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By Suleiman Umaru
The Last may not have been heard about the battle for control of Kala Balge town and Rann, a border Community between Nigeria and the Central African country of Cameroon, between the Islamic Fundamentalist Groups, BokoHaram, the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP and the Operation Hadin Kai, troops, OHK.
Bagana Zulum, a Professor and governor of the north eastern state of Borno, who is very happy that the Christopher Musa, a Major General and his OHK troops, did not allow the terrorists, who were armed to the teeth to take over control of the two towns had visted the wounded soldiers following Rann attack in a military Hospital, in Maiduguri, Capital of Borno state. The visit , according to security sources, was a day of Joy for the governornor to see the soldiers alive and to chart with them .
. The governor who was very happy that the soldiers defended the Kala Balge Town and Rann Border Community may have visited the wooded soldiers who are recuperating to show that the government cares for them in order to put in more effort to defend their fatherland. An appreciative Abduwahab Eyitayo, a Major General, and General Officer Commanding, GOC, 7,Division,Maiduguri who had received the governor, amidst tight security had assured the Borno governor that they will not relent in their effort to defend the state and the north east geo-political region in general.
The Borno state governor may have have gladdened the heart of the soldiers and their Commanders, when he directed the immediate release of N5 million to be shared among the gallant officers. He may have included those unconnected with the Kala Balge and Rann battle benefit from the Largesse to avoid creating bad blood in the army Barrack. Given the importance attached to the visit to the wounded soldiers by the governor was said to have been accompanied by the Commissioners of Justice, andLocal Government and Emirate Affairs.
Recall that two officers and five soldiers were killed by the terrorists in the Kala Balge battle on Friday, December 3, 2021 while the three that were wounded sustained the injury in the Rann village attack.
The BokoHaram and ISWAP, Insurgents, were said to have the entered Rann border village from the neighbouring Cameroon on gun trucks and motorcycles, perhaps with the intention to take over control and Administartion of the Village and subsequently hoist their flag to prove to the residents that they are in-charge.
But unknown to them the planned attack on the military bases at the border Communities by the terrorists had leaked out and Communicated to the army Commanders and the Customs Operatives by the Department of State Security Service, DSS, to be on the red alert to avoid being taken unawares , by the Criminal elements.
It was therefore not very surprising that when the Rann border Community attack occured on December 3, 2021, OHK, troops, were deployed to the border village to defend it before it falls into the waiting hands of the terrorists who had prepared to cart away the weapons from the armoury. The OHK troops, were said to have fought the Insurgents with the last drop of the blood. This may have forced them to abandon their mission of taking over the border Community, where they had attacked the troops deployed at the Forward Operationl Base, FOB. Indeed, they were said to have lost several of their Combat equipment to the OHK troops as well as most of their fighters
Tthe Kala Balge and Rann village battle have been described as one of the wors terrorist terrorist wars in the recent time in Borno state. Note that the OHK, troops, had used their superior fire power on the terrorists and their Collaborators , from other countries in the SAHEL region, particular, Cameroon, Chad, Libya and Mauritania, including Mali and Niger but they were forced to flee .
Onyema Nwachukwu, a Brigadier General and Director of Army Public Relations, had said that 26 of the BokoHaram and ISWAP, Insurgents fell to the superior fire power of the OHK troops. The Army General further stated that the OHK Troops also captured from the fleeing terrorists their Combat trucks, 18 AK 47 rifles and one M-21 rifle with large quantity of ammunition. This is in addition to the several other combat equipment of the terrorists that were said to have been destroyed in the Kala Balge gun dual.
The Kala Balge and Rann border Community, counter-attack may have sent a signal to the Late Abubakar Shekau and Al- Barnawi loyalists who have regrouped to Launch joint attacks on the Army Barracks at the Border villages that it would amount to a suicide mission to try it again. This is because President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General has equipped the Nigerian military with sophisticated weapons to crush any Challenge in any part of the country.
This may have informed why Farouk Yahaya, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff, COAS and Olayinka Oladayo Amao, an Air Marshall and Chief of Air Staff, CAS, to beat their chest that the days of BokoHaram, ISWAP , Badits Group, IPOB and other Separatist Groups, across the country are numbered. At present the Army are fighting an undeclared war in Borno, Yobe, Zamfara, Kaduna,Sokoto,, Niger, home state of , retired Ibtrahim Babangida, a former military President, Plateau, home state of Late Solomom Lar, a one-time Chairman of the Opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the south east state of Imo and Eboyi.
There is also a large presence soldiers in the north Central states of Benue, Nasarawa and north western states of Kebbi and Katsina, home of Buhari, to prevent the Bandits Group, which had been declared to be a terrorist Organisation by an Abuja, High Court, from operating the states.
It is instructive to note that in the recent time, the BokoHaram, ISWAP and the Bandits Group, have continued to count their loses, in different battlegrounds that they have resorted to firing grenades into major Cities to scare the residents. The recent firing of rocket propelled grenade into Maiduguri, from the city outskirts, bear eloquent testimony of how desperate the terrorists operating in the north east have become.
While the OHK, troops, are doing everything within their powers to contain the BokoHaram and ISWAP terrorists in the north east states of Borno and Yobe, the Court declared Bandits terrorist Group, appears to be making the Caliphate state of Sokoto a hell of place for people, thus turning it to another Zamfara state.
. Only recently, the Bandits Group, had killed 23 travellers in Angwan Bawa, Sabon Birni Local Government Areas of the Late President Shehu Shagari hime. That much was confirmed by Kamaludeen Okunola, the state Commissioner of Police, in an emergency security summoned by Aminu Tambuwal, a former, Speaker,JHouse of Representatives and now governor of the state.
Determined to get the killers of the innocent Passengers, Okunola, the state CP, at the instance of Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector General of Police, IGP, has deployed security personnel to the two Local Government Areas, where the Travellers were killed to fish the hoodlums in order to face the full weight of the Law ‘’to prevent future occurrence’’. The Commercial bus that was attacked by the Bandits terrorist Group was said to be carrying 30 Passengers. Eyewitness account confirmed that 21 persons were burnt beyond recognition by the killer Bandits.
