ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Ley Your Dreams Come Alive – With FCMB Loans
Home Cover

Boko Haram not dead

14th August 2016
in Cover, Features
2
Government says ISIS appointment of new Boko Haram leader cheap propaganda
24
SHARES
163
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

al Barnawi

 

–Ex-Army General, gov, cleric warn

By OMONIYI SALAUDEEN and TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, Maiduguri

As the Federal Government continues to bask in the euphoria of the success of the military offensive against the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeastern part of Nigeria, a former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alani Akinrinade (retd), has raised fresh alarm over the likelihood of possible resurgence of the dreaded sect.
The warning is coming on the heels of the speculation of a split within the sect following the supremacy contest between its elusive leader, Abubakar Shekau and the emerging Sheikh Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who has claimed responsibility for some recent attacks. While noting that the relative success achieved by the Buhari administration in its determination to rout the insurgent was commendable, Akinrinade, a war veteran, warned that though the sect may be lying low now, it has the capacity to regroup and wreak further havoc notwithstanding the relative calm atmosphere in the ravaged states in the Northeast. He said in an interview with Sunday Sun: “You know very well that Boko Haram insurgency is one of the worst killers in the world today. And it is still going on. If you in the media are not reporting it correctly, maybe because you are not too free in the area. I am sure, they are still there. They say those who fight and run away, live to fight another day. They are prepared to take three months holiday because nobody is paying them, nobody has given them a task to complete and nobody told them there is a time bar in all these things. So, they can afford to hide their weapons, go to the society, spend three months and go back to war because we have not bothered to remove the reasons why all these troubles are there.
Akinrinade, who traced the genesis of the insurgency and other separatist agitations to bad governance, urged the Federal Government to do the needful by making the states and local governments accountable to the people in their respective areas of jurisdiction. The only way to do this, he said, is by ensuring power devolution to the constituent parts. “Bad governance is a major reason for all these things. They don’t see that they are the architect of their own fortune. They are looking somewhere else far away. They believe that their misfortune is coming from Abuja.  They don’t know that their misfortune is coming from their own local government and state government. Who are they fighting? They are fighting the Federal Government. What is the relevance of the Federal Government to my village? None,” he declared.
The former army chief predicted that the economy may nosedive further, if the war is allowed to persist for too long. “If they tell us the truth, we must be spending 50 percent of our earnings on containing the raging agitations everywhere. There is war everywhere. If we don’t restructure, we will get poorer than we are now. Maybe then our eyes will open to know that there is no central government in Abuja that is going to do any magic to pull us together. I hope we are sensible enough not to allow anybody to just walk away because it is quite possible now,” he said.
In a similar reaction,   a Catholic Priest and Director of Social Communications of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, Fr. Gideon Obasogie, said the claim that Boko Haram had been defeated by the military may be exaggerated, adding that the terror group may be “tactically” defeated but not dead.
His words: “I am afraid to say Boko Haram is dead because no one has got the numerical strength of the insurgents so as to tell us formally there were 100 Boko Haram and now the military has flushed out 90, hence remaining 10. It is quite good to be very hopeful and not to instill fear in the minds of people. But to say that Boko Haram  is dead is an over-statement.
“Perhaps the claim that Boko Haram is dead could be from the point view of military operations. Therefore, to me it is better to say Boko Haram has been tactically defeated,” the cleric told Sunday Sun in reaction to the claim that Boko Haram is dead.
He maintained that the true death of Boko Haram insurgency would mean all major highways like the Maiduguri- Bama road shut down in the wake of frequent attacks by the terrorists would be free for commuters.
“There should not be military escorts while commuters ply Maiduguri-Biu road via Damboa. We shouldn’t be seeing IDPs in camps within Maiduguri because the people would rather want to be at home. Journalists are not yet reporting situation live from Bama, Pulka , Baga, Mallamfatori and Diffa (Niger Republic). So, Boko Haram is not dead until it is completely exterminated,” he stated.
He said the insurgents were still around in the bushes and fringes, stressing that they pose real threat to the society. He said the recent attacks on humanitarian workers of the United Nations agencies while returning to Maiduguri from liberated Bama town after delivery of aids accentuated his position that Boko Haram could still threaten the emerging peace.
He, however, lauded the efforts of the military and other security agencies for “a heightened offensive against the insurgents/terrorists and for putting back the arms of the unjust aggressor,” urging them not to relax on their oars. He asked Nigerians to constantly appreciate the “huge sacrifices” paid by many officers and soldiers as well as personnel of other security agencies to ensure the terrorists’ expansionist agenda was curtailed. He said this was necessary as Boko Haram may not be coming out in a ‘commando fashion’ to lay siege to communities in the Northeast but may be planning evil act somewhere judging from its antecedents. He appealed to the authorities, military and security agencies to ensure that Boko Haram do not regroup to return again in any parts of the country.
A similar appeal was also made by Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima last week while inaugurating the State Pilgrims Welfare Board and Islamic Preaching Board. Shettima had urged the Federal Government and Nigerians to learn from history, noting that the chronicles of Boko Haram indicate the group could resurrect each time it was defeated. He had warned against allowing a repeat of tragic history in the fight against Boko Haram.
“While we celebrate the successes of the Nigerian military and other security agencies in the fight against Boko Haram, we are not paying attention to history. Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. If we cast our mind as far back as 10 to 13 years ago, we will realise that Boko Haram has got the history of being defeated, going underground only to regroup again.
“When Boko Haram launched attacks in Kanama in Yobe State in December 2003, they were defeated by the Nigerian military but they went underground and regrouped again and resurfaced.They disappeared in 2004 only to resurface somewhere in Panshekara in Kano State in 2007,” he said in Maiduguri last Thursday.
He also recalled that Boko Haram was defeated by the military for the third time but the insurgents regrouped through another name in 2009 – Yusufiyya movement – believed to have been founded by Mohammed Yusuf, who was killed in the aftermath of the July 2009 insurrection. He said the group had mass followership in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Potiskum. “They were again outrightly defeated only to resurface again in December 2010. When they were chased out of Maiduguri, they resurfaced in Sambisa forest and created many camps in some local governments,” he said. He maintained that the group had a tradition of firstly presenting itself as a loving and caring religious group to the Muslim community to lure unsuspecting young followers only to manifest its terror tendencies after gaining ground.

sunnews

sunnews

Related Posts

2022 internal examination begins Monday - NECO
Cover

2022 internal examination begins Monday – NECO

25th June 2022
Protesters gather as G-7 leaders set to arrive in Germany
Cover

Protesters gather as G-7 leaders set to arrive in Germany

25th June 2022
The igwes, honest advice to bachelors, spinsters: Be careful you don’t marry another person’s spouse
Features

The igwes, honest advice to bachelors, spinsters: Be careful you don’t marry another person’s spouse

25th June 2022
Next Post
Kings of the road: Racy lifestyle of long distance trailer drivers

Kings of the road: Racy lifestyle of long distance trailer drivers

This growing clan of sick men

Death and the pregnant woman

Seyi Shay’s Airbrush video makes waves

Seyi Shay’s Airbrush video makes waves

Comments 2

  1. SABI GOD says:
    6 years ago

    MUSLIM LEADERS WILL NOT UTILIZE THIS TIME TO EDUCATE THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS ON THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEIR TEACHING AND THAT OF THE TERRORIST GROUPS. THEY ARE MORE INTERESTED IN POLITICAL ADVICES THAT ARE NOT USEFUL BASED ON THEIR SELFISH SENTIMENTS.
    EVERYBODY SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING AT THE RIGHT TIME LET US BARRICADE THE DOOM.

    Reply
  2. Dr. Uche Kalu says:
    6 years ago

    That the Nigerian Army has had any súccess in its military
    offensive against the Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri Jihadists,aka,Boko
    Haram, is simply a specious fallacy.
    The Jihadist Killer Squads, have now split into two Factions,
    namely; the Abubakar Shekau Faction and the Sheikh Abu
    Musab al- Barnawi Faction.
    While the former Faction under Abubakar Shekau has vowed to intensify its onslaught not only against Christians,but
    against those,who are opposed to its campaign of Jihad.
    The latter,the Sheikh Abu al-barnawi Faction plans to direct
    its mass-murder campaign mainly against Christians not
    muslims.
    Thus, their modus operandi in the execution of their Islamic obligation of Jihad might differ,but their aim is the same.
    The two Factions are fighting for the Islamization of Nigeria.
    But where are the 270 something Chibok School Girls,
    kidnapped by the Hausa/Fulani/Kanuri Jihadists?
    Even the Buhari’s led Government seems to be complementing the ongoing Boko Haram’s Jihadist campaign politically.
    Buhar’s recent appointments stinks to high heaven; nepotic,
    sectional and Islamic are the few adjectives to qualify Buhari’s current Administration.
    General Alani Akirinade’s claim that ,our Janjanweed Army of morons and vandals has had some success against the insurgents is all but a bunkum.Our Army today, is simply an Islamic Institution.
    The basic truth about the matter,is that the Islamic Daura North
    is surreptitiously and creepingly Islamizing our fatherland.
    It is about time Nigerians be allowed to go their separate ways.
    No to the status quo ante bellum!Down with Buhari’s Islamic
    Hegemony!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

UK: Defiant Boris Johnson says he won’t change despite election woes

Pfizer says tweaked COVID-19 shots boost omicron protection

2022 internal examination begins Monday – NECO

Groups in Spain and Morocco push for border deaths inquiry

French lawmakers want abortion rights in constitution

Bangladesh marks opening of country’s longest bridge

Trending

Nnamani condoles Obaigbena over mother's death
National

Nnamani condoles Obaigbena over mother’s death

25th June 2022
0

From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja Former Enugu State Governor Senator Chimaroke Nnamani has condoled with the publisher of...

South African Investor to establish 5,600 megawatts solar power project in Kebbi

South African Investor to establish 5,600 megawatts solar power project in Kebbi

25th June 2022
How governor Yahaya Bello injected life into Kogi tertiary institutions - Commissioner of Education

How governor Yahaya Bello injected life into Kogi tertiary institutions – Commissioner of Education

25th June 2022
UK: Defiant Boris Johnson says he won’t change despite election woes

UK: Defiant Boris Johnson says he won’t change despite election woes

25th June 2022
Pfizer says tweaked COVID-19 shots boost omicron protection

Pfizer says tweaked COVID-19 shots boost omicron protection

25th June 2022
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Nnamani condoles Obaigbena over mother’s death
  • South African Investor to establish 5,600 megawatts solar power project in Kebbi
  • How governor Yahaya Bello injected life into Kogi tertiary institutions – Commissioner of Education
  • UK: Defiant Boris Johnson says he won’t change despite election woes
  • Pfizer says tweaked COVID-19 shots boost omicron protection
  • 2022 internal examination begins Monday – NECO
  • Groups in Spain and Morocco push for border deaths inquiry
  • French lawmakers want abortion rights in constitution
  • Bangladesh marks opening of country’s longest bridge
  • Gunman kills 2 during Oslo Pride festival; terror suspected
  • Obasanjo laments recycling of old politicians, money politics
  • Russians try to block city, cement gains in eastern Ukraine
  • Road to 2023: PDP loses top mobilisers, others to APC in Edo
  • ‘Total bloodbath’: Witnesses describe Ethiopia ethnic attack
  • Bauchi won’t be safe haven for bandits – Gov Mohammed
  • Deadly earthquake a new blow to Afghans reeling from poverty
  • Coalition canvass for Dogara as Tinubu’s running mate
  • Protesters gather as G-7 leaders set to arrive in Germany
  • Buratai: WIP laments increasing rate of fake news, calls for checks 
  • Ekweremadu: Nigeria-American group cautions UK against fraudulent asylum claim

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

Posting....