It’s clear from all indications that Nigeria is at war. But like wildfire, this unconventional warfare has spread to neighbouring countries within the Lake Chad Basin such as Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. SAMSON BENJAMIN in this report takes a look at the scenario.
Though, some may beg to differ with the aforesaid thesis, probably because they are not living very close to the theatres of operations in the North-east, North-west and North-central zones where terrorists, armed bandits, militiamen and other criminal gangs daily unleash mayhem on armless and defenceless citizens.
Fortunately, the recent repeated call by the Commander-in-Chief, President Mohammadu Buhari to the High Command of the Nigerian military to re-double its avowed determination to bring an end to these continued barbaric activities of terrorists, armed bandits, crude oil theft and other crimes in parts of the country are no doubt beginning to yield tremendous successes.
This final military onslaught against terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements across all theatres of operations has put the terrorists and their allies in a panic mode.
Operations
Only recently, troops of Operation Sahel Sanity deployed at Forward Operation Base Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto state successfully dismantled a notorious illegal arms smuggling syndicate that specialised in massive arms supply to bandits in the North-west from across the international borders. This unprecedented stride by the Military High Command followed a painstaking undercover operation by the troops in the area.
The acting director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, recently disclosed that Operation Sahel Sanity valiant troops had not relented on their quest to finally crush banditry in the North-west. He said Alhaji Adamu Alhassan, Salisu Adamu and Abdullahi Sani, all Nigeriens, were intercepted by the eagle eyed troops at Dantudu in Mailailai District of Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto state with six AK-47 rifles, three AK-47 rifle magazines and 2,415 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition deceptively concealed in various parts of their vehicle.
Meanwhile, on the assessment of the fight against insurgency, a former national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Arch. Waziri Bulama, said: “There has been progress and improvement in addressing the problem of insurgency in the North-east and the entire country. I am from Maiduguri, I was born and raised in Maiduguri and I have lived in every part of the city all these years, I witnessed when this crisis started and when it exploded and later developed into insurgency.
“Clearly this government has done a lot in fighting these criminals, especially around our major towns. For instance, in 2015 Maiduguri was totally isolated and cut off. It was like a refugee camp, no flights, no economic access, no schools, nothing. But now, the situation is different, life has returned to normal in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Mubi, Yola and all these places in the northeast. So there has been a great deal of improvement.
“Also, the government has taken measures to reconstruct the northeast by creating the Northeast Development Commission, and many displaced persons have been resettled, but there is need going forward to strategically map out a plan for closure, bringing this crisis to an end and resettling people once and for all.”
Coordinator’s disclosures
Briefing the press last week in Abuja, the coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, said the various operations had progressed satisfactorily adding that troops of Operation Hadarin Daji had continued the aggressive clearance operations in the North-west.
He said: “We have witnessed a downward trend in the activities of armed bandits and criminal elements in the zone with the gallant troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, carrying out series of clearance operations, ambushes and other aggressive and confidence building patrols. These operations have most importantly led to the neutralisation of armed bandits, arrest of suspected bandits and their collaborators, rescue of kidnapped victims, recovery of rustled cattle, smashing of illegal arms syndicates and illegal armed miners.
“Troops of Operation Thunder Strike acting on credible intelligence successfully ambushed armed bandits at Jeka Da Rabi along Kaduna-Abuja expressway in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state. During the ambush, troops neutralised four armed bandits and recovered one locally fabricated rifle along with five rounds of 9mm ammunition.”
Also, according to him, troops of Operation Safe Haven arrested 35 suspected criminals during raids on some identified criminal hideouts at West of Mines, Mid West, Charcoal Market and Busa Buji areas of Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State, stressing that the raids were conducted following intelligence reports of criminal activities in those areas.
“On September 5, 2020, troops of Operation Safe Haven raided hide-outs of suspected Sara Suka criminals at Yantifa, New Market, Terminus and Bauchi Road in Jos North local government area of Plateau state. Troops apprehended 20 Sara Suka suspects at the location while two members of a syndicate specialising in the production of fake security agencies identity cards were also apprehended.
“In addition on September 8, 2020, troops of Operation Ayem Akpatuma III killed a militia leader, Terwase Akwaza, alias Gana, during an encounter with troops around Gboko in Benue state. Forty members of his gang were also captured alongside arms and ammunition.
“This has been a tremendous achievement by the military as there had been great jubilation since the death of Gana was announced. Gana and his notorious gang had terrorised the state for long.”
On the military operations in the South, Gen. Enenche said troops of Operation Delta Safe have intensified the fight against crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal oil bunkering in the zone with significant successes.
He disclosed that the Nigerian Navy Ship, Delta patrol team located a dugout pit with about 1,257.96 barrels of product suspected to be stolen crude oil at Ogbodede Creek in Warri South local government area of Delta state.
“The team discovered an oven laden with about 18.86 barrels of crude and 5,000 litres of illegally refined AGO. The dugout pit and oven with the products were dismantled.
“Similarly, Forward Operating Base Bonny patrol team discovered an illegal refining site in Ataba, Andoni local government area of Rivers state. The site had two metal storage tanks laden with about 301.91 barrels of product suspected to be stolen crude oil and one metal tank laden with about 34,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined AGO. Also, the team discovered five storage facilities made with tarpaulin inside the swamp laden with about 4,717.35 barrels of product suspected to be stolen crude oil.
“Similarly, two large wooden boats laden with about 1,069.26 barrels of product suspected to be stolen crude oil were discovered inside the creek. The storage facilities and wooden boats were dismantled.”
Troops of 222 Battalion, he said further, destroyed an illegal refining site at Eniabedi Community in Isoko North local government area of Delta state.
He also said troops of 16 Brigade Garrison discovered and destroyed an illegal oil refinery containing unspecified amount of illegally refined petroleum products at Abua in Abua/Odua local government area of Rivers state.
According to him, “We should learn to appreciate and praise the gallant and resilient effort of our troops so that they would be spurred to do more. It is, however, eminent to note the warfare our gallant troops are engaged, the Conventional and Guerrilla.”
He explained that “conventional warfare is a form of warfare conducted by using conventional military weapons and battlefield tactics between two or more states in open confrontation. In conventional warfare, the forces on each side are well-defined to fight using weapons that primarily target the opposing army.
“While, guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility, to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military. Regrettably, these violent non state actors are becoming sophisticated as day passes.”
It is nonetheless on the premise of the foregoing that the hierarchy of the Armed Forces of Nigeria is apparently not leaving any stone unturned in its effort to halt the killings across the country, while at same time crippling insurgency, terrorism and armed banditry.
Though some Nigerians had criticised the non-kinetic initiative of the state, christened Operation Safe Corridor, from all indications the initiative is yielding tremendous results.
