By Sam Kaye
Responding to the alarm raised by Governor Babagana Zulum over the sudden upsurge of the activities of the Boko Haram insurgents in the state, the Defense high command weekend paid an urgent operational visit to the Hadin Kai war theatre.
The delegation led by the Minister of defense Mohammed Badaru assured that as a matter of fact, their visit was aimed at further boasting the morale of the troops and redirecting their attention to the concerns of the Governor who is the Chief security officer of the state.
He assured that the military have not abandoned the Hadin Kai theatre, which is why the entire defense High Commanders was in Maiduguri adding that they are assuring residents that the military will increase its tempo in Borno to ensure that the hard earned peace returns.
His remark was further boasted by the Minister of state defense Bello Matawale who spoke in Hausa assuring that defense house was aware of the entire challenges affecting the region and that they will do all they can to clean up the vestiges of criminality from the region.
The delegation which was supported by the Chief of defence staff General Chris Musa has the representative of the Navy and Air Chiefs who were equally in the convoy of the ministers who equally visited Governor Zulum to calm frayed nerves.
Calls for Military Offensive in the Lake Chad Region to End Insurgency
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has called on the military to launch aggressive offensive operations in the Lake Chad islands, also known as the Tumbus, to eliminate insurgents from their known enclaves.
Zulum made the appeal on Friday while receiving the defense delegation led by the the Defence ministers, Mohammed Badaru and Bello Mutawale, Defence Chief Chris Musa, and representatives of service Chiefs in the govt house.
The Governor described the lake Chad Tumbus Islands as known havens for insurgents where they regroup and sustain their activities, calling for a special military operation to be carried out in the area as soon as possible to dislodge them.
The Governor stated that the islands serve as breeding grounds for insurgents who depend on the area for sustenance adding that It is imperative to consider launching coordinated operations to flush out the criminals.
He further added that it was clearly evident that terrorist elements from the North West, Central and East of the country were likely falling back to the Tumbus for their means of livelihood and refreshments before returning to torment residents.
He called on the Federal Government to enhance surveillance and border security, particularly in the Sahel region, citing the vulnerability of the nation’s borders and the infiltration of armed groups and weapons through the region.
“If the Sahel is not secured, the entire country remains vulnerable. There is a pressing need to fortify the Sahel region to end insecurity,” the Governor added.
Governor Zulum also advocated for increased troop deployment to areas such as the Timbuktu Triangle and the Mandara Mountains, and for continuous and sustained military operations to prevent the reoccupation of previously reclaimed territories.
In his words, ” there should be forces that will keep the ground, otherwise they will come back. What brought about the recent situation is that we felt everything was OK, but they are regrouping now and I believe the Nigerian military will not allow them regroup,” he asserted.
The Governor further requested the deployment of more military hardware including Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and additional personnel to improve surveillance and fortify vulnerable zones.
While acknowledging the current operational burden on the military across the country, the Governor called for the deployment of more trained manpower and logistics to the North East.
He also highlighted the success of non-kinetic measures, revealing that over 300,000 repentant insurgents and their families have surrendered over the past three years.
Governor Zulum praised the Federal Government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Defence Staff, and Service Chiefs for their unwavering support.
Responding, Minister of Defence, Badaru, assured the Governor of the Federal Government’s commitment to providing the necessary personnel and equipment to combat insurgency and facilitate the resettlement of affected communities.
He assured that the President has directed that they provide the military with all necessary manpower and equipment to halt the recent resurgence of insecurity in Borno and the North East, of Nigeria.
He commended Governor Zulum’s efforts in resettling internally displaced persons IDPs and supporting agricultural and other livelihood initiatives.
The war in the North East of Nigeria has gone past 15 years with the military moving moving at a pace of one foot forward and two steps backwards.
Several suggestions by residents and war watchers to the military to improve their war campaigns has ended in deaf ears because the military has not been able to introduce enough boots on the theatre.
Watchers have also suggested that training of more personnel would equally assist the commanders of NDA to produce at least 50,000 men annually to back up the current boots and fire capacity on ground.
For now the most dismissible observer in Borno knows where the insurgents are especially in the three council areas in the lake Chad.
The big question now is, if the military will not go after the insurgents, who then will since they have vowed to resist any support from hired mercenaries who could just get to the Tumbus, Mandara mountains and the Timbuktu triangle to flush the criminals out of existence once and for all.
The Tumbus Islands are a bunch of islands scattered all over the lake Chad yet no researcher has the exact number present in the region.
And that explains why the navy and military managers using mostly trial and error have not been able to treat the challenge of insurgency as one that is far bigger than what exists in the Niger Delta area which means guards must never be dropped after and victory. (www.krestnews.com).
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