Truth is, it is high time Nigerians and foreign friends and well-wishers of Nigeria are shown the reality that the anti-terrorism war in the North East lingers because only Nigeria, out of all the concerned multi-national military endeavours, is active in actually fighting Boko Haram and ISWAP. The terrorists therefore have the luxury of opportunities on Chadian territory believing government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has no jurisdiction where they gather strength and so from their, backed by French military, they are launching attacks on Nigeria military bases to capture the part of Africa’s most populous country thereby playing role in slicing it into pieces first from the North East with intent to going South South later using Cameroonian territory to continue their slicing from there. What an international conspiracy! Now, the strategy the Nigerian Government in Abuja should deploy is this: If you know that it is from Chad that terrorists are gathering, backed by French forces, to come and kill your own people and ambush your soldiers on your own territory, take the war to Chad, however you want to achieve it – either by securing support of your own foreign military allies such as China, Russia, even North Korea, considering France support for terrorists against your own country, and end their activities right from base. Nigeria’s foreign policy must begin to reflect domination of Africa, especially countries in ECOWAS belt, against the activities of unfaithful elements of this nature, regardless of what European or Western nation is backing them. Frank Ofili agrees with Prosper Oritseweyinmi Daud on this. Excerpts:
For those who know, Marte & Abadam are two deadly LGAs in this fight for many reasons including their proximity to Chad where many of these guys run to.
Best time for the Chadians to push from their end and finish this war.
And if the Chadian government refuses to cooperate as they have always done, the Nigerian government must deny Boko Haram the initiative by hitting ISWAP camps in the Lake Chad regardless of the diplomatic consequences.
Forget diplomacy, let’s put that aside and pound on these guys without minding what the neighbours will say or feel since the Boko Haram/ISWAP seem to be hiding under that umbrella.
The sanction from the so called UN or ICC can be dealt with later.
Last night, a combined force of ISWAP and Boko Haram launched a daring night time attack. Once again this attack was conceived, planned and staged from bases in the Lake Chad. The attack on the base in Marte was a surprise and swift.
We lost a couple of men. This attack brings to the forefront once again the question of ISWAP sanctuaries in Lake Chad.
These Islands are the bastion of ISWAP. This same base was attacked last week and repelled. What happens each time they fail in their attacks?
they slip across the border into Lake Chad. Lick their wounds, reinforce, restrategise, bid their time and launch attacks when ready. Make no mistake. Boko Haram have suffered terrible losses in recent weeks. Almost a thousand killed so far.
When you allow terrorist to fester in areas you have no jurisdiction you give terrorists the tactical advantage of staging attack where and when they want to. They learn from every failed operation to restrategise.
Last week Boko Haram/ISWAP attacked the Marte base but were beaten back.
They went back to the sanctuaries, analysed what went wrong and this time around attacked with three times the number of men as their last attack.
We can pound Boko Haram all we want, if the Nigerian government does not prevail on the Chadian and French military to go after ISWAP enclaves on their territory then we will always be at a tactical disadvantage because then they have the initiative.
Nigeria has the option of hitting those islands with long range artillery and occupying the entire Lake Chad basin.
Yes, there is a multinational force to address that problem of terrorist running into another country but only Nigeria is active, the other francophone members are doing nothing.
(From Frank Ofili’s post crediting: Prosper Oritseweyinmi Daudu)
