It is painful to note that the media really doesn’t report major dastardly acts of terrorism in the Northeast of Borno State. What you read and hear from the media are stop target and casualty news.
I was in Borno state last December and last month respectively, and my eyewitness report saw the outright sacking of villages, and some others turned into grave yards, dead bodies littering everywhere in their hundreds – the ones only seen on movies, the obvious your don’t ever see in your televisions or read in your newspapers and regular tabloids, the ugly incidence you never read people and Facebookers talk about. These are not our normal gossips, but real death scenes.
I was part of the visitation team that visited affected areas, the Army division sent with us confisticated our phones and cameras, and recording of any sort was disallowed.
So It is baffling that our media are seldom silent on heavy death toll, as well as the continued bombardment, killings, suicide attacks and death tolls in Borno state alone. It even worsening as all media tends to be focus on Maiduguri alone…with almost deliberate attempt to cut the rest of us – Nigerians off from the Media.
Everyday an estimated 50-120 persons are killed in various unreported attacks by the insurgents and the Army – (in guise to comb affected areas) . Many outrageous things are happening up there, and I am moved to say, Borno State is now Garrisoned as test ground for the theatre of Global scale terrorism.
No one can tell me that Gen. Burutai isn’t aware of these atrocities, and the Military (Airforce, Navy and Army) joint task force, are even fueling further crisis by not reporting incidence of large scale casualties – (50-200 daily), albeit the covert dealings of Opt. Lafiya Dole.
It is also quite unfortunate that leaders and law enforcement aren’t doing more than expected to establish peace, Risk Management Efficiency and Community Policing atmosphere in the Northeast regions, especially Borno State.
There is a conscious grants by the Army for the free handedness of Boko Haram insurgents in major villages outskirts of Maiduguri.
Very saddening how I almost got killed being abandoned by a stray bullet. Fact is, these Boko boys aren’t playing, nor do I even believe their tactics is anything near our domestic tactically engagement.
The insurgents’ regimental strands, their leadership style, precision and improvising Intelligence is purely militarily advanced, these are not mere guerrilla organization.
I have an experience I can only share here, whether anybody believe it or not isn’t my concern. The fact us that more than 100 Nigerians die everyday from unhindered insurgents activities.
I encountered a near death experience, reason being that, I was chronically gummed to the Lafiya Dole recon div, and if not that I was already trained to improvise in combat scenes, flying bullets would have landed on any part of my exposed bodies.
Part of my mission along with other military and non-military personnel was to intercept high field communications and provide counterCom relays.
A situation where an AK 47 got jammed, and pistol malfunctioned, you wonder what sort of weapons that was allegedly procured by the past administration. It was a terrible experience, and in all these no media covered it, while we had about 10 journalist per dispatch.
Till date the media guys with us (NTA, BBC – Hausa, and Skynews – Fulani), none has aired this gory slaughter of more 128 body counts. I saw it live, but will I say this anywhere and expect anybody to believe me?
With the manner of covertly diverting public eyes from the real happenings in Borno state and other insurgents prone areas of northeast, one will suspect a complicit involvement of this administration in this drama.
Since Intelligence gathering is prevented from reach stakeholders, Leaders and Nigerians, me think this was the main reason the past Administration decided to rely more on the use of Mercenaries, and her attempt to procure sophisticated weapons to deal decisively with insurgency.
The current administration can pretend for all I care, but they cannot pretend to all Nigerians and the International community in its deviant restraint to nip terrorism – intentionally masterminded by the Northeast entrepreneurs of violence in the bud.
In National security probabilities, a nation that can’t deal with her own insurrection isn’t fit to be a Country. But Nigeria is a very peculiar case, a sorry where nepotism and despotism is at its highest ebb.
Atmosphere of dialogue and moral sauson should be created by the present administration to engage stakeholders across board, with a view to initializing the “carrot and stick” approach.
The Presidency must lead the way, factors known to be the major fuelers of terrorism and enterprise violence (poverty, marginalization, exclusion, unattended agitation, etc), should take paramount edge.
In order to succeed, benchmark for engagement should thoroughly guide the initiative, capacities of community policing, risk management system and recurrent conflict management redress should stand out as the hallmark, to among numerous objectives achieve infrastructure and human development goals and peace and Security.
I have never seen a covertly careless administration that deliberately classify even it’s public dealings with her citizens. The Nigerian Nation is in a comic state, and these bunch of incapacitated and mentally disturbed leaders are piloting the affairs of this nation. Such a pity
