The shelling of the insurgents in Jimtilo from Maimalari Cantonment, headquarters of the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army which is only one kilometre from my estate, did not occur without a price that we had to pay for being so close to the barracks. Metallic substances or shrapnels, if you like, fell on the roof-top of peoples houses damaging household items, denting parked vehicles and injuring people in the process. Weve been advised to go indoors any time there is a similar situation. My estate is like Lokoja, a confluence, centrally located where Magumeri, Gubio, Damasak to Niger Republic road branch off from Nganzai, Monguno, Baga to Chad Republic road. In another development, rumours making the rounds have it that Shekau and his diabolic band of ragtag insurgents hope to overrun Maiduguri on the 30th of January. A similar rumour that was waved aside as nothing resulted in the Monguno attack on the 25th of January, the very date promised in the rumour. Our military strategists, if they deserve that numenclature, are more reactionary than proactive. They seldom or never carry out pre-emptive onslaught on the terrorists. So far, the agenda for the war is, to a pretty large extent, determined and set by Shekau and his boys. A typical situation has always been that a rumour of insurgent attack is spread, report of sighting the insurgents at particular locations is given, proactive measures to nip imminent attack in the bud is absent, insurgents carry out onslaught and overrun towns (they annex to their vile caliphate), soldiers retreat to Maiduguri forfeiting territories to the expanding caliphate. At every turn, that some people know what the majority dont and can either positively or negatively influence the tide of the war is glaring. Very glaring.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:58:49 +0000