By Emmanuel Onwubiko<\/p>\n
Few weeks back, Nigerians were greeted with the story that Sambisa
\nforests- the notorious enclaves of the armed Islamists of Boko Haram have
\nbeen leveled down and that the rebel fighters responsible for some 30,000
\nkillings have escaped.<\/p>\n
Incredibly, President Muhammadu Buhari was shown in the media joyfully
\nreceiving what was referred to as the Islamic State flag of the
\nterror-mastermind with \u2018nine lives\u2019 Abubakar Shekau.<\/p>\n
A copy of the Hadiths \u00a0was reportedly also recovered and handed over to
\nPresident Buhari just as the copy was said to be the personnel copy of the
\nterrorist-in-chief Abubakar Shekau.<\/p>\n
Whilst Nigerians debated the relevance or otherwise of this symbolic flag
\nhanding over ceremony in Aso Rock between the Commander-in \u2013Chief of
\nNigerian Armed Forces and the Chief of Army Staff, the boko haram kingpin
\nsurreptitiously released a video recording on the internet where upon he
\nrubbished the claims of the military to have displaced them from their
\nstronghold.<\/p>\n
Abubakar Shekau also promised more devastating bombing campaign.
\nThe Nigerian authority dismissed the video recording of Abubakar Shekau as
\npropaganda but boko haram terrorists have since then sent out over half a
\ndozen suicide bombers to three key North East States of Borno, Yobe and
\nAdamawa.<\/p>\n
There have been increased spikes in attacks targeting military
\ninstitutions with over 16 bodies of soldiers and a senior military Officer
\nreportedly recovered in the gashigar area of Borno state. Scores of armed
\nterrorists were also gunned down.<\/p>\n
The explosions in Adamawa which claimed several lives were blamed on boko
\nharam terrorists who reportedly invaded Madagali local government from
\nthat wing of Sambisa forests. Which Sambisa forests, one may ask?<\/p>\n
The Madagali \u00a0Council Chairman answered by saying that \u00a0the bombers
\nemerged from Sambisa forests which are the same enclaves from which the
\nterrorists were said to have been displaced.<\/p>\n
To be very fair to the Army, considerable damage has been unleashed on the
\nthe so called ‘camp zero’ inside Sambisa forests. At least Lieutenant
\nGeneral Tukur Buratai didn’t mince words in revealing to Daily Trust about
\nthe extensive damages the Armyinflicted on the armed terrorists. But there
\nare lingering doubts on the logic behind the declaration of victory made
\nby politicians in Abuja based on the recent verifiable exploits of the
\nsoldiers.<\/p>\n
Whereas President Buhari was reported as claiming that boko haram
\nterrorists have been defeated following the exploits of the Nigerian
\nMilitary in the Sambisa forests, the dare-devil attacks of these
\nterrorists since after their reported defeat may have compelled a rethink
\nin a very fundamental way within the Presidency.<\/p>\n
Only few days back, the media again reported what looked like a
\nrecantation of the victory song by President Buhari who was said to have
\nagreed that the final onslaught against the terrorists can only be
\nachieved when the Chibok girls are all recovered.<\/p>\n
Recently,one of the abducted girls sauntered into a military facility in
\nthe North East with her six month old baby.<\/p>\n
The Civil campaigners known as Bring Back Our girls have reportedly
\naccused the Nigerian government of abandoning the search for the remaining
\ndozens of School girls kidnapped over a thousand days by the armed terror
\ngang of Boko haram from their school in Chibok village in Southern Borno
\nState.<\/p>\n
That rebuke earned them an invitation to hop into a military aircraft for
\nan adventurous flight around the vast expanse of land known as Sambisa
\nforests. The trip originally planned for Monday January 16 2017 is being
\nworked out.<\/p>\n
But something sinister happened in this Monday when the verification
\nflight ride to Sambisa forests by soldiers and Bring back our girls
\ncampaigners was planned to take off from Abuja.<\/p>\n
On the morning of Monday January 16th 2017, a 7- year old suicide bomber
\nsent by boko haram struck at the University of Maiduguri whilst students
\nand lecturers were praying in the mosque.<\/p>\n
This latest bomb explosion in the citadel of learning in Maiduguri, Borno
\nState took the life of a University Professor and many other victims.
\nThe students have also raised alarm regarding their safety following what
\nthey termed as lack of freedom to exit their hostels.<\/p>\n
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was seen clearing the
\ndebris of this latest bomb explosion just as they were spotted moving out
\nseveral body bags of suspected causalities.<\/p>\n
President Buhari has already condemned the latest round of bomb explosions
\nand named \u00a0Boko Haram as irreligious people with scant respect for citadel
\nof worship and learning.<\/p>\n
A number of issues need to be addressed in our collective national search
\nfor an end to these circles of deaths being waged by these terrorists.
\nFirst, the military is doing a fantastic job. There is no doubt about
\nthat. The military has also suffered enormous casualties of professionally
\ntrained soldiers.<\/p>\n
Only on January 15th 2017 when the nation marked the Armed Forces
\nRemembrance Day, the three segments of the Armed Forces recalled with
\nshock their losses \u00a0in terms of precious lives and manpower.<\/p>\n
The Nigerian airforce symbolically narrated that it has spent millions of
\ngallons of the elusive aviation fuel to power their military jets in the
\nlast one year in their coordinated bombing attacks against bojo Haram
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
Secondly, the civilian victims of these unwarranted terror campaign is
\nincreasing in number just as the number of internally displaced persons
\nhas witnessed astronomic rise but sadly, the mismanagement of the fund for
\nthe assistance of these victims has denied the people the much needed
\nsuccor just as the top officials of the current government implicated in
\nthe scam have remained untouchable. The Secretary to the Federal
\ngovernment Mr Babachir Lawal indicted over alleged disappearance of N2
\nbillion of Terror victims support fund is still croozing around as a top
\ngovernment officials even as President Buhari is yet to act on the Senate
\nfar reaching indictment.<\/p>\n
Importantly, there seems to be an unusual interest among the federal
\ngovernment officials to circulate propaganda materials in the media to
\npaint the impression that the war on terror is almost won. This propaganda
\nis a scam.<\/p>\n
The absence of honesty in the dissemination of information emanating from
\nthe theatre of the Counter terror was is unfortunate.<\/p>\n
The heads of information in the Nigerian ministry of information are so
\nmuch in a hurry to play up partisan politics with serious issue of
\nnational security.<\/p>\n
If only the minister of information can take little time to read the
\nphenomenal book titled \u201cYou have a brain: A teen\u2019s guide to T.H.I.H.K
\nB.I.G\u201d authored by the American Brain Surgeon Dr. Ben Carson, perhaps they
\ncould have a rethink.<\/p>\n
In the Chapter Fifteen of this beautiful book, the author narrated the
\nessence of honesty even in smaller things and indeed in bigger affairs.
\nBen Carson after narrating an encounter he and his sibling had when they
\nstole the candy bars hidden by their aunt who is said to be so generous to
\na fault called for total respect to the principle of honesty.<\/p>\n
He had written thus: \u201cCurtis and I each took one, ate the candy bars, and
\ncarefully disposed of the wrappers. I never knew how Aunt Jean found out\u2026\u201d
\nThe long and short of these stories are that when eventually they were
\nfound out\u00a0 for stealing these candy bars, they showed a high sense of
\nremorse \u00a0and there and then decided to be honest in every of their
\ndealings with their aunt and uncle.<\/p>\n
Dr. Ben Carson encapsulated their encounters with both their Aunt and
\nMother thus: \u201cThe implied message being that if we had spent just a little
\nbit of time thinking surely we would have come to a \u00a0different conclusion
\nand behaved differently. While mother wanted us to recognize how our
\nbehavior had demonstrated ingratitude towards our Aunt, the primary
\nmessage about honesty came \u00a0through loud and clear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The above lessons apply to Nigerians in our dealings with the government
\non these whole issues of counter terror war.<\/p>\n
Many a times, \u00a0we have been told tales that sounded so unbelievable
\nregarding the exploits of the government in waging the war on terror, but
\nwe the people have swallowed these \u2018sweet\u2019 pills of falsehood hook, line
\nand sinker, hoping and believing that the government officials will on
\ntheir own discover the embarrassing lack of value and respect in dishing
\nout lies to the citizenry, but the litany of lies keeps expanding in leaps
\nand bounds. The continuous bomb explosions by Boko Haram terrorists are
\nclear evidence that the soft tissues of lies from the government isn’t
\nworking.<\/p>\n
Above all, the government has never been honest with prosecuting the mass
\nmurderers known as boko haram terrorists but has shown unbelievable
\npenchant in releasing the suspected members of this terror gang.<\/p>\n
Sadly, each passing \u00a0episode of release of these terror suspects has come
\nwith reported cases of bomb explosion but the justice ministry of Nigeria
\nhas failed till date to begin vigorous prosecution of these terrorists who
\nhave killed over 30,000 Nigerians.<\/p>\n
What is responsible for the lack of honesty in prosecuting these
\nterrorists is shocking and disappointing to all discerning minds.<\/p>\n
Sadly, the Nigeria Army just released another batch of terror suspects
\nonly on January 15th 2017 and on the morning of January 16th 2017, a
\n7-year old suicide bomber was sent to the university of Maiduguri by the
\nterror masterminds and the result is the high number of casualties
\nincluding the life of a Professor of that citadel of higher learning.
\nHow sad!<\/p>\n
The media report of the release of the latest bunch of boko haram terror
\nsuspects says that: \u201cIt is being done as part of the Armed Forces
\nRemembrance Day celebration, \u00a0and that the Nigerian Army on Sunday
\nreleased 257 suspected Boko Haram members who were in detention to the
\nBorno State government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe detainees \u2013 comprised of men, women and children \u2013 were released to
\nthe Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Durkwa, during a ceremony at
\nthe Ramat Square in Maiduguri.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHanding over the detainees, the head of the military\u2019s counter-insurgency
\noperation in the North East (Operation Lafiya Dole) , Maj. Gen. Lucky
\nIrabor, said the 257 Boko Haram detainees had been screened and found to
\nbe clean.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u201cAfter screening them, we found them clean, but we will ensure
\nthat they are monitored even after the release. The Army Day celebration
\nhave afforded us opportunity to free them to mark the occasion.\u201d What
\nindependent forensic screening certified these suspects free of
\nculpability?<\/p>\n
The whole counter terror war will remain a perpetual drama of politics
\nexcept and unless the Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice
\ntakes concrete, verifiable and transparent prosecutorial measures to bring
\nthe masterminds of the nearly five year old terror campaign to trial.
\nThe International Crimes Courts in The Hague, Netherland should also pay
\ncloser attention to this apathy on this current government to prosecute
\nterrorists.<\/p>\n
The most honest thing to be done is to invite the United Nations to
\nInvestigate these whole stories of boko haram terrorists so a clearer
\npicture is painted and the characters responsible are brought to account
\nin accordance with our laws or with the international laws.<\/p>\n
*Emmanuel Onwubiko is head of Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria
\nand can be reached @ www.emmanuelonwubiko.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Emmanuel Onwubiko Few weeks back, Nigerians were greeted with the story that Sambisa forests- the notorious enclaves of the armed Islamists of Boko Haram have been leveled down and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55424,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n