Sometime
ago, an uncle of mine told me among my siblings during a casual family
gathering that one of the prime idiosyncrasies of any security outfit anywhere
in the world was over-confidence coupled with pride. He stressed that the
aforementioned features invariably “make them to exaggerate as well as embrace
victory in advance”, which according to him was a good step if one really means
a battle he is involved.
In a bid to throw more light, he
further said “over-confidence, which is often begotten by pride, has a very
strong way of subduing your opponents and could make them surrender even before
the battle commences”. In other words, he was actually opining that security
agencies strive successfully with the help of the said tools.
I was yet to concur with the perspective
which he tendered over a decade now, not until barely two weeks ago. It isn’t
anymore news that on Saturday, 3rd February 2018, the Nigeria’s
military, precisely the Army, boasted publicly that the world’s third dreaded terrorist
group – Boko Haram – had been ‘completely defeated’ by them.
The disclosure, which came up during
the inauguration of the Nigeria – Cameroon Military Joint mission in Maiduguri,
the Borno State capital, was presented by the Theatre Commander of Operation
Lafiya Dole in the person of Major General Rogers Nicholas. He said “troops
under the operation Deep Punch II on Friday dislodged the terrorists at their
factional ground, Camp Zero”.
In an effort to throw more light, the
commander disclosed “my soldiers are in the heart of the Boko Haram enclave.
The gallant troops have broken the heart and soul of Shekau’s group, taking
over the camp and its environs”. He went further to say “they are on the run
and we are pursuing them to wherever they go”.
Maj. Gen. Nicholas who urged the
fleeing terrorists and abducted persons in the bush to come out and surrender
to the troops, promising they would not be harmed or killed, informed that
“this time around, there is no place for escape anywhere” as he equally
revealed that hundreds of them had already surrendered and about 100 civilians
rescued in the process.
Intriguingly, just the following day
after the announcement, on Sunday 4th February 2018 to be precise,
the ‘completely defeated’ Boko Haram unleashed an attack on Kala village
situated in Dalori, Borno State. In the mayhem, a person was reportedly
murdered and several houses set ablaze. I couldn’t reconcile that barely 24
hours after we were notified that the Boko Haram had been totally crushed, the
extremist sect practically disabused the army of its claim.
It’s noteworthy that the avowal came up barely
a few weeks after the leader of the jihadist group, Mr. Abubakar Shekau
appeared in a latest video. In the 31-minute display, the elusive leader having
boasted that his men were in good health, threatened that the battle wasn’t yet
over. This is the same man who had for the umpteenth time been reportedly
killed by the army.
Come to think of it. It’s worth noting
that the army’s declaration came just a few weeks after the National Economic Council
(NEC) approved the withdrawal of one billion dollars from the country’s Excess
Crude Account (ECA) towards tackling the ongoing battle against the extremists;
an approval that had raised tremendous dust and ripples among millions of Nigerians.
Although I never expected the army to
sound like defeatists, which they aren’t, it’s noteworthy that that boast was
contradictory. We aren’t unaware how the people – particularly those from the North-Eastern
part – longed to hear the military announce to the global community that the
dreaded sect had been totally crushed, but it’s imperative to comprehend that
such report wouldn’t be consequential if any area across the federation is
still unsafe as regards terrorism.
I personally understand that such information
by the army might be a strategy targeted toward provoking the enemy group in
order to fish their members out from their various hidden places, but it’s
understandable that several other Nigerians wouldn’t be able to interpret the
message as such owing to their level of understanding, hence the need for the
revered security outfit to acknowledge the reality of individual differences
whenever we are bound to take any action or tender any utterance, as the case
may be.
In line with his campaign pledges, the
President Muhammadu Buhari – led administration has thus far since assumption
of power convincingly strived to tactically end the ugly existence of the Boko
Haram. The Nigerian Army (NA) among other Armed Forces, on its part, has
apparently proven its determination to fight doggedly in regard to the ongoing
terrorism war.
However, it’s pertinent for both
parties leading the war in question – the Federal Government and the military –
to comprehend that the extremists can only be said to have been ‘completely
defeated’ when every nook and cranny of not just the North-East but the entire
Nigeria obviously becomes inhabitable, and our various borders duly safeguarded
at all times.
In view of the above assertion, I’m
strongly of the view that exaggeration might be helpful in winning the war but
could on the contrary, do more harm than good. So, it’s therefore high time every
stakeholder involved squarely faced the battle as required, so that, our
success thus far wouldn’t turn into fiasco. Think about it!
Comrade FDN Nwaozor
Executive Director, Docfred
Resource Hub (DRH) - Owerri
__________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
Twitter: @mediambassador 
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