Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
The military has intercepted food items, motorcycle spare parts and petroleum products suspected to be for Boko Haram use in the bushes of Borno State.
Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj Gen Olusegun Adeniyi, while explaining how the suspected suppliers of Boko Haram’s logistics were intercepted, told journalists during the burning of the items yesterday at the outskirts of Maiduguri, the state capital, the manner the items were concealed shows the craftness of the suspects.
“There are no petrol stations in Baga, Alagarno or the Tumbus, yet Boko Haram move around with vehicles and we all know vehicles don’t use water. So, where are they getting the petrol and the diesel their vehicles are using?” Adeniyi asked.
He said the four vehicles – a Peugeot 504 saloon car, one Peugeot Pick-up and two Volkwagen Gulf cars conveying loaves of bread, motorcycle spare parts and gallons of diesel were seized and the drivers arrested around Baga area. He said the driver of the car conveying the gallons of diesel concealed the products with palm oil.
“Drops of oil were on the galloons to give false impression the galloons containede palm oil,” Adeniyi explained. He said the use of motorcycles have been banned in Maiduguri and the hinterland, wondering who will receive the over 50 packs of the spare parts the driver of the vehicle carried.
“Motorcycles are banned in the hinterlands but these people are carrying spare parts. Who are they taking them to if not Boko Haram?,” asked.
He said the military would do its best to “strangulate” Boko Haram both with bullets and in logistics. He said the current military approach is to cut off Boko Haram’s logistics channel even as he noted that the war could not be won until all Boko Haram supplies channels were blocked.
He warned vehicle owners who created bigger and additional fuel tanks in their vehicles to desist from the act. He said the military is aware that many people are involved in the act of using their vehicles to get fuel in filling stations in the city and then dispensed to either Boko Haram agent or directly to the insurgents. He said anybody caught with extra fuel tanks in their vehicles would be arrested and treated as Boko Haram collaborators.
“Boko Haram logisticians will not be spared, neither will they be tolerated,” he warned after putting fire on the items and the four vehicles.
It was the second time the theatre was destroying items seized from suspected Boko haram suppliers. Last week, three vehicles with cartoon of dry fishes and hides seized from some drivers along Gamboru-Ngala, Borno border town were burnt.