— Troops advance on Sambisa as insurgents run out of arms
By Jibrin Baba Ndace, Abuja, and Sadiq Abubakar, Maiduguri
The military’s successes against Boko Haram (BH) in recent times has raised the question over the whereabouts of the militant sect’s supreme leader, Abubakar Shekau, with security sources raising fears last night that the man appeared to have literally disappeared into thin air.
The latest success in the anti-terror war came in the killing by the military of a top BH commander, Abu Mojahid, amongst scores of others in the outskirts of Alagarno, Borno state, on Tuesday morning, according to the Defence Headquarters.
A military source said yesterday that since the declaration of the final push against the insurgents in the middle of February and a directive to clear all terrorist camps before the May 29 handover date, federal troops have been on the lookout for Shekau and other BH commanders.
The source told PRNigeria, an Abuja-based public relations outfit closely working with the security community: “The guy (has) simply disappeared from the radar and suddenly vanished. We wish we can catch him alive.”
The last that was heard of Shekau was the unverified broadcast pledging BH’s allegiance to Islamic State (IS), early in March which was posted on BH’s Twitter account. In that broadcast he also vowed to disrupt the rescheduled general elections.
Shekau was quoted to have boasted in Hausa language: “This election will not be held even if we are dead. Even if we are not alive Allah will never allow you to do it.”
Despite the threats, however, the group was unable to disrupt the 2015 general elections as polls were conducted reasonably peacefully throughout the country on March 28 and April 11.
Since asking for a six-week extension to the date of the 2015 general elections in February, Nigerian troops have essentially flushed out the terrorists from the 21 local government areas that they occupied in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
The military has invaded the notorious forest hideouts of the BH and is systematically combing them to clear the entire Nigerian territory of terrorist elements.
Meanwhile, there are indications that BH insurgents have run out of weapons and ammunition as troops continued to advance on the insurgents’ remaining territory in Borno state’s Sambisa Forest.
Military sources and residents told local reporters yesterday that the intensified military operation by Nigerian and coalition forces had weakened the militant group and cut off its arms supply.
The source said: “The Boko Haram terrorists have run out of arms and ammunitions as the military intensify attacks on Sambisa Forest.”
A resident of Tabe village of Damboa local government area who narrowly escaped from the area said: “You can find more than 500 members of the insurgents, with only a few of them having rifles. And even when one or two of them have rifles, it is like a stick, as they have run out of ammunitions, because the usual supplies they get are not forthcoming.”
Coalition airstrikes and ground troops have stormed the Sambisa Forest, which covers more than 23,000 square miles across mostly Borno, Yobe, Gombe and Bauchi states in the North-east.
Since the military offensive has reportedly severed Boko Haram’s access to their main arms suppliers, witnesses said the insurgents have resorted to less sophisticated weaponry.
A military source said: “The Boko Haram terrorists have only bows and arrows, machetes, daggers and other local weapons, as they have run out of arms and ammunitions and were roaming about in the bushes of the villages along the fringes of the Sambisa Forest.”
Although the group has fled much of Borno state, the militants have left behind devastating destruction in their wake. Entire towns were razed, with homes destroyed and corpses scattered in the empty streets.
Another security source in Bama said BH has nearly demolished the town.
“Only a few structures are still standing, as the terrorists have virtually destroyed all structures in the town,” he said. “Very soon we are also going to the Sambisa Forest for mop-up operations, as we have been directed to clear the Sambisa before the May 29 handing over [deadline].”
A source told Blueprint that last week, President Goodluck Jonathan rejected a United Nations offer to send international forces into Nigeria to help fight BH, saying the group has one remaining stronghold in Sambisa Forest.
Jonathan said the Nigerian army, with support from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, had recaptured most of the territory seized by the insurgents, including the group’s stronghold of Gwoza in Borno state.
The outgoing president said Nigeria instead needs support to rehabilitate its people and rebuild the communities worst affected by the insurgents.
