Operation “Lafiya Dole” Will Be Incomplete Without Proper Integration Of Civilian Jtf!
ZION B-BC NEWSLETTER.
A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 5. NO 134. 6th March, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You Free! (John.8:32).
OPERATION “LAFIYA DOLE” WILL BE INCOMPLETE WITHOUT PROPER INTEGRATION OF CIVILIAN JTF!
The buoyancy of economy in any nation would depend on the following factors:
Its naturally-endowed resources, solid or liquid;
Profitable harnessing of such assets through industrialization, exploration and exploitation;
Local and international partnerships that would pave business and commercial opportunities for import and export of goods and services and most importantly;
A secured environment devoid of any form of internal crisis, civil disobedience, insurgency or terrorism!
For five years, 2009-2014, Nigeria battled almost unsuccessfully to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency which eventually blew out of proportion and escalated into full-blown terrorism due to endemic institutional corruption through bad governance of over one-and-a-half decades until the change of guards on 29th May, 2015! It is no longer a secret that monies appropriated for military hardware for the execution of the war were regularly diverted to private pockets and for electioneering purposes especially during desperate bid of the last PDP Government to cling to transient power in the Presidential campaigns of 2014-2015!
The ongoing “Dasukigate” trials involving the misappropriation of US $2.1 billion through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), between 2011-2015 and other similar embezzlements of huge sums of monies from the national coffers by dubious and unfaithful politicians have exposed institutional corruption and impunity of the highest order since the exit of military governments in Nigeria! While the trials lasted, it is important to commend the morale of Nigerian security agencies especially the Armed Forces, the Police and the Department of State Services (DSS), for embracing the Change Mantra and forging ahead under the charismatic leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, (who is most determined to salvage the nation from the brink of disaster and self-inflicted extinction through exemplary character of righteousness, faithfulness and incorruptibility), to ensure that the battle against these enemies of the nation was fought and won by air and land forces, for normalcy to reign in the North East according to the purposive will of the Almighty God!
For the first time since 2009, the highly successful blocking of the illegal arms and ammunitions, transportation, communications, food, and medical supply lines of Boko Haram insurgents by the brand new, inspired, highly motivated and invigorated officers and men of the patriotic Nigerian security agencies have resulted in their starvation, total lack of weapons and communication gadgets, mop-up operations and massive surrender of the enemies who now beg for food for survival! All roads otherwise blocked by terrorists along the Sambisa Forest highways have been dismantled for free flow of traffic to rehabilitation areas by gallant soldiers while hundreds of emaciated and rag-tag remnants of Boko Haram hoodlums have been rounded up and put into protective custody! Operation “LAFIYA DOLE”! , (Peace at all cost), is no doubt on course BUT the tacit collaboration and support role to the Military by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), in confronting Boko Haram insurgency and violent extremism since 2011 must be properly and officially acknowledged in order to avoid a repetition of another insurgency in the future.
Small Beginnings of Civilian JTF.
One story has it that in 2011, one Lawal Jafir, a very courageous and patriotic youth in Halisari, Maiduguri, accosted, wrestled and disarmed a Boko Haram suspect to the admiration and encouragement of other youths to form vigilante groups against insurgency! They were subsequently recognised by Bornu State Government and registered as members of the Bornu Youth Empowerment Scheme (BOYES). Another story has it that at a time when the Nigerian soldiers were hamstrung in respect of arms and ammunitions and had to abandon/flee their duty posts some very bold and patriotic youths armed with machetes, sticks and daggers decided to confront Boko Haram terrorists headlong and with few casualties, were able to ward off the criminals from the civil societies and habitations on several occasions! A one-time Commander of CJTF, revealed that because their objective was to identify and fight the real Boko Haram insurgents, alongside the Military JTF, Bornu State Government donated four Toyota Hilux Buses while residents of Maiduguri metropolis and an Non-Governmental Organisation, ENDS Foundation gave financial support, pepper spray canisters, daggers, walkie talkies and gradually became a vital part of the war against the insurgents, hundreds of who they captured and neutralized but not without casualties!
A legal adviser to CJTF disclosed in June 2015 that 603 members of the vigilante group had been killed in six years of the war against Boko Haram through daring confrontations with identified suicide bombers whom they always wrestled to the ground before explosions which took their lives in such cases! According to him the group had increased from the initial 2.500 to about 30.000 but only 3.000 who enjoy a stipend of a monthly N15.000, were registered trained and recognised by Bornu State Government. However, 360 members have been integrated into the conventional security agencies as follows: 200 into the Nigerian Army, 120 into the Department of State Services (DSS), and 40 about to be recruited into the Nigerian Air Force. A very recent cheering news has it at the beginning of March 2016 that Mr. President would enlist members of CJTF into the Military to fight against insurgency in the North East though the Nigerian Army had earlier stated that they would continue to partner with CJTF but that the State Government had the responsibility for their welfare.
The nucleus of insurgency in Maiduguri, North East Nigeria began with pseudo religious indoctrination of some youths who were convinced by some extremists that Western Education was harmful and injurious to their pure Islamic education, culture and tradition and that a State of Sharia Law would put a stop to “Westernization”! Those who embraced that ideology are the monsters which had devastated both the people and economy of this Nigeria abysmally while those who rejected the evil indoctrination constituted themselves into the Civilian JTF to confront the insurgency frontally! Though over a million people have died in the mindless war on all sides while properties worth trillions on Naira in monetary calculation had been destroyed, the bravery and determination of these patriotic citizens had in no small measure brought Boko Haram forces to their knees through their determined participation in the counter-insurgency operations of the security services! In appreciation of their gallantry in defending Bornu State alongside the Nigerian Security Forces, Governor Kashim Shettima, in December 2015, donated a sum of N20 million to them for their welfare, upkeep and allowances. He said no amount of such gesture could compare with the sacrifices made by the volunteers some of who laid down their lives for the State to survive and instructed that adequate medical facilities be made affordable to them at all times while more patrol vehicles were donated to them..
It is written: “When men are cast down then thou shalt say, there is a lifting up, and He shall save the humble person. He shall deliver the island of the innocent and it is delivered by the pureness of thy hand” [Job.22:29-30]
When the citizens were cast down, these brave youths fought gallantly to revive their spirits and deliver their land from captivity!
What Is At Stake if CJTF Members Are Not Properly Integrated!
We have it on good authority that, once upon a time, Civilian JTF vigilante group became “big boys” in their own rights, having misconstrued the rights and privileges of service men in war situation as those of primitive warlords!
That they arbitrarily arrested and detained suspects at will and at their whims and caprices!
That they questioned, interrogated and tortured “Boko Haram suspects” as they pleased even to the point of death!
That they abducted, young school girls, gang-raped, impregnated, dumped them to their fate and denied their nefarious and despicable acts when eventually identified and confronted!
That they mounted arbitrary “stop and search” road blocks where they humiliated members of the public by forcing some of them -especially women- to strip their clothes under the guise of searching for arms, ammunition or improvised explosive devices materials!
That they “arrested” policemen and soldiers in mufti (plain clothes) and who in spite of producing their identity cards, were still intimidated and humiliated by the liquor-intoxicated and “power-drunk-elites squad” of the CJTF!
That they had insisted on searching Military vehicles laden with sensitive materials and military hardware and had at such instances exposed the convoy to danger of enemy attack, ambush, ridicule and public embarrassment!
That they have confronted their mentors, the Military Joint Task Force (MJTF), teams on several occasions in shoot outs in which many of them (the CJTF vigilantes), lost their lives!
That they had breached all military and war protocols/rules of engagement in spite of the fact that they were exposed to emergency trainings by the Army on issues bothering on professional ethics and comportments in war situations!
THE ABOVE SCENARIOS MUST NOT BE ALLLOWED TO CONTINUE AS THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM IS ALREADY WON BY GOD-LED NIGERIAN SECURITY FORCES! As at the time of this publication, the “en sprit de core”, (service co-operation) between the DUO “forces” is very cordial especially when the war against Boko Haram terrorists is on the decline because there are factual evidences of massive surrender and plea for mercy by those who were captured by Nigerian security forces!
How To Deploy The Over 30.000 CJTF Members!
According to the information at our disposal, only 3.000 out of about 30.000 of the vigilante group were officially registered, trained and recognised for stipends by the Bornu State Government! This ten per cent portion is a far cry from solving post war rehabilitation of ex-fighters and victims and it would tantamount to putting naked fire on the roof before going to bed! It is imperative that all the North East Governors and the Federal Government would work together to ensure gainful and meaningful employments for these youths once everything simmers down! Between 2009-2016, a continuous period of insurgency and decimation of the combatants, the most logical reasoning will be to absorb all those who had been exposed to war before thinking of fresh recruitments. They will fit and blend into the Army’s Internal Security (IS) Operations, the Community Policing and Surveillance strategy for curbing social vices with additional training and re-orientation on how to deal with the citizens in peace situations! We need these youths to be integrated in order to always go to bed with our TWO EYES CLOSED every night all the days of our lives and of our generations yet unborn!
Please look forward to more divine revelation in the next edition of Zion B-BC Newsletter as you share this with friends and remain blessed in the Lord. [For weekly access, to this newsletter, log on to: facebook.com/zionfaithbible.believingchurch or http://www.zfbbc1.blogspot.com, https://www.google.com/+zionfaithbiblebelievingchurch.
If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.
I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390. 08080243066 g-mail- [email protected].
