those behind the destructive activities, which has dipped Nigeria’s crude oil export by about 510,000 barrels of oil per day.

     

  • FG’s ‘war on terror’ records tentative victory

    FG’s ‘war on terror’ records tentative victory

     

    Nuradin Mohammed used to resent and fear the troops who swept past his fish stall in this northeast Nigerian city on the trail of Islamist insurgents Boko Haram. Now, for the first time, he thinks they may be on his side.

    “We are pleased the president has finally recognized our peril and we pray his plan works,” Mohammed said, frying fish by the roadside as a crowd of young children looked on hungrily and trucks packed with troops rumbled past.

    President Goodluck Jonathan took a gamble when he launched a big offensive this month on Boko Haram’s four-year-old attempt to establish an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria.

    The crackdown risks stoking, rather than quashing the rebellion, but has so far met with a surprising degree of support in a region that has long accused the oil-rich Christian south of neglect.

    “We felt let down and ignored. We are afraid soldiers will come bullying the public, which makes people want to join the Boko Haram, but we hope this time is different,” Mohammed said.

    Only a few months ago, Jonathan was telling foreign leaders that Boko Haram was a small problem that would be over soon.

    In declaring an emergency on May 14 in Borno, Yobe and Adawmawa states and ordering thousands of troops and air strikes on suspected Islamist camps, he said they were “terrorists” whose “declaration of war” could not go unanswered.

    Civilians like Mohammed appear to have had enough of being caught in the crossfire of a rebellion that has killed thousands in Africa’s No. 1 oil producer and provoked fears of a descent into chaos in one of the continent’s most dynamic economies.

    Even usually critical northern governors and elders have been cautiously supportive of Christian southerner Jonathan’s new firm tactics, which include the offer of an amnesty to any militants who willingly surrender.

    “I now fully understand the strategy: show strength and be magnanimous at the same time,” previously critical northern opposition politician Alhaji Bashir Tofa told Reuters.

    But it will take more than just firmness to win against a movement that has proved remarkably resilient under the leadership of Abubakar Shekau, a fiery militant who likes to make finger-waving Internet videos holding a Kalashnikov.

    Ousted from Nigeria’s city centres in an earlier crackdown last year, the Islamists, whose name in the Hausa language means “Western education is sinful” withdrew to the remote semi-desert region of the northeast bordering with Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

     

    In this isolated zone, they scared off local officials and took de facto control of at least 10 out of 27 council areas.

    This recalled what happened in 2012 in Mali, where al Qaeda-allied Islamist rebels seized control of the Sahel country’s Saharan north before taking several cities and towns. A French military offensive drove them back earlier this year.

    In the past two months Boko Haram mounted some of their boldest attacks to date, including one that killed 55 people.

    Jonathan’s administration knows that just sending in more troops will never totally defeat a foe that can hide among the civilian population, even if that population has been put off by Boko Haram attacks on churches, universities and markets.

    “In some ways youths had more in common with Boko Haram than soldiers and wealthy politicians,” said Borno public servant Ali Shuwa. Behind him, scrawny goats chew on a rubbish pile.

    “But I think people are tired of the fighting.”

    As with the “surge” of extra United States soldiers that former President George Bush ordered into Iraq in 2007 to prevent the country disintegrating into ethnic and sectarian bloodshed, experts say Nigeria’s military needs a change of tactics that will motivate the population to actively cooperate with it.

    “The major focus should be on securing the local population. It is popular legitimacy that will provide the intelligence necessary to fight insurgents and terrorists,” said Kole Shettima, a Nigerian pro-democracy activist.

    Regarding this, Jonathan agreed to free some detained Boko Haram suspects this week, including all women and children, one of Boko Haram’s top demands. This is a sign he is willing to take steps towards reconciliation with moderate elements.

    It reinforced the message that a panel he set up to try to establish a dialogue with Boko Haram is sincere.

    “This is the most concerted effort yet … They’ve hit it with a big stick and then dangled a carrot in front of them,” said Peter Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria head of security firm Drum Cussac. “They now realize the huge task in front of them.”

    Maiduguri, the once thriving hub of an ancient Islamic trading route, has been decimated by the conflict. Soldiers hunch behind sandbag bunkers on streets strewn with rubble from bomb blasts.

    Traders hang carpets and piles of sandals hopefully outside corrugated-iron roofed shacks, while young boys peddle oranges and watermelons from wooden carts. But there are few buyers.

    Boko Haram has infiltrated so deeply here that some parents don’t know their children are members. Civilians don’t want to turn against insurgents because informants are often killed.

    “It could be him or her watching us,” said Ali, a teenage boy selling jerry cans of fuel, pointing out onto the street. “People have been killed just on a rumor of informing.”

    It was in Maiduguri in 2002 that a cleric called Mohammed Yusuf founded a radical Islamist movement initially tagged ‘Nigeria’s Taliban’, but later nicknamed ‘Boko Haram’ because of its virulent opposition to Western influences.

    A military crackdown against an uprising by the group in 2009 killed 800 people. This included Yusuf, who died in police custody, a catalyst for years of reprisals on security forces.

    Jonathan says he will clamp down on military excesses after reports of human rights abuses by soldiers in the northeast, although rights groups and foreign diplomats think these may continue going unpunished given the secrecy of the operation.

    Rights activists say soldiers carry out extra-judicial killings and torture suspects never face trial.

    “We welcome that Jonathan has finally recognized publicly the abuses but these words must be turned into actions for his operation to have legitimacy,” a western diplomat in Abuja said.

    Security sources say Jonathan’s army faces a tough task in defeating resilient Islamist fighters, who have shown their ability to re-arm and counter-attack and who know the remote southern fringe of the Sahara better than most soldiers.

    A military source in Maiduguri told Reuters they had found the first days of the latest offensive harder than expected against “an enemy willing to hide anywhere and do anything”.

    Boko Haram is not one cohesive group and new independent splinter-operations are emerging, making negotiations difficult.

    The longer this goes one, the costlier it will be, and not only in human terms. Nigeria spent 700 billion naira ($4.4 bln) on security in the four months to April, the central bank said.

    Porous borders with Chad and Niger have been used to transport weapons from Libyan and Malian conflict zones and Western governments are concerned about Boko Haram’s increasing ties with al Qaeda linked groups in the Sahel – a fact which could draw Nigeria’s neighbors further into the conflict.

    “Even the U.S. government couldn’t contain guerrilla fighters in Afghanistan and Iraq, so do you think we can?” Sakuria Mohammed, a Borno legislator told Reuters in Maiduguri, where his mother was kidnapped by Boko Haram this month.

    “The fighting is a symptom and therefore the military will not solve this. We must create jobs, rebuild this once great region and give youths a better option than Boko Haram.”

     

    Culled from Reuters