Opinion

Madagali massaccre: Boko Haram on prowl according to the Senator & House of reps of the affected area

Ring True by Yemi Adebowale

The biggest hitch to the ongoing war against Boko Haram is the persistent lies by the government that all communities occupied by the terrorists had been recovered by the military. As a result, unsuspecting residents return to these communities, only to be slaughtered. That was precisely what happened in Madagali, Adamawa State last week when suicide bombers killed 56 persons and injured 77 in a market in this hapless town. Instead of facing the challenges at hand squarely, the government is placing emphasis on propaganda. This deceit must not continue. No doubt, our gallant soldiers have been doing their best in this war against terror, but a lot still needs to be done. Madagali was an accident waiting to happen. The terrorists have remained in and around this town for so long, abducting, raping and brutalising residents of Madagali and of neighbouring communities, almost on a daily basis. Yet, there was no proactive action by the military. The plea by the community for a military base to be stationed in Madagali did not get the desired attention. The attack last week drew wide attention because of the high casualty figure.

I was impressed when the member representing Michika/Madagali in the House of Representatives, Adamu Kamale picked up the courage to debunk claims by the federal government that all communities hitherto occupied by Boko Haram had been completely liberated. He said on Tuesday that contrary to the claims of the authorities, particularly the Nigerian military, not much had changed in many territories occupied by Boko Haram.

Kamale remarked: “Many villages in my constituency share common boundaries with the dreaded Sambisa Forest, the main base of the Boko Haram insurgents. These insurgents have persistently infiltrated the communities, occupied the villages for as long as it pleased them, kidnapping and killing defenseless villagers in the process. Madagali still has challenges. I am the representative of this area and I know what I am saying. Many of our territories are still under the control of the insurgents.

“They kidnap and slaughter our people at will. Before last week’s attacks in Madagali market, three people were kidnapped and killed a day earlier in the same place. Some of these incidents are actually unreported and because they are not documented, the impression is created that all is well. The claims by the authorities that only pockets of insurgents are still operating are not true. The insurgents are still very much in control of many of our villages close to the Sambisa Forest. They still occupy these territories. Though, the insurgents retreat whenever they sensed the presence of the military, they always return to terrorise the villages and occupy them as soon as the soldiers move to other locations.

“The solution is for the government to provide adequate security for these communities in Madagali by ensuring that the military has a permanent operational base there. We need the federal government to come to the aid of these vulnerable villagers. I am always embittered each time the government asked displaced villagers to return home on the excuse that their communities had been fully liberated. Let the people have adequate security; the psychological loss to our people is devastating. Their problem is beyond sharing food items to them or merely asking them to return to homes that are not secured.”

The situation in Madagali is replicated in many towns and villages in Borno State and some parts of Yobe State. It is very painful that attacks by the terrorists in several Borno communities are also unreported. As at press time, two local government areas in Borno State are still dominated by Boko Haram. They are Abadam and Mobba. Towns like Malam Fatori, Damasak, Gashighar and the outskirts of Chibok are no go areas. The Senator representing Borno Central, Baba Kaka Garbai, remarked recently: “We should not live under the illusion that Boko Haram are decimated or weaken; these are not reality and neither a true reflection of the reality. The reality is that most of the local government areas in Borno are partially occupied by Boko Haram. If the people are moved back to their homelands, you are making them vulnerable to attack. Unless you provide maximum security and return of law and order in these areas, relocating these people would be endangering their lives.”

Clearly, many people in Borno State have abandoned their towns and villages to Boko Haram. I challenge Information Minister, Lai Mohammed to relocate his office to Malam Fatori or Gashighar if he is confident that no Nigerian territory is under the control of Boko Haram.

I am similarly worried that the war against Boko Haram is assuming a frightening dimension in spite of funny stories that we are winning the battle. We are now at a level where military commanders are being killed by the terrorists. Four Lieutenant Colonels have been killed in the last two months. Just on Monday, Lieutenant Colonel O. Umusu, the Commanding Officer, 118 Task Force Battalion in Borno State was killed, alongside his security details, by an Improvised Explosive Device in an ambush. The other three officers killed in the last two months are Lt. Colonel K Yusuf (October 16, 2016); Lt.  Colonel Abu Ali (November 4, 2016) and Lt. Colonel B. U. Umar (November 15, 2016). The military had to abandon Malam Fatori following the attacks on soldiers there. These are clear signs that this war is far from over. This is the reality our gallant soldiers and their commanders should face and plan appropriately. Our brave troops have clearly made progress against Boko Haram, but the battle ahead is still enormous. One thing is certain: Allah will give us victory over these terrorists very soon.

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