Nigeria and Terror Attacks, How Secured Is 2021?

AGUNLOYE ADEWUNMI BASHIRU

It is no longer news that the world in the year 2020 was ravaged by the novel COVID-19 pandemic where over eighty -one million confirmed cases with over one million deaths have been recorded in 222 countries and areas of territories.

While the world is being ravaged by the Coronavirus pandemic and permanent solution is being sought, Nigeria, as a country, has turned into a theater of killings through the activities of terrorists notably by the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group and its splinter group Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP).

From January up till 31 December, 2020 the North East Nigeria states, most especially Borno State, are been terrorised by the terrorists on a monthly basis. In the year 2020, hundreds of thousands of people most especially the innocent people have lost their lives.

While all these unnecessary killings continue, the government keeps claiming that the terrorists have been defeated or decimated, but the fact still remains that the terrorist groups are very much on ground in the North East Nigeria terrorising innocent Nigerians and as well as attacking military formations. The military have lost many of its personnel in garrulous ways, while humanitarian aid workers have been killed. 

Many school, markets, religion places of worship such as churches  and mosques were either destroyed or burnt down by the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.

In the year 2020 alone,between the two notorious terrorists group,the Boko Haram and Islamic States West Africa Province,more than 50 terror attacks were carried out with close to one thousand deaths recorded.

Most recent terror attack by the Boko Haram terrorist group was the killing of 11 Christians on Christmas Eve of 2020 in a village of Pemi, Borno State, North East Nigeria. This was about one month after the killings of 110 farmers in Koshebe, village, Borno State. 

Nigeria has systematically become the number one terrorist hit country in Africa, while Boko Haram terrorist group has become one of the deadliest terror groups not only in Nigeria and Africa but on global arena.

Unlike  other terrorists groups in the world, the Boko Haram and Islamic States West Africa Province also engaged in the kidnapping of schoolgirls and schoolboys. They always kidnapped their victims at will.

What make the Nigeria terrorist groups most notorious in Africa is the fact that they operate on weekly basis, massacring innocent Nigerians. Throughout year 2020, every month from January to December Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province carried out terror attacks and killed close to thousand of people in the Borno, North East Nigeria.

What is worrisome is the fact that Nigerian Government keeps saying that the terrorists have been defeated while Boko Haram and its rival,the Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP) continue to attack killing and kidnapping both the  civilians and military personnel. 

With the continuous killing of innocent Nigerians by the terrorists groups and the Federal Government of Nigeria not able to find lasting solution to the senseless killings proved that the Nigeria and Nigeria  Army are not capable of protecting the lives of Nigerian citizens.  It also proved that the Nigeria Military’s claims of having procured many sophisticated fighting equipments to fight the insurgents is a ruse.

One keep wondering how can terrorists group dominated a section of the country for over five years without the Nigeria Government and the Military finding permanent solution to their activities and stop the madness, senseless and barbaric  killings.

With what is going on in Nigeria in the area of insecurity as a result of terror attacks and kidnappings of innocent civilians and military personnel, one begins to wonder if Nigeria as a country is not going to collapse before the end of year 2021?. Only time will tell.

Agunloye Adewunmi Bashiru, a Lagos-based Public Affairs Analyst can be reached on bagunloye@gmail.com

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