By Daniel Kanu
Assistant Politics Editor
It is obvious that so far, the bloodiest attack ever by the federal government perceived degraded Boko Haram terrorists was the latest Metele massacre of the nation’s gallant soldiers on Monday, 19, 2018, in Guzamala local government Area of Borno State.
Expectedly, as it has become the norm with government actions, conflicting figures on the number of dead casualties are still being bandied around.
In their latest attack, the evil group overran the entire 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele, carting away large cache of arms and military equipment after leaving the base strewn with the corpses of dozens of soldiers.
But from all available evidence, not less than 100 soldiers were killed by the government’s “technically defeated” Seditious group.
The reason why the Army suffered heavy suffered has been revealed by those who survived the attack by stroke of luck: lack of adequate weapons.
But the Presidency has described the Metele killing as an isolated case.
Even though President Muhammadu Buhari declared in 2015 that Boko Haram had been technically defeated, the group has continued to carry out several deadly attacks with efficiency since then, with an increase in the number of attacks on troops happening in 2018.
While speaking about the Metele attack during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, November 25, 2018, Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the attack does not mean that the terrorists are back in charge.
Rather he is of the view that the attack was a breach that does not mean the war has tipped in the favour of the terrorists.
Said Adesina, “Nigeria, we can say, is at war in that side of the country. For some time, things had eased, Nigerian Army had had the upper hand; and like the term goes, the insurgents had been technically defeated.
“But then, there’s this sudden upsurge and there’s that casualty figure which I do not know but which people say is on the high side. The military is the one that can tell us what actually happened.”
When prodded further over if the statement that Boko Haram has been technically defeated remains accurate, Adesina said that despite the sad incident that took place the Nigerian Army remains in control.
According to Adesina”I believe that Boko Haram is technically defeated despite what has happened. The recent attack was maybe a breach in security but it does not mean that Boko Haram is having the upper hand.
Heavy criticism has continued to trail the killing of the soldiers.
Distinguished Senator, Biodun Olujimi, Senate minority leader, seem to have expressed the views of most Nigerians when she observed with great worry that government is not opening up about the situation in the north-east.
“There is something government is not telling us over the death of these soldiers. We must know what we are facing and the conditions of the people fighting for us,” Olujimi said during a resolution by the Red Chamber to send a delegation to the North East.
According to Olujimi “We should make sure this insurgency does not spread. The government must sit up. We cannot keep posting young men and women without adequate provisions to safeguard their life. I pray their families will be able to find succour.”
The upper legislative chamber had mandated its committee on army to pay a condolence visit to the family of deceased and chief of army staff.
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Abubakar Atiku has accused the Buhari government of insensitivity to the security challenge in the country.
Eeben Barlow, a South African mercenary who fought Boko Haram jihadists in the country spoke out on Sunday against Buhari’s handling of the Islamist insurgency, blaming “poor political decisions” for an upsurge in violence.
In a statement posted to Facebook on Sunday, Barlow criticised Buhari for his claim that Boko Haram is “technically defeated” and said the jihadists are “causing numerous casualties and capturing massive amounts of equipment and ammunition.”
The former South African Defense Force commander said that Buhari’s government cut short his contract after his company STTEP (Specialized Tasks, Training, Equipment and Protection) helped reclaim swathes of territory back from Boko Haram at the peak of the nine-year Islamist insurgency in 2015.
“Pressure forced only a small part of the campaign to be successfully implemented before we were ordered to pack up and leave,” Barlow said.
According to Barlow“Northeastern Nigeria is an example of what can happen when intelligence is rejected in favour of a false narrative.
“Don’t blame the armed forces when poor political decisions result in the deaths of people.”
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has condemned the attacks in Nigeria by Boko Haram on security forces and civilians, especially in Borno.
Guterres, in a statement on Monday by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, extended his “heartfelt condolences to the Government of Nigeria and to the families of those who have lost their life”.
The UN chief said several other bases were targeted, according to news reports.
“Those who violate international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law must be held accountable,” Guterres said, lamenting that the attacks came as “national elections are due to be held in February next year”.
It could be recalled that on August 12, a group of soldiers stationed at the Maiduguri International Airport staged what seemed a mutiny following a protest over military authority’s move to redeploy them to the frontline. The soldiers insisted that the redeployment would put them in danger following the fact that those deployed earlier suffered serious casualty due to inadequate arms and ammunition. The military command in Maiduguri disputed claims of the soldiers and some of the revolting soldiers were later court-martialled as they carried their cross, some of them, to their present grave.
Buhari had assured that immediate measures were being taken to ensure that the loopholes which led to the fatalities were blocked once and for all.
But most political watchers say a lot has been said and promised by Buhari on the security challenge in the land but that nothing adequate has been put in place to forstall future occurrence.
