⌂ Home » Editorial » Maiduguri must not fall Maiduguri must not fall Posted by: Editorial in Editorial 18 hours ago •President Jonathan must show that he is capable of defending the country For those who reside far away from the epicentre of slaughter and human flight, the surge of the insurgent group Boko Haram still carries the air of another man’s battle. Nigerians, especially those who live down south, only see video clips of the ghastly images as well as still pictures. There are also narratives of plunder, deaths, rape and kidnap. But the past few weeks have given greater potency to the story. They have been advancing from town to town, making mincemeat of residents and travellers. Above all, they have beaten our soldiers who seem to demonstrate little answer or imagination against these organised marauders in the name of Islam. It has seemed that as a nation we are dazed, frozen into inaction at times and tokenism of feeble counter-action. But in sum, we have shown ourselves below the task of defending our citizens and territory against the militants who are growing in armour, men and confidence. As at press time, major towns and locations have fallen into the savage hands of Boko Haram. We have mentioned such places as Buni, Damboa, Gwoza, Madagali, Marte, Dikwa, Ngala, Michika as already fallen. The past few days were characterised by intense battles for the key town of Bama. Conflicting media reports have befogged the status of the town as to whether it is in Nigerian hands or the so- called caliphate. Territories in Adamawa,Borno and Yobe states tremble. The three states are beleaguered. Some Nigerians no longer know the state of our defence as any place seems within the capture of the insurgents. The leader is hoisting flags all over its conquered territories. The fear now is Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. The reasons for the fear are palpable. The governor, Kashim Shettima, was reported to have said that a third of his state has been captured by the militants. Some other indigenes are less sanguine as some have claimed that two-thirds have fallen. The other point is the leaflets that the insurgents have spread in the city of Maiduguri, warning of their imminent invasion. Such ominous literature shows a high level of confidence and clinical propaganda acumen. The third point is the rally of the youths. Recently they paid a visit to the palace of the Shehu of Borno and promised that they would fight to the death to defend the throne against the rapine of the zealots. The fourth concern is that our military has not shown exemplary firepower in earlier battles. The government has not inspired us with confidence that Maiduguri will not fall. This is a clear and present danger. Maiduguri should not be allowed to fall. If it falls, the implications are huge. It is the capital of the state, and it is the seat of government. It also has the concentration of the state’s population. It is the commercial nerve centre of the state, and the northeast’s big dwelling. If it falls, all its gifts and virtues will belong to the insurgents. It will mean, to all intents and purposes, that all of Borno State will be a rogue caliphate under Shekau. If Maiduguri falls, there will be no Nigerian government in the state. We shall have 36 states only in name until we get it back. If Maiduguri falls, it will enrich a growing militancy with more resources. It is well- armed now, with Borno State in its hands, its armoury will increase. It can run rampant in the state, molest its citizens and slaughter at will. It could mount a vast concentration camp of perceived upstarts, Christians, nubile girls and other resisters. The citizens will be more facile to radicalisation. Because they are under the gun, the insurgents will happily recruit many youths into its army. With that assurance, we cannot guarantee that it will not rumble into Yobe and Adamawa states and bring them into the ambit of its counterfeit caliphate. By then, the country under the eyes of President Jonathan would have shrunken significantly. When the over 200 girls were abducted from Chibok, the nation was benumbed. The argument was, and still is, the Federal Government could get these girls out through either negotiation or some other sleight of hand. If Maiduguri falls, the story of the Chibok girls will be a footnote in a vast concentration camp of hundreds of thousands under the spell of a charismatic brute. The story is potentially a disaster. President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a state of emergency in the region, and issued a suite of rhetoric that was only fiery in words but short on action. The matter is getting so serious now that the president as commander- in-chief must show that he is capable of defending the country according to the oath of office. If he cannot, it is high time he stepped down. His first assignment is to defend his country. If he fails in this primary task, he has failed to justify holding that position. This is no time to apportion blame from the presidency. This is the same Nigerian army that has, over the decades, served as the symbol of the African pride. Our soldiers have acquitted themselves competently in Liberia and other areas of the West African sub-region. We have led in discipline, strategy and tactics. We have also served in other places in Africa, and the African Union as well as the United Nations have come to regard our army as indispensable in the pacification of the continent. For that same army to squelch under an apparently ragtag force remains unthinkable even as we are harassed by the day. Trillions of Naira have been expended on defence in the past few years, and should translate into a formidable force that should make a quick work of the militants. We have not seen that yet. It is on that score that we reiterate the need for the president to act as commander-in- chief. To do that he has not only to restore all lost territories but the lost pride of the Nigerian Army. Never again should we accept a situation where a neighbouring Cameroun would do with dispatch what our soldiers cannot dare. We reiterate that Maiduguri should not be allowed to fall because the consequences are serious. Source: The Nation
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:33:35 +0000
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