Presidency: Nigeria Not in Conventional Warfare"

…Presidency: Nigeria Not in Conventional Warfare" The presidency has dismissed the statement made by the Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, who in frustration on Monday declared that the nation was at war and Boko Haram insurgents were better equipped than the Nigerian Armed Forces, stating that the federal government in 2014 alone will be spending 22 per cent of its budget on the military and security agencies, It also reminded the governor that the war against the insurgents was not conventional in nature, insisting that there was ample evidence to show that the Nigerian Armed Forces and security agencies are on top of the situation in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States. But as the presidency was defending its handling of the war against terrorism, gunmen suspected to members of the sect continued their killing spree Monday night when they attacked Galga village in Adamawa State. The latest attack led to the death of 11 people. Addressing newsmen yesterday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said: “We are certainly not involved in a conventional warfare but are rather engaged in a guerrilla warfare with all its unpredictability.” In disclaiming the statement by Shettima, Okupe added: “We state categorically that the Nigerian military is one of the best equipped in Africa and in 2014, the federal government made a budgetary provision in excess of N1 trillion for the military and other security agencies, an amount, which is about 22 per cent of our entire national budget for this year. “This definitely belies the suggestion in certain quarters that the federal government is not doing the needful in prosecuting this war.” Okupe blamed the increased attacks by the Boko Haram on their dislodgment from their strongholds and hideouts in the mountainous forest areas of Borno State. “In recent times, these areas have been heavily bombed aerially by the Nigerian Air Force and combed systematically by ground troops. If the insurgents have not been completely routed, it is due to the fact that our Armed Forces are severely constrained because of the fact that civilian settlements are also co-located in this vicinity, making engagement tenuous and difficult if heavy civilian casualty is to be avoided. “The public will note that following serious dislocation of the insurgents from their hideouts, the new trend is for them, after sporadic attacks, which are usually launched at night, to quickly cross over to neigbouring countries for safety. “Unfortunately, the Nigerian military is prevented from pursuing them into these foreign territories by law and international conventions, and this obviously gives continuous respite to the insurgents,” he explained. According to the presidential aide, “We must note that as far back as over 12 months ago, the fighting machinery of the insurgents had suffered major decapitation. They have therefore resorted almost exclusively, to attacking soft targets such as schools, women and children and sleeping communities in the early hours of the morning. “Most of the villages attacked are those like Kauri, Izge and Konduga, which are generally situated along the foot of the Gwoza mountains, which stretch from Nigeria to the Cameroun,” he stated. He explained that the obvious location of these villages close to the mountains affords the insurgents the opportunity and facility to launch strikes at night and sneak back across the border into neighbouring countries. However, he said the Nigerian military and security agencies have taken up this challenge and like every facet of the struggle, would put an end to these incursions in the shortest possible time. Similarly, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), in its reaction to the governor’s statement, said that while it would not want to take issues with constituted authorities, it would however not concede to the statement made by Shettima, when he said the insurgents were better equipped than the Nigerian Armed Forces. Reacting to what many have described as an embarrassing verdict by the governor, the Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen Chris Olukolade, told THISDAY yesterday that there was no way a band of terrorists could be compared to a well drilled and battle-tested military. Olukolade stressed that the Nigerian security forces are well respected all over the world, professionally acclaimed and have remained one of the best in the business. Olukolade said the governor was merely expressing his opinion and exercising his right to free speech when he alleged that Boko Haram were superior to the Nigerian Armed Forces. He explained that acts of terror are difficult to contain in any part of the world, “since it is a form of asymmetrical warfare that is not only new to Nigeria but has a transnational and cross border link”. Olukayode insisted that with time the military would be vindicated and eventually emerge victorious, adding, “The governor is only exercising his rights to vent his opinion. The Nigerian military will not engage any leader or constituted authorities in any exchange. “The fact nevertheless is that there is no basis for comparison between an irresponsible pack of terrorists and a professionally tested and globally well acclaimed Armed Forces of Nigeria, no matter the challenges. We cannot be compared. Time will tell.” Also, the House of Representatives yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately relocate the headquarters of the Nigerian Army to Maiduguri, Borno State, to curb the series of attacks resulting in many deaths in the state recently. The House resolved that this action would enable the Chief of Army Staff to be in touch with the reality of the situation and motivate him to devise ways of properly tackling the insurgency. Equally, the lower chamber appealed to the federal government to explore bilateral security arrangements with Chad, Niger Republic and Cameroun on how to tackle the activities of the insurgents around the border areas. Peter Biye Guntha (APC, Borno), who raised the motion, which gave birth to the resolution, expressed concern over the killing of hundreds of people and soldiers at Izge village, where 150 houses were also burnt. Commiserating with the people and government of Borno State over the incident, the House urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently provide relief materials to the affected victims. But as the buck passing on the handling of the war against the insurgency raged, word got out that gunmen, suspected members of the Boko Haram terrorist sect, continued their killing spree in Adamawa State, with an attack on Galga village in Gombi Local Government Area that claimed the lives of 11 persons on Monday. The insurgents, who had on Saturday night attacked seven villages in Madagali Local Government Area of the state, during which they killed no fewer than 65 people, were said to have raided Galga village on Monday night. Members of the sect also struck in Borno State on Saturday killing 133 people during an attack on Izge in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state. Eyewitnesses told reporters Tuesday in Yola that the terrorists stormed Galga village at 8.30 pm and sporadically shot at the residents. They were said to have operated unchallenged for over two hours before departing after killing 11 persons. One of the sources said the police came to Galga yesterday morning on a mop-up operation and released the 11 corpses to their families for burial. A resident said the area had been under incessant terrorist attacks for a while. According to him, the village is located in a mountainous terrain and the insurgents have on several occasions trooped into the area either to extort residents or kill them. He said shortly after the raid, the gunmen, who were armed with sophisticated weapons, drove out of the village and escaped through the mountains. The Adamawa State Police Public Relations Officer, Muhammed Ibrahim, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the attack but did not specify the number of dead persons. Ibrahim however said the details of the incident could be obtained from the military which is saddled with the responsibility of surveillance in the state that is under emergency rule. But efforts by reporters to confirm the incident from the 23rd Armoured Brigade of the Nigerian Army, through the Army Public Relations Officer, Captain Nuhu Jafaru, proved abortive. He promised to call the journalists back but had not done so as at the time of filing this report.

Southsouth