₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Army has confirmed the arrested of
several members of Boko Haram insurgents in
Lagos and Ogun States respectively.

The outgoing General Officer Commanding
(GOC) 81Division Nigerian Army Major General
Tamunomiebi Dibi who this disclosure yesterday
said suspected members of Boko Haram were
arrested during several raids conducted in both
states.

General Dibi made this disclosure soon after he
handed over the reign of command of the
Division to Major General Isidore Henry Edet as
the new GOC of the Division.

Earlier in his address to officers and soldiers
under the division, General Dibi who casted an
iron shield security around Lagos and Ogun
State warned soldiers against avoidable deaths of
their members and also ensure the stay on the
alert against extremists loyal to the insurgents.

The former General Officer Commanding said
the war against Boko Haram is not only in the
north eastern but also allover the country.
He said: “You are all aware of what we are going
through, the problems of Boko Haram, the fact
that you are not in the North East does not
mean you are not fighting the war, you are
fighting the war because wars of such nature
does not have a front or a rear. Boko Haram can
operate here and can operate in any part of the
country.”

He said that the division had been able to curtail
the excesses of Boko Haram especially by
preventing them from striking in Lagos, urging
the personnel of the Division to do more in
ensuring that the insurgents never strike in
Lagos.

He said soldiers and officers must ensure that
the security measures put in place to ensure that
the incursion of Boko Haram into Lagos are
prevented, must be sustained, adding that
personal security of the soldiers and officers
must also be taken serious.

He urged soldiers in the Division to remain
vigilant and also ensure that the insurgents do
not infiltrate Nigeria’s economic hub and its
environs.

The retired GOC noted that dozens of members
of the Boko Haram sects were arrested during his
18months service at the 81 Division.

General Dibi said: “You are all aware of the
challenges we are going through; the problem of
Boko Haram. The fact that you are not in the
northeast does not mean you are not fighting
the war. We are all involved in the war because
wars of this nature do not have a front or a rear.

So far, we are winning the war and I want you
to do more. Be more vigilant and ensure security
of your environment, your Barracks.

“I do not want to be in my village to hear about
any careless death. I want to hear that this
division I am leaving is the most efficient division
in the Nigeria army. I give God the glory for
making it possible to serve Nigeria for 35 years
and retiring today. I also thank all of you for
supporting me. Some of you have done so well
by cooperating, some of you lagged behind. For
those lagging behind, please change your
attitude towards work, be more dedicated
because you do not have any other job than this
job, neither do you have any other army. The
army is a voluntary organization which you
decided to join, nobody forced you to join,
therefore, do not allow any to force you do your
job.

“If you do your job, you are not doing anyone
any favour. It is your job and you should do it
well.

“Military job is a challenging task and Lagos State
itself is a peculiar state. We have had our
challenging times but we were able to overcome
them. Under my watch, we were able to prevent
the incursion of Boko Haram insurgents into
Lagos. A good number of them were arrested
here in Lagos. Having served for 35years and
retiring now, the legacy I expect my successor,
the new General Officer Commanding 81
Division to uphold is to ensure a highly
disciplined professional, efficient 81Division.”

After much speculation over the cause of a deadly set of explosions in Lagos last month, Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, released a video claiming responsibility, signifying that the Islamic insurgency has managed to hit the country’s commercial centre for the first time.

Two successive blasts in the Lagos’ port district on June 25 were passed off by the local government as mishap with a gas container. That explanation seemed a little thin. Behind closed doors, diplomats called it a cover-up designed to prevent panic. Now, Mr Shekau appears to have undermined the government’s claims: "You said it was an ordinary fire, but it was me in that fire," he said in his video.