From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Bennin

In what appears to be an aberration from the tradition of his constituency, a top military officer yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to urgently explore the option of dialogue in dealing with the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, due perhaps to the apparent failure of deployment of troops to contain the insurgency.
Leader of Course 34 study group of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna state, Navy Commodore, Ferguson Dukas Bobai, made the appeal during a courtesy visit on the Benin monarch in Benin City, Edo state, Omon’Oba N’edo, Oba Erediauwa.
The military chief’s appeal came barely three days after the deadliest attacks by the Boko Haram sect on security agents and civilian residents of the commercial city of Kano, which led to the killing of at least 200 people last Friday.
The plea also came on a day the police in Kano said they discovered no fewer than eight vehicles laden with bombs scattered in different parts of the city, more so when the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and the state governor, Engineer Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso led Muslim faithful to pray for peace.
The top military officer’s demand also coincided with the killing of four men suspected to be members of the dreaded Islamic sect, also known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah lid-Da’awati wal Jihad in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
Decrying the current state of insecurity in the country, Commodore Bobai said: “The most worrisome is the issue of these bombings. I like to say in my own assessment that in the resolution of the security challenges we must employ more than force.
“If you look at the military powers, like America, America deployed their soldiers to Afghanistan in pursuit of terrorists (people who do the same thing Boko Haram is doing). Has there been a solution? They are still fighting. The colossal sum of money that America is using to maintain their troops became so colossal that it had a severe burden on America’s economy that when Obama came he said ‘No, we can no longer sustain this; we have to pull back our soldiers so that we can save the money we are spending’. What is the Afghan government doing now? They are beginning to talk with a view to brokering a truce and resolving this issue.
“Yes, we are training soldiers and police on anti-terrorism operation; once they graduate, they are deployed to Maiduguri or some of these places where these things are happening, but yet the people are still bombing. It is not easy for you to see somebody and say this man (is Boko Haram).
“If the Boko Haram can come out and wear uniform, we can engage it. I still believe that there must be a way of identifying those that are behind them so that we can engage them in dialogue. (Ask them) what they want and what can we give them?
“, If we deploy the whole military, they will still be bombing. You might be able to reduce it, at the same time inflict some inconvenience on the society. So I believe it is a political solution that will resolve this problem rather than we chasing one another about. Let’s sit down and talk; let them come out and put their grievances on the table, that is my own candid opinion”, he said.
The Commodore further suggested that President Jonathan should to take a cue from President Barrack Obama who was forced to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan amongst others when the cost of maintaining American soldiers began to take a huge toll on their economy.
On illegal oil bunkering and smuggling by pirates on the Atlantic Ocean, the Commodore Bobai, who said he began his Naval carrier in Warri, Delta state during Buhari administration, said the military was doing its best to curtail the menace, adding that the Federal Government was on the verge of procuring a coastal radii that will complement the warship to put pirates out of business.
In his response, the Oba commended the group and urged them to make the best out of the opportunity to restructure the nation’s security. “Ok, I think God will help all of us”, he said.
The theme of the 2012 study group is “Current Security Challenges and Social Economic Development of Nigeria”.
During their meeting with Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state, also yesterday, the governor called on the Federal Government to properly equip the police and other security agencies with modern equipment to tackle the new security challenges facing the nation.
According to him, “Though the Federal Government collects the lion share of 52.6% of the Federal account, we expect that the Federal Government should fund the security agencies adequately. Because even if I am not a security man, I know that these days you need the right type of technology, and with the right technology, you need less manual effort and less guess work. These tools require resources and my impression is that the Federal Government is not funding the police and SSS adequately to enable them have gadgets and instruments they need to enable them fight crime”.
In Maiduguri, four suspected members of Boko Haram believed to be on a suicide mission were shot dead on Sunday in Pompomari area of the town by operatives of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).
Field Operations Commander of the JTF, Col. Victor Ebhaleme who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday claimed that various improvised explosive devices (IEDs) ready for detonation were recovered from the Volkswagen car of the suspects.
Col. Ebhaleme said that the suspects were involved in the killings in Maiduguri and environs. According to him, the sect members have been under the surveillance of security agencies before they were killed on Sunday during an encounter with JTF personnel. He warned that those harbouring the sect members should desist from the act and report to security agencies for prompt action.
Meanwhile, some gunmen on Sunday night shot dead a registrar with the Borno state high court.
The court registrar who was identified as Baba Loskurima, according to witnesses, was shot dead by the gunmen in front of his house in Tandari area of Maiduguri around 7pm.
Our correspondent gathered that the gunmen took away his car and undisclosed amount of money before they fled the scene.
The deceased, it was gathered, was a principal registrar and protocol officer to the state Chief Judge, Justice Kashim Zanna.
Spokesman of the state Police Command, ASP Samual Tizhe confirmed the incident, said the victim was shot at his residence Sunday night.
In Kano yesterday, the police said they found at least eight vehicles filled with explosives in the city, while also upping the official death toll in Friday’s bombings in the city to 185.
In the meantime, Governor Kwankwaso and the Kano Emir led other top government officials and clerics at the city’s Eid ground to offer prayers for peace to reign in the city and other parts of the country after the deadly attacks of last Friday.
“I will pray to God that we should never re-live the catastrophe that resulted in the deaths and maiming in our city,” Governor Kwankwaso told newsmen after the prayers yesterday.
On his part, Alhaji Ado Bayero told the clerics: “I enjoin you to continue praying for peace and stability in our city. I call upon you to use any religious fora to pray for peace in our land.”
“Without peace life would not be worth living and religion itself can’t be practiced”, he said.source:www.peoplesdaily-online.com