If Nigerian and French backed forces were to spare again over the Bakassi issue, either due to the persistent prosecution of Nigerian settlers or Anglo Southern Cameroonians, or an outright military provoation over Lake Chad or the Bakassi Peninsula - The Nigerian military may not at all resemble the low tech military of the past that France was able to intimidate by sending sattelite photos of all Nigerian military bases and munition store houses to Abuja and threatening total war should Nigerian shelling of Cameroonian outposts in the Bakassi waterways continue before the ICJ rulling on who owns Bakassi.

In 2014, Nigeria's corrupt leaders basking in a deluded sense of security were stunned by the devastation thousands of well armed Boko Haram militants inflicted on the Nigerian military, once the pride of West Africa.

To add insult to injury, hundreds of Chadian forces and amoured vehicles crossed into Nigeria without authorization and for two drove nearly 120 kilometres westward into Borno State (AGAIN), this time to liberate Malam Fatori, the headquarters of Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State. For perspective, imagine hundreds of Canadian soldiers and amoured fighting vehicles without U.S approval, streamrolling unopposed 100 kilometres into Seattle in Washington State.

This is nothing short of total abdication of power and authority to a foreign actor.

Trust the Chadians and their predatory and opportunistic mentality, the army did not stop there, the Chadian forces took over a small island in another local government in the same Borno State- Kukawa LGA, and took full control of the Kingalla, council. If you expected the Chadians to stop there, you will be dissapointed. Chadians troops then hoisted their flag, not the Nigerian flag- the Chadian flag, on Nigerian territory.
Expecting a fierce diplomatic rebuke and potential military action, the Nigerian government not only kept mute, they attempted to impose a complete media blackout on the event.

The Chadians were like :..." I don't believe this"

Encouraged by the unbelievable lack of response from the Nigerian governments, the Chadian for two straight days drove over long distances in large numbers in a convoy of vehicles to their next targets

" Malam Fatori".

In an ironic twist they finally encountered resistance from NIGERIANS defending their homeland
Boko Haram insurgents

The Chadian troops routed the insurgents and after hours of fighting finally chased them away, taking full control of Malam Fatori. So for one week, Nigeria's one time military foe invaded and held Nigerian territory an area the size of Togo and not a single Nigerian aircraft or soldier was found.The lame duck government of Goodluck Jonathan abdicated authority to Chad.

...Now this is where it gets really funny.

To save face, Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan finally spoke to the press on this disturbing development,claiming the actions of the Chadian Army was in line with an already agreed up in arrangement.
(It should noted a year prior, the Nigeria army and Air Force requested permission from Cameroon to go after Boko Haram militants inside Cameroonian territory ,who after staging attacks across the border into Cameroon. The request was turned down by Cameroon.)

In response to President Goodluck Jonathans assertion, Chadian strong man Idris Derby insisted his actions were unilateral. He argued that the marauding activities of Boko Haram were beginning to have a biting effect on the Chadian economy, hence in the face of Nigerian ineptitude or bizarre refusal to stop the cross border attacks, Chad reserved the right to act to protect her nation a security.

Not to be outdone Cameroonian Gendarmes tried similar actions down south but were dealt a serious blow by Niger Delta militants. Cameroon dropped the idea of adventurism in the South and focused on the north east, trying to outdo Chad and prove to its master France that they too have the mantle of the Chadians by boldly crossing over into Nigerian territory in several raids killed hundreds of Nigerians civilians and burned down whole villages with impunity.

Now I am not advocating for military rule, but in the days of Abacha or even Obasanjo this would have been impossible. Nigeria would have carried out reprisal attacks regardless of the consequence.

In World War II two the British buried a German Ace pilot shot down over the English Channel with full military honours in a coffin draped in the German flag and a 21 gun salute because of his astonishing fighting skill as an air man. Like it or not we have to give respect to the Chadian Army for their hard to believe capability in Counter Insurgency and desert warfare. Conventionally they may not measure up to Nigeria now, but you cannot deny they will wipe the floor off Nigeria in the area of low level desert and against urban guerrilla assymetric type of warfare against non state actors.

....BACK TO TOPIC.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari waves to the cheering crowd in a victory parade at the Eagle Squarein Abuja, after defeating the lame duck incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
Whether we choose to admit it or not, the man in the above photo is the brain behind Nigeria's military resurgence. He was mostly elected not just in the North but in Nigeria's south on the banner of security and defeating Boko Haram. His election was a turning point for Nigeria's democratic future.

Why?

Because for the first time Nigerians did not vote across ethnic or religious line. The fact he won in many Southern Christian States bears testament to the fact that Nigerians will no longer tolerate election by mandate or ethnicity in deciding who rules Nigeria.
In the final episode we shall examine why he is right when he proclaims Boko Haram has been technically defeated and why France and her cassalsare apprehensive on an armed foyer into Nigeria, despite the optics and display of bravado of the Franco military alliance.

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