An American study on various war strategies, as they relate to terrorism, clearly disposes that, “There is no clear or consistent way to define a difference between terrorist acts and acts of war. Extreme violence has been a constant tactic of war. Insurgencies and civil wars have always used asymmetric and extreme means of combat as have counterinsurgency efforts.”
In fact, many renowned war generals across the world, from America to Israel, Germany and other European countries, are unianimous in their belief that the act of terrorism is basically to instill fear and terrify the civilian population, thereby impacting damage to man and material.
In Nigeria, the three major states around the antiterror war zone, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, have had a devastating share of the Boko Haram war. To many Nigerians, the prolonged war is tiring and resource-draining, so why would the military not end the over a decade war?
The truth is that terrorism war is no child’s play. The United States has been at war in Afghanistan for some 17 years and had also been fighting another major war in Iraq for 15 years. It has been active in Somalia far longer and has spread its operations to deal with terrorist or extremist threats in a wide range of conflicts in North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and South East Asia.
From my study of the lion, oftentimes the lion traces his prey, even when they are many, he targets either the leader of the herds or strategically launches into their midst by causing pandemonium, which, invariably, creates fear among them, and he then hunts down the biggest. Most times, he uses the isolationist method by isolating a particular prey and then musters all his energy and goes after it.
So do war generals. They target the leader of the terrorist gang, target their communication, and cut off their source of food and arms supply. By this method, the gang of terrorists is in disarray, just as the lion’s attack usually sends a panic situation that puts the herds of animals in disarray. It was such strategic attack that led to the elimination of Osama Bin Laden, the founder of the Islamist militant organisation, al-Qaeda, that disrupted the activities of the terrorists group.
When, last year, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, after recapturing Sambisa, the ground zero headquarters of the Boko Haram terrorist group, many did not know that his next strategy was to target the terrorist leader, Abubakar Shekau.
War generals, like the lion, are very good intelligence analysts. They take their time analyzing every little detail in every intelligence report provided for any operation, just as the lion would painstakingly assess every step of its prey before leaping into action for a kill.
The recent leap of Buratai to the war zone saw the boosting of the morale of the Nigerian troops and this resulted in the death of over seven dozens of Boko Haram terrorists. As it is usual in the animal kingdom, a great kill attracts excitement and happiness, to the extent that other lions would cautiously join in the merriment. The news around is centred on the sad news about the passing away of the “mother” of the Chief of Army Staff.
Though sad, it did not completely deter the troops and their commander from further degrading the terrorist group. Buratai is a military General who believes in Nigeria. Once, in an exclusive interview with this writer, Buratai was asked, “What went through your mind when the President directed you to end the insurgency by the end of 2016?”
He responded thus: “It was a very tough task given to us (service chiefs). As a person, I saw it as a challenge and my idea of addressing this Boko Haram issue was actually not to even stay in Abuja but to move to the war zone in Maiduguri.
“So, when Mr. President made that pronouncement that I should move to Maiduguri, the order further strengthened me and I took it as a personal task, which must be accomplished. Since I resumed this responsibility, I gave all my mind and time to that task.
“My assignment at the war zone was a welcome development and, whatever one is doing in life, once you have a direction, then the problem is virtually solved. The directive by Mr. President for Army Headquarters to move to Maiduguri is one of the major factors that changed the perception, concept of operations and raised the moral of the troops.”
Buratai’s new resolve should be fully encouraged, as promised by the President when the Governor of Borno, Alhaji Babagana Zulum, and the Shehu of Borno paid him a courtesy visit.
With such determination and the already recorded success stories from the war zones, Nigerians would be greatly disappointed should our political leaders back down from their words by not supporting the troops with action that would see the end of the war. Now that the troops are gallantly ready, politicians should ensure that all hands are on deck to end the Boko Haram war.
(Concluded)
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Lockdown pointer to criminality (1)
“The Devil finds work for idle hands.”
On the 29th of March, 2020, sequel to the rampaging COVID-19, President Muhammadu Buhari announced an initial two weeks lockdown in three states, Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The second presidential lockdown, which began on April 14, became unbearable as Nigerians wailed in anguish, demanding for what is known as “government palliative.”
Every radio station in the FCT was awash with agitations of anger and hunger. Yet many were excluded from receiving the free gift. It was as if the common citizens were responsible for the pandemic. To worsen the situation, many became instant mobile phone “beggars.”
Many families could no longer bear the situation. The lockdown had rendered many idle, with no work to earn a living. All those engaged in daily work were deprived of any daily income, making life more unbearable. Feeding became a herculean task.
Even as the lockdown continued, many state governments became insensitive to simple reasoning. Different draconian measures were introduced to drive home the message that the people must stay indoors through out the lockdown.
(To be continued)