The military and the Boko Haram challenge

on April 19, 2015 / in News 12:44 am / Comments


BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, ABUJA

Shortly before the six weeks shift in the general elections in February, requested by the military to enable it rout Boko Haram from Nigerian shores and recover scores of local government and communities overran by the terrorists in the North East, the Nigerian Army was in the eye of the storm.

ChibokFor about five years, the army, backed by the airforce in particular, had waged an asymmetric warfare against an enemy that was said to be unknown and could not be seen until the terrorists captured territories after territories and consequently established known bases.

Several reasons for the army’s inability to initially conquer the enemy, in several of the battles that ensued, include the situation whereby soldiers abandoned fighting with the enemies and took to their heels as well as the situation whereby soldiers abandoned fighting equipment like armoured tanks and other personal weapons.

There were instances when the terrorists became so daring that they attacked and overpowered troops inside army barracks like those located in Baga and Bama, Borno State, ransacked the armouries and carted away sophisticated arms and ammunition with which they prolonged the war on terror.

It emerged at some point that there was connivance by troops who were not only selling information to the terrorists, but also donating equipment to them while also introducing religious considerations into the battle.

The story is still fresh of how a colonel and commander of an armoured company of about four tanks who, as advance leader for an onslaught to finish advancing terrorists from Madagali/Michika axis, abandoned the tanks midway and told his men to do same.

Though the colonel claimed the tanks developed mechanical faults and could not advance to carry out the task assigned, it was gathered that Boko Haram fighters eventually took the tanks, re-mobilized them and used them to wreak fighters havoc in their march to capture Mubi and other towns in Adamawa.

An instance, spoken about in hushed tones in 2014, occurred when a pilot of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) was directed to carry out a mission to bomb a band of Boko Haram fighters who attacked a community; murdered over 50 persons mostly elderly men and women, abducted scores of young girls and children and burnt down the community.

When the pilot got to the scene, from the air, he saw the fighters in their numbers doing prayers. He choose not to attack them and returned to base.

There were also allegations that troops didn’t get approved allowances from commanders on the field as and when due whilst the amount approved for partaking in a war with a 50-50 chance of survival (N30, 000 monthly) was considered paltry for those who may be compelled to pay the ultimate price.

Of course, the aspect of desertion and soldiers running away from battle was so embarrassing not only to Nigerians, but the Army High Command to the extent that the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. General KTJ Minimah, one who himself has fought so many battles, drew a line and said enough was enough, hence the recourse to the language soldiers understood for such offences committed, that of facing a military court martial.

Initially, Minimah, having spent the first of his two weeks on assumption of office in the epicentre of the battle with soldiers in Maiduguri, Baga, Konduga and other places assessing and observing, first hand, the challenges of troops, took the unbelievable step of promoting about 300 soldiers across board for their gallantry in the battle and this was meant to ginger others in the war.

Then the military high command made a case and the N30, 000 monthly allowance for soldiers seen as paltry was increased to N100, 000 per month.

The authorities established a dedicated funding arrangement that takes care of the treatment of injured military personnel either in Nigeria or abroad and there is dedicated aircraft that evacuates injured personnel at the shortest notice.

There was also the establishment of a Benevolent Fund Account to take care of immediate needs of families who lose breadwinners.

Several other welfare arrangements were made to ensure that soldiers gave their all in the course of the war.

When all these measures failed to put a stop to the embarrassing conduct of troops, the steel in the CoAs was let out resulting in the court martially of soldiers who embarked on several disgraceful actions, including opening fire at the General officer Commanding the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmed Mohammed (alias Bandit), and troops refusing orders from their commanding officers in the war front. Though the outcome of the court martial so far is well documented with several death sentences and live imprisonment verdicts, some are still ongoing.

The court martial, which elicited outcry from the public, was actually the game changer that caused a sweeping change of attitude among the troops which consequently exposed the terrorists as people or group who feasted on the fear factor allegedly that Boko Haram terrorists being better armed or protected by certain charms or some kind of invincible armour.

So by the time the opportunity of the six weeks extension requested by the military to enable them flush out the terrorists and recover Nigerian territories before the general elections came and with the arrival of substantial quantity of new weaponry, a ‘primed set of troops’ were set and good to go.

The army and airforce, which all along, didn’t have the requisite weaponry to fight the type of guerrilla warfare that was visited on the country, were equipped with the required military hardware.

The airforce was reinvigorated by government’s procurement of 40 attack aircraft including helicopters with night vision equipment and capabilities for night operations.

Before now, Boko Haram fighters employed anti-aircraft guns to bring down airforce aircraft; and the noise level of aircraft did not help matters because it easily gave them out during attack missions.

Many armoured personnel carriers were also demobilized by the anti-aircraft weapons as well as landmines planted on attack routes by Boko Haram while many, due to age constraint and expiry status, malfunctioned or under performed.

But with new acquisitions like mines counter armoured personnel carriers such as the Cobras equipped with night vision, which can operate in any terrain; the High Velocity T72 armoured tanks with mine sweeping capabilities, Boko Haram fighters came to realize they could never be a match for the military.

More importantly, the strategic blunder that nailed the fighters was their blunder in deciding to attack neighbouring countries; Niger, Chad and Cameroon. In the past, these countries, who shared borders with Nigeria, exhibited a ‘siddon look’ attitude because, after several deadly attacks on Nigeria, the fighters ran to these countries which served as safe havens. However, when the tide changed and the same Boko Haram turned against them, they understood what Nigeria was passing through and saw the need to work with Nigeria’s military.

In this wise, most of the troops contributed by the three countries to the Multinational Joint Task Force were deployed to border towns with Nigeria thereby ensuring a blockade.

At this juncture, the subversive roles played by politicians and political actors who used the negative activities of Boko Haram fighters to score political scores must be emphasized.

Intelligence reports available to security agencies showed that while some politicians, who, today, are smiling over their victories at the polls, did everything to prevent hitherto friendly countries from selling arms to Nigeria to fight the war, using the excuse of human rights abuses, others used their personal relationships with leaders of some countries to scuttle already agreed deals to ship arms to Nigeria on the grounds that Nigeria may use such weaponry to hunt down opposition elements.



- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/04/the-military-and-the-boko-haram-challenge/#sthash.dGN3iTCz.dpuf

fairly good article ,it is clear that the writer doesn't have a broad view of military platforms.this is the same man who calls an MI-35 helo as fighter jet.
our journalist should update themselves

It is not the court martial that ginger the military to engage the terrorists. It is thanks to success of neighboring countries especially Chad in routing out the renegade fighters. As to the pilot issue did you know that the bush terrain is not actually deserted terrain? Hundred of thousands of civillians are living there. So how did you know they are terrorists praying? Let me tell you the terrorists will never congregate into large numbers to pray they are not fools. The basic rule of guerilla warfare is to spread to reduce casualty. Even when they are video taping their military prowes did you notice that they are very few personnels in the video usually less than 100. The secret of their support and recruitment is the level of civillian collateral damage by the Nig. Army.
The rise of civillian vigilantee is the main motive behind the downfall of Boko haram, ask any troop the civillians are in the forefront of the battle even though they dont have weapons but what they have is the mysterious bullet repellant. Theres a case of an officer shooting head of vigilante 4 times in Adamawa but could not penetrate and he ran away. Now ask these question the vigilante have only dane guns, knives, swords and sticks while BH Have all the modern guns but how many vigilante were killed in action compared to missions they partake. Any confirmed number?
On the issue of politics who won an election while sponsoring or supporting BH? Nobody can have a vote from affected northern civillians. This is the north elections were held all over the states. Unlike a certain areas where results were written without any election.
In 2011 there is election violence in one or two states in the north and some in the south but the news is Violence in the North in 2015 violence in the south nobody is saying anything. Life is life none is better than other. If this is the north all media houses will be castigating North by this time