By Suleiman Umaru
Barely two weeks after the surrender of Musa Adamu, better known in the insurgent circles as Mala Musa Abuja, and Usman Adamu, popular, Abu Darda, and 335, of their followers, including 746 members of their family , and one of the abducted Chibok girls who had been radicalized, the insurgents appear to have renewed their bomb explosion efforts in the north east state of Borno.
The surrender of the two Adamus, who were regarded as the Chief Bomb Manufacturer and the Deputy Chief Bomb Manufacturer, respectively, for the Islamic Fundamentalist Group of BokoHaram and Islamic State Of the West African Province, ISWAP,, may have informed why Abdulwahab Adelokun Eyitayo, a Brigadier General and General officer Commanding, GOC, The 7 Division, Nigerian Army had boasted that it would weaken the Late Abubakar Shekau Group’s attacking capabilities but got it wrong .
Brigadier General Eyitayo, who may have acted on the instruction of Farouk Yahaya, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff, COAS, to receive the surendered BokoHaram and ISWAP, Bomb Manufacturers and their followers, may have carried oy proper scrutiny of their past records or heed to the warning of Ali Ndume, a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman, Senate Committee on the Army not to implement the government policy that had granted blanket amnesty to the insurgents instead of treating them as Criminal elements.
Indeed, the surrender of the BokoHaram and ISWAP, Bomb experts have emboldened their followers who are still well armed in the forest to step up their Bombing skill in Borno state, which had been their target over the last one decade to control it. Note that they may not have had the opportunity in the recent time of throwing bomb at targeted audience in Borno state, particular, but have resorted to drop it as children toys at strategic locations in the state where kids could easily pick it up.
On Thursday, August 12, 2021, five herders were said to have been killed when a disused Grenade bomb, some herders had picked and were playing with it exploded on a crowded bridge linking Gamboru Community and Fotokol Community in the Central African country of Cameroon.
That much was confirmed by one Umar Kachalla, an anti-Jihadist militianman on Friday, August 13, 2021. This is an indication that the BokoHaram and ISWAP, Bomb detonators have resorted to dropping the bombs that may have been Manufactured by the two Adamus before their surrender to the Nigerian Army at Bama Army Headquarters at strategic locations, in the various Local government Area in the state which many believe had caused much damage in the state.
Even residents had said to the hearing of security operatives in the state that mines and Grenades that litter the state , which had exploded and killed any people in the state , may have been given to gullible Children as gift to play with and throw into the bush which easily fall into the hands of herders.
Recall that on August 2014, the BokoHaram Jihadists had seized Ngala with the nearby trading hub of Gamboru Community, which they were said to have turned as one of their own territory during the Administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. The two Borno towns, were however, recaptured in September, 2015, by the Nigerian Army, under the close watch of Yusuf Tukur Buratai, a Lt. General, rtd , and now a Nigerian Ambassador to the Republic of Benin. Some other Local government Areas in the state which were said to have fallen into the waiting hands of the insurgents were also recaptured by the Nigerian soldiers with the support of the Chadian troops.
In a related development, the arrest and of Muhammeed Idris, Commissioner For Information and Strategy, in the north central state of Niger and subsequent detention in their hideout in the state by rampaging Bandits may have sent a signal to Abubakar Sani Bello, the governor and other security Chiefs in the state that nobody is safe. This has confirmed , what John Onaiyekan, former Archibishop,of Abuja, Catholic Diocese had said that ‘’nobody is safe in this country because of the high level of insurgency, banditry and other forms of Criminal activities in the country’’.
Although, the Niger state Commissioner, who was arrested in his farm by Bandits had regained his Freedom around Suleija axis , a another major town in the state, on Thursday, August 12, 2021, that a disused Genade bomb picked by herders detonated and killed five of them in a Borno Community , outside Ngala Town, idris, the Niger state Commissioner, had threatened that he would have resigned his appointment ‘’if the government had paid the N500 million ransom requested by the Bandits to secure his release.
The Commissioner who was said to have spent five days in the Captivity of the abductors before his release had said that he had ‘’Committed everything in the hand of God’’. An Appreciative Idris, who could not hide his feelings while narrating his Ordeal in the hands of the Criminal elements had thanked Governor Bello, for maintaining the state government policy of ‘’non-ransom payment to Bandits’’.
Given an insider information about his release by the Bandits who were desperate to collect ransom from the state government to secure his release, he disclosed that thy had a lengthy discussion, which many believed may have centered on the payment of ransom. He explained that after the lengthy discussion with them, he was eventually set free. He has vowed to remain resolute and not to be broken down by the recent ill- treatment, he got in the hands of the Bandits in order to stop him from further criticizing their activities in the state.
It is instructive to note that Babangia Damba, a one-time Councillor of Tundunwada ward of Gusau Local government Area of Zamfara, described as the home state of the Bandits in the north west geo-political region, wife and the eight month -old baby who were kidnapped on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, by the Bandits at their residence in the Damba area of Gusau, the state Capital, were released on Friday, August 13, 2021.
The Bandits who were said to invaded the Zamfara state ex-Councillor’s residence were said to have shot multiple bullets at the door in order to force their way into the house to whisk away the nursing mother and child. They may not have located the ex-Councillor, who was hiding somewhere in the house but the gubnshots was said to have left him with a bullet wound on his left arm.
Given Bello Matawalle, the state governor penchant of Negotiating with the Bandits and agreeing to their demands of payment of ransom to secure the release of arrested victims in the state, may have given people the impression that he had doled out money from the purse of the state government to settle the Bandits to secure the release of Hajia Damba and her baby.
There is no gain saying the fact that a lot has happened in the security front in the country in the last three weeks that President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General had been in the United Kingdom, UK, where he had travelled to attend the Global Partnership for Education, GPE, Summit,, organized by Global Education Summit, GES. He was said to have also used the Opportunity of the GPE Summit, to undergo a scheduled Medical check -up with his physicians.
This may have informed why Femi Adesina, Special Assistant to the Katsina state born Nigerian President on Media and Publicity, had said that with his return to the country this Saturday, August 14, 2021, he would focus his attention on receiving briefings from Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice President and other top Aides of the government to know exactly what had happened during his three weeks absence.
The Presidential Media Aide may have set the ball rolling when he said that ‘’the tide has turned against the insurgents and Bandits’’, which may have gladdened the heart of the Nigerian President.
