In the lament below, popular northern elder Professor Khalifa Dikwa decried the actions of some Nigerian military commanders who he said in desperation to wipe out Boko Haram terrorists who have fled Sambisa and were now hiding in communities, had engaged in wiping out all males in the villages. Khalifa Dikwa narrates sadly that the military just killed his elder brother, nephews and other male relatives in his village of Katulbare.
URGENT: For the attention of COAS Lt Gen Buratai
by Khalifa Dikwa PhD
Some army commanders gave orders to wipe out all male villagers around Dikwa. For example, many males who had earlier survived being slaughtered by Boko Haram assassins were summarily killed by the Army in my native village of Katulbare yesterday 23/8/2015. Therefore, I lost all my brothers, nephews and other relatives. They were assembled and killed exactly the way BH do while the females were ordered to move to Dikwa town of Borno. Therefore, urgent steps must be taken by the Chief of Army Staff to check the activity of some his commanders in order to stop the extra-judicial killing of innocent villagers. May Allah accept them in the highest Paradise.
Having been dislodged from Sambisa and other places, the assassins take the villagers as hostages and human shields. Due to lack of experience, the soldiers set ablaze the villages, kill all the men. So the Army must do something to save the innocent. Unless something is done, villagers from Marte, Dikwa, Ngala and Kala Balge are in great danger. Tweets and SMS have been sent to their superior officers. Collateral damages can indeed be avoided if the State govt does its bit. No food at all as few persons in Maiduguri have been contributing some cash to buy food items to be sent down to the villages. It is incredible that nobody is officially talking about it in Maiduguri.
- NewsRescue- Working with locals, vigilantes, hunters and Civilian-JTF will help tremendously to reduce collateral damage.
Kalifa Dikwa updates after we relay his messages, defends himself from commentators who criticize his public lamentation against the army:
Thank you for relaying two message. My response to the message accusing of being sentimental about collateral damages in Borno villages. I am not being sentimental about it at all. You may send for my interview tapes from Maiduguri on 14 July 2009 suggesting to FG how to peacefully nip the insurgency in the bud but to no avail. From Dec 2011 having been ejected from my university office and residence for speaking the truth I began to write and speak to the world from my Kaduna base in support of our troops and why they were humiliated by non entities having excelled in global peace missions abroad. Again ask the Defence HQ for what I said at the Military / civilian conference in Abuja 2 years ago when former GOV Goni and I represented Borno State. I have survived many official plots by FG of GEJ / State under sheriff & University of Maiduguri Council (Please refer the fellow to my Facebook wall (MY NOTES). I was critical about the leadership of our forces during the previous government making them victims as we gave details in CUPS of which I am the Dean (Citizens United for Peace and Stability ) with our UK based arrowhead Dr Ahmed Idriss.
Back to our story, some of the villagers refused to move out because they had nowhere to go as some of those villagers spoke only Kanuri and no one to cater for them in the city. Please let him check the following few instances: 2 weeks ago, many were killed in Daima of Kala Balge. Last week 4 of my relatives were slaughtered in Antul of Dikwa LGA. YESTERDAY My senior brother (same father, same mother who was the village IMAM Goni Dalatu), my nephew BAKURA MODU and 3 others were killed in Katulbare village of Dikwa (where I was born in 1959). Katulbare is located behind two nomadic SHUWA Arabs villages of Dikechiri and Njamena, near Gajibo and Dikwa.
Few months ago my maternal uncle who was the IMAM Goni Mustafa GUMULE as the IMAM of Bash Jum’ah mosque in Gamboru Ngala was abducted by Boko Haram after killing hundreds of people, burning property while an Air Force was hovering. Since then we have never heard about him again (possibly killed) his family members were moved to Fotokol (Cameroun). His wife was treated as a result of wounds she sustained when tried to hold on to the IMAM from being taken away. Almost every other day, border villages particularly of NGALA and Kala Balge were attacked, burnt, robbed, maimed etc. The few men and women who decided to move to Maiduguri through the bush had to take off around 2 am trekking for days. No telephone lines because the assassins destroyed the masts.
Did the writer ask how did our rural people communicate with the cities prior to the advent of GSM? Look, I am no stranger to the gallant and disciplined Service trio or Chiefs because i was among the first to praise President Buhari for selecting them. In fact I even mentioned the name of GEN BURATAI as the most suitable candidate for COAS when he was the head of Multinational forces in Chad for his ability, competence and knowledge of the terrain and dynamic of international relations with his 2 Master’s Degrees.
The NSA GEN BG MONGUNO was victimized for his sense of discipline, patriotism and zeal to expose the very very very likely sponsors of BH in his leading expertise as a DMI officer when mega killings began in Borno after killing hon Mustafa BAALE, Fannami GUBIO, Awana NGALA etc. and the last but not the least, AVM Sadiq served in Borno very well when he was SQ Leader. SADIK was loved by all of us for his impeccable sense of Justice and fairness during the petroleum crisis of those years. My consistent appeal the media aids of Gov Kashim Shettima of Borno was to drum to the ears of the world to help the security locate and draw attention to the humanitarian crisis. Please send him this little response for his perusal with a lot of humility, thanks and respect from me.
Khalifa Dikwa 08034421373, FB Khalifa Dikwa PhD
