The hunt for ‘Shekau’: Final battle against terrorists

Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff has spent ample time in the North east, since his appointment in 13 July 2015. His tour of frontlines have boosted morale of troops, hence feats recorded against terrorists in the North east. However, will his recent deadline to the Theater Commander, Operation Lafi ya Dole, to capture the leader of the Boko Haram terrorists and the presidential order to service chiefs to relocate to the military theater command in Maiduguri, end the terror war? MUSA UMAR BOLOGI on tour of the frontlines with the army chief, reports.

The wait is over and the fight intensifies. Troops with their commander squatted under a tree strategising the next move. Their riffl es were balanced on their shoulders and their gaze fi xed on the ground where the commander drew lines to demonstrate the likely enemy position and troops maneuvering tactics. Th e frontline is full of bewildering hazards – mines, ambushes – but the fi ghting troops seems ready to charge through. Their task is to capture the factional leader of Boko Haram terrorists, ‘Abubakar Shekau’, dead or alive; and they have only 23 days, out of 40 days deadline, to accomplish this. “Our morale is very high, and we are moving forward to achieving the task the Chief of Army Staff has given us to capture ‘Shekau’, dead or alive, says Sgt. Rabiu Abdulkadir,” a special strike force of 159 battalion located at Geidam, Yobe state. Defeat and re-grouping In 2015, Nigerian military recorded signifi cant success against Boko Haram terrorists, recovering all areas in North east hitherto under the captivity of the insurgents, and pushing the remnants to Sambisa forests. Th e capture of the terrorists command centre in camp zero, Sambisa forest, by the troops in December 2016 further dealt a blow to the terrorists’ capacity to engage in coordinated attacks against civil populace and the military. Th ey fl ed to border areas between Nigeria, Chad and Cameroun. However, recent suicide bombings within Maiduguri and attack and kidnap of some staff of University of Maiduguri and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on oil exploration expedition along Lake Chad Basin indicated that the terrorists might have regrouped. Analysts are of the view that the military had been carried away by its successes, and have misjudged the terrorists’ capability to regroup, hence the recent recent attacks. Th e attack on the exploration team raised concern within both civil and military authorities. Th is prompted the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, to order the Th eater Commander of Operation Lafi ya Dole, to capture the terrorists’ factional leader, ‘Shekau’, dead or alive. Shortly after the order, the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo directed the service chief to relocate to the military command centre, to give new impetus to the ongoing counterterrorism operations, and swiftly end the war. This is not the first time the presidency had issued such directive. Shortly after he assumed offi ce on May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the service chiefs at that time to relocate to the military command centre in Maiduguri to prosecute the war against the terrorists. Th ough the service chiefs complied, not until the present military leadership came onboard that signifi cant success was recorded against the insurgents. Th e recent presidential directive, analyst believe, was not unmindful of eff orts of the military leadership and the fi ghting troops in the counterterrorism war, but is meant to charged them to redouble their efforts to swiftly end the war. “By this presidential directive, it mean the service chiefs will spend more operational time in the North east,” says the Defence spokesperson, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, during a press conference after the recent meeting of the service chiefs in Maiduguri. “We have 14 security challenges across the country, which the military is involves, and we still have to solve them, but the services chiefs will physically spend more time here in North east to review strategic direction and operational plan.” Leading fi ghting force The Nigerian Army, being the ground force, is the leading fi ghting force in the counter-terrorists war, with the Nigerian Air Force playing a vital supporting role. Th is informed

Leave a Reply