NIGERIA: Is Our Military Ready To Fight BOKO HARAM?

Over the years, Boko Haram insurgence has been under abeyance until after the April, 2011 general election in which some Nigerian youth under the aegis of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) were murdered in cold blood.

This group is hostile to the young democracy we are nurturing, and has an ultimate objective of destabilizing the country. This vicious group has attacked schools, places of worship, slaughtered students in their dormitories, destroyed villages and government infrastructures, thus, affecting the economic and social life of the Nigerian people.

So far, more than 12,000 lives have been lost in the process with more than 8,000 persons injured or maimed. One of the most recent terrorists attack was unleashed on the innocent students of Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, where over 200 girls were abducted, and up till now, the girls are still languishing in the den of these insurgents.

The insurgency which was formerly localized in the north-eastern part of Nigeria, has evolved into global terrorism, of which we must all join hands together in eradicating it.

Every Nigerian is optimistic towards the rescue of the kidnapped school girls following international governments that have offered assistance to the Nigerian government.

Without mincing words, Jonathan has a good heart and is committed to the rescue of the abducted girls and the subsequent return to their delirious families.

Controversial Islamic scholar and leader of Shiite Muslim Group, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky has alleged that Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, was being shielded by the Nigerian military. He said “ Abubakar Shekau is presently being kept safe in a military camp.” If it is true that the military is shielding this most wanted person in the world, what then is the need for foreign intervention?

The Nigerian military has always given us high hopes that the issue of insurgency in the country will soon be a thing of the past.

As much as they are working assiduously, there are saboteurs among them who are indiscreet on the intelligence gathering of the military, and as such, attempts to rescue the girls is proving abortive.

Does it mean we no longer have men of integrity in the military? Where are we going from here? Such military personnel should be court-martialed.

Some military officers have come out to say that the military is poorly funded. Of a truth, one of the problems of the Nigerian government has been misappropriation of funds, but if the whole fund budgeted for the fiscal year is allocated to the military, saboteurs will do a different thing. Little wonder the foreign military have come out to say that the Nigerian military is hampering the hunt of the insurgents.

It is 42 days now since these girls were abducted from the comfort of their dormitory. If the international community is clamouring for the release of the abducted girls, how much more we the affected nation would do if we put aside ethnic and religious sentiments, and fight against our common enemy.

I am very optimistic that the Nigerian military will win this war against the insurgents.

Let’s join hands together to save our nation.

Key words:

Global terrorism, indiscreet, court-martial, saboteurs, integrity.