The bloody resurgence of the Boko Haram sect in some parts of Borno, Kaduna, Gombe and Yobe states in recent weeks has heightened the level of despair of many Nigerians, especially as it is happening at the time everyone felt that the criminal elements had been cowed by the renewed military onslaughts in the build-up to the last general elections that led to the recapture of several territories lost to the terrorists in recent months. The militants of the outlawed sect turned the holy month of Ramadan to a period of anguish, pain and torment for the inhabitants of the affected towns and cities.
In less than one week into the holy month, the insurgents struck in two major towns of Borno state namely Kukawa and Monguno, where no fewer than 145 people among them women and children were killed and hundreds wounded.
Most of the attacks took place in places of worship while the victims were observing their Magrib prayers after breaking their fast. According to reports, no single soldier was at Kukawa when the terrorists, numbering over 50 struck, killing about 97 people. They also operated freely in Monguno where they murdered close to 50 inhabitants, razed houses, worship centres and carted away food items and animals.
The murderous operations of the criminals targeting soft spots like mosques, churches, eateries, markets and motor parks later spread like wild fire, leaving in their trail the blood of innocent citizens. In Zaria, Kaduna state, the deadly attacks were carried out by a female suicide bomber at the Secretariat of Sabongari Local Government Council at Dogarawa, in which more than 30 lives perished.
The secretariat building was serving as a venue for the ongoing statewide workers’ verification exercise when a stealthy suicide bomber, a nursing mother with a two-year-old baby strapped on her back, eased herself into the dense crowd and detonated an IED, blowing up 25 people instantly including herself and the innocent child and wounding 32 others.
The bloodshed then stretched to Jos where twin explosions took place almost simultaneously at a restaurant located opposite the Bauchi Road Campus of the University of Jos and at the Yan-taya Mosque filled with congregants listening to a sermon by a leading Islamic cleric, Sani Yahaya Jingri, who is known for his stance against the sect’s activities. Many lives were lost in the attacks, 48 of them at the restaurant, with scores others injured. A similar attack was launched on a branch of the ECWA Church, Jos, killing and injuring many worshippers on Sunday, July12. And in Yobe, a suicide bomber strolled into the auditorium of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and blew himself up, killing the pastor and four worshippers on Sunday July 6.
To complete their cycle of violence, the insurgents bombed a market in Gombe town on the eve of Sallah, killing scores and injuring many others. The following day in Damaturu, Yobe state, the terrorists killed many………… celebrants. The choice of Ramadan period by the insurgents to heighten their dastardly act has been the practice for a very long time. For instance, on Tuesday, September 7, 2010, the Boko Haram militants stormed the Bauchi Prison and freed 720 inmates, 100 of which were their members put behind bars without trial. According to eyewitnesses, the invaders were armed to the hilt with sophisticated weapons and hit their target at about 6.40 pm when all attention was focused on the breaking of the Ramadan fast.
The Bauchi episode then, as it is the case today, highlighted the failure of security, poor and ineffective intelligence gathering as well as the immanent complacency that are the hallmarks of the nation’s law enforcement operatives. The Bauchi invasion was not planned overnight, yet no security agent got a hint.
Given the new tactics of using kids as suicide bombers, there is an urgent need for the security operatives to restrategise and be a step ahead of the criminals. Suicide bombers are moving targets; they are like ghosts that cannot be easily pinned down. The relocation of the Military Command Centre to Maiduguri should send a positive signal to the long-suffering people of the beleaguered North –east axis that the end of insurgency is imminent. The massive displacements in the North East occasioned by Boko Haram militancy have grown the figure of IDPs by 400,000 since the beginning of 2015. No doubt, the figure will jump when the victims resulting from the recent attacks are added. This is no longer unacceptable.
According to the Red Cross International, Nigeria is ranked as the third country with the highest number of IDPs behind Syria with 6.5m IDPs and Colombia with 5.7m IDPs. There are many unsettling questions which should be addressed by the appropriate authorities to stem the worrisome tide.
The relocation of the Military Command Centre to the epicentre is an initiative that must impact positively on the war effort. The recent appointment of new National Security Adviser (NSA) and Service Chiefs also provides a light at end of the tunnel. The new team cannot afford to fail the nation.
