Suleiman Umaru
Those who think that the major security problem of Nigerian were the Islamic Fundamentalists, Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African States Province ISWAP, fighters in the north east geo-political region , comprising of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states may have to do a rethink.
Edward Kallon, the United Nations, UN, country Director who could not hide his feelings when he visited Samel Ortom , governor of Benue state, on Tuesday, September 10, 2019, that the biggest security challenge of the country were the armed herdsmen and Bandits operating in Central and north west geo=political region of the country.
Kallon, was said to have the Ortom, the Benue state governor, that the killings that had had been linked to the herdsmen and Bandits in different parts of the country were far more than of the BokoHaram and IWAP, in in the north east in the last 10 years. He cited the killings by the groups in the last six months. According to him over 1,400people have been killed as a result of kidnapping and Banditry in the north Central and north west since the conduct of the last general elections that produced the states and Federal Lawmakers, governors and the President.
The UN country Director, who disclosed that the statistics of killings linked to the two killer squads was not a mere estimate but statistics , obtained from the government, blaming the killings to ‘’institutional failures at all levels of governance’’. This is an indictment on Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressive Congress, APC, led government , who had made Nigerians to believe that the APC Administration has done exceedingly well in the area of security of lives and property compared to the People’ Democratic Party , PDP, which ruled the country for sixteen years.
The Envoy believes that that the Buhari Administration still have a lot to do in the area of security. ‘’Pay attention to ‘’issues of security in the country’’, he was said to have told the Katsina state born Nigerian President, instead of heaping blames on past regimes.
The President may have understood the language as he has vowed to treat Boko Haram and IWAP, terrorists in the north as Bandits as the government intensifies efforts in the fight against insurgency in the region. He insists that the BokoHaram insurgents have been degraded but some of its fighters are still nuisance around the Lake Chad and surrounding Islands.
He was said to have told Peter Maurer, the President of International Committee of Red Cross, ICRC, that the country was Cooperating with Chad, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroon as well as other countries in the African Continent and other parts of the world to finally flush out the insurgents from the region.
Many believe that the full involvement of the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, into the war, appear to have given the ground soldiers an edge over the Insurgents. This is evident going by the various damages that had been inflicted on the terrorist in their Sambisa forest hideout in Borno state. The most recent of such deadly raids was the destruction of two ammunition –laden gun trucks in northern Borno, allegedly belonging to ISWAP. Ibinkunle Daramola, a Commodore and NAF, Director of Public Relations in a Statement confirmed that the trucks were destroyed by the Air Task Force , ATF, of the Operation Lafiya Dole. Giving an insider information, the Air Force Commodore , disclosed that the NF Alfa Jet that carried out the raid had embarked on a reconnaissance mission on the Gudumali-Zari-Garunda axis of the state but spotted the IWAP gun trucks emerging from Jumaacheri settlement heading towards Garunda. The fighter jet has no option but to track it as it attempted to evade detection by driving into foliage. The Alpha Jet Air Force pilot said to have engaged one of gun fitted trucks which was camouflaged under a tree , in successive passes scoring accurate hits , leading to the neutralisation of some of gun truck occupants.
The second gun truck was to have been tracked where it was abandoned under another tree in the area and immobilized. It was a bad day for the ISWAP fighters who had mapped out the areas to be attacked in the Garunda axis of Borno state. Recall, the President had told the ICRC, helmsman, who called on him at Aso Rock , recently that the government was actually making use of the Air force to neutralize the Insurgents.
