Last week, the Nigerian Army announced its new tactical and strategic plan to launch a massive off ensive against Boko Haram aimed at returning the crippled economy of the state to status quo. SADIQ ABUBAKAR, in this report looks at the previous operations, as well as seeks residents’ views
Restore commercial activities around Lake Chad River As the Nigerian Army launches “Operation Last Hold” as its new tactical and strategic operational initiative to completely eliminate the Boko Haram sect terrorising innocent people, especially farmers and fishermen along the Lake Chad River Basin, in the northeast sub region, depriving farmers and fishermen as well as transporters and other commercial traders from freely carrying out their occupational activities to earn a living and live in peace. A cross section of Borno state indigenes who are mostly and directly affected by the activities of the Boko Haram sect in the Lake Chad Basin share their views on the new operation last hold that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. T. Y. Buratai, recently announced, tagged, Operation Last Hold.
Operation Lafiya Dole It will be recalled that the Nigerian Army has been engaged in counter insurgency operations tagged Operation Lafiya Dole, in the northeast region for some years with considerable successes. However, the complex and adaptive nature of the Boko Haram insurgency has resulted in the dissident group still, sometimes engaged in abductions of schoolgirls and women, attacks on soft targets in public gathering or places using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and suicide bombings.
Therefore, the COAS said it has become expedient for the Nigerian Army to change operating tactics, techniques and procedure in the northeast region and accordingly, the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2018 was commemorated with the conduct of the operation tagged Operation Last Hold in northern Borno within the northeast Theatre. Rural farmer Alhaji Modu Aisami, a rural farmer from Damasak, Mobbar LGA of Borno state that shares border with the lake chad basin said, “we are happy with the new development.
Everybody pray for the insurgency to end. “Nobody will appreciate the prolonged killings and terrorism along the shores of the lake. They have deprived us from farming or going to farm. We no longer go to farm. “We are idle and restless. Attacks here and there without hope when it will stop. So, we welcome the new operation and we will support it as well to ensure its success,” Aisami said.
He however noted that hence the operation was designed to deploy personnel and equipment to showcase the combat efficiency of the Nigerian Army and thereafter conduct operations to totally destroy Boko Haram locations in the Lake Chad Basin, government should prioritize the operation to bring back to the people and area as raining season is fast approaching that people can return to farm Feature to produce enough food to feed themselves and even sell out for economic gain .
It will be recalled that Operation Last Hold was also expected to last for 4 months and it will entail deployment of 6 additional manoeuvre brigades and other critical assets in Borno State and the operation was intended to facilitate the clearance of the Lake Chad waterways of sea weeds and other obstacles obstructing the movement of boats and people across the water channels.
Fishermen As such, fishermen and farmers along the water ways and shores seem to benefit more as over four years today, framers and fishermen in the Lake Chad Basin have not been assessing their farmlands and fishery points due to the insurgency. Malam Kaka Bakura, a fisherman from Baga town now living in Maiduguri said,” the operation will really ensure the destruction of Boko Haram Terrorist camps and strong points in the Lake Chad Basin. Rescue of hostages “The operation will also facilitate the rescue of hostages in the Boko Haram captivity with the sole aim of operational end-state of Operation Last Hold to totally defeat the Boko Haram sect properly and successfully carried by the military”. A Forestry Engineer, Malam Lawan Kolo, a civil servant with Borno State Government, Maiduguri, is of the opinion that strategically, the conduct of Operation LAST HOLD will no doubt go a long way in facilitating the restoration of fishing, farming and other economic activities in the Lake Chad Basin which have been abandoned for years as many could not have access to their farmlands and fish points.
He added that the operation will facilitate the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons from IDPs camps to their communities to continue their livelihood as well engage in one occupation or the other. Engineer Kolo called on the host communities along the Lake Chad Basin to cooperate with the military and render useful information to the security agents to help clear the area. But according to the COAS, Operation LAST HOLD was conceptualised to involve the conduct of population and influence activities that were targeted at improving civil-military relations in the northeast region.
So, it is pertinent to note that Operation LAST HOLD was set to record remarkable achievements that would make the nation proud of the Nigerian Army’s determination in sustaining its constitutional role of defending the territorial integrity of the nation as well as its commitment to aid the civil authority to restore peace and establish security in the northeast and country at large. In view of this, Hajiya Ramatu Danladi, a popular trader at Baga Road International Fish And Grains Market Maiduguri, said, “ I was actually doing my businesses in Gamboru Ngala and Monguno kukawa and Abadam or Malam Fatori axis. “It is the insurgency that forced me out of the area and business. I was observing village market days every week and making lot of money but when the insurgency cane, everything grounded for me and my family because my family depended largely on my businesses. “I have children that have gone to school and finished their education. But they cannot continue without money and this business that I do is the source of their funding.
“So, for years they are at home while the girls have married. It is gladdening to hear that the military has adopted a new strategy or tactics to completely wipe out these criminals and return peace to the area in order for us to continue to run our businesses and earn a living far better, than what is happening today. “Even if they can clear the Boko Haram sect in less than the four months and deploy every equipment and machinery they have, to the area it is good and we are in support. We shall cooperate with them and support them to achieve their goal to bring back life back to the Lake Chad Basin”.
