NewsRescue
“Fighting terrorism is not an easy task, often it requires deeper restraint on the part of the fighting forces, forces that are toiling under the sun or in the rain, day in, day out, at times, with or without food or water, moving higgledy- piggledy arising from the fog of war – somewhere, somehow far away from the comfort of their families – nay in the Sambisa and other evil forest in the border areas of Banki, Bama, Baga, Gombarun-Gala, Malam -Fatori, Monguno and the mountainous area of Gwoza.
“All over the world, the military salvage nations in period of calamity. Nigerian military have done it before and will soon do it again. Support your country’s Armed Forces and other security agencies during the most trying period of Nigeria’s very existence.” – Col. Sagir Musa, June 18, 2015.
The problem dear colonel is that under the leadership of Ihejirika, Minimah and Badeh, this military did not fight terrorism, it rather in many ways, fought for terrorists. It supported terror and a corrupt administration that perpetrated economic, political and social terrorism on its people. And this is why neither Amnesty nor the people of Nigeria will patronize you, and why your atrocities (the atrocities of the military chiefs) stand out.
How do you claim to have fought terror under their leadership when you never told Nigerians the numbers of terrorists in Boko Haram’s fold hiding in plain sight in Sambisa? We revealed the massive numbers since early 2014 so the people can be aware, and you still have never yet informed us of the true situation. Is it possible to fight terror while alienating the people? When 800 ISIS men overran Tikrit, we heard the number involved and also witnessed the immediate reaction of Iraq’s military who engaged and armed civilian volunteers to help. Did your CDS Alex Badeh ever fulfil its promise to do the same?
Do you sincerely claim to fight terror when you purposely leave weapons in barracks’ to be retrieved by Boko Haram and then disarm the populace and arrest civilian vigilantes and hunters like Sarkin Baka Adamawa when they liberate cities you cannot? How then can you claim to be fighting terror?
Can you claim to be fighting terror when the army chiefs are embezzling billions of dollars for the army and splitting up land dedicated for military barracks’ in Asokoro, Abuja?
How do you ask for our support over your numerous war crimes when you give billions to terrorists in sham cease fire deals in violation of our constitution and with disregard to our firm objection?
Can you seriously claim to fight terror when after succeeding in pushing Boko Haram into Sambisa forest in August of 2014 and killing Abubakar Shekau II, you disbanded the efficient Joint Task Force, JTF and replaced it with a docile 7th division? That was when you fully won Amnesty’s heart and lost us.
Your atrocities especially under your beloved leader Goodluck Jonathan, who you had the elections postponed to try to salvage, are numerous, not only in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa but up to Lagos with the BRT buses, Kaduna where you killed three of Zakzaky’s children and 27 other innocent protesters. You can’t deny them. One can only imagine what you do in Borno if these other things are what you do to innocent people and public property in Lagos and Kaduna. ENDS receives numerous reports of your abuses. Most we withhold. Just last week they reported to us that your men are stripping naked and beating people at checkpoints at Tungushe town of Magumeri. The townswomen complained to us that while you maltreat them, when Boko Haram comes you do not protect them but are the first to run. So what are you? Another Boko Haram to them?
The defence/excuse of Amnesty being asymmetric is one that we as Nigerians are totally insulted you would attempt to propose. Are you sitting, waiting for Amnesty to write full reports against Boko Haram terrorists? Are they now your equals who you expect to be compared and contrasted against? Boko Haram has already been cited for crimes against humanity. The report ends there. They are terrorists! And you?
Dr. Peregrino Brimah; http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] Email: [email protected] Twitter: @EveryNigerian
