Terrorist Attacks In North East Region: These Killings Must Stop Now!

AGUNLOYE ADEWUNMI BASHIRU

It is a known fact that Northeastern Nigeria states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Taraba and others have become  terrorists den for over 10 years as the region engulfed by terror attacks being perpetrated by the notorious Boko Haram group and its splinter group, Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Both Boko Haram and Islamic States West Africa Province have carried out hundreds of terror attacks and have killed tens of thousands, displaced over two million people from their homes, destroyed schools, burnt down churches, mosques, markets, suicide bombings of police buildings and military formations. 
Since the crises started, over 100 schools were either destroyed or burnt down, thousands of teachers killed and thousands of children out of schools. Many children turned to orphans, many women became widows and men widowers.
Also the Northeast region has witnessed kidnappings of more than 300,000 school girls that included 275 girls from Chibok in Borno State. Indeed these terror groups have manifested and transformed into permanent parasites infesting on the people, killing, maiming, kidnapping at will. 
Recently and to be precise in June 2020, over 130 people  comprise civilians, vigilantes, soldiers and aid workers of a United Nation’s agency were massacred during different terror attacks by Boko Haram and Islamic States West Africa Province.
Boko Haram’s gunman on Tuesday, 9 June 2020 killed at least 81 people and also razed a village Faduma Kolomaiya, Gubio District of Borno State,  shooting with AK -47s.
In separate attacks on Saturday, 13 June 2020, terrorists gunned down 38 people and 15 people including nine soldiers in Goni Usmanti village and town of Monguno, a key army base and garrison town where United Nations and other aid workers are based, all in Borno State. 
While the people of Northeast Nigeria are grieving of the calamities that bevelled them as a result of the terror attacks, it is however ridiculous for the President of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari to merely warned the security chiefs, saying. “Government would no longer condone the worsening security situation in the country “. Instead of announcing their sacks for non performance in the fight against terrorism in the Northeast region.
It is also laughable when the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan on Sunday, 21 June 2020, said that the “security situation might have worsened because security agencies did not have enough equipment to confront criminals”, when it was reported in April this year that the Nigeria Army has acquired 17 military vehicles consisting of VT-4 main battle tanks and two types of self-propelled howitzer to fight the insurgents.
It has also been reported that the Army have procured and commissioned Buffalo 4-wheel vehicles numbering about 55. The commissioning was said to have took place on Wednesday, April 8 2020 in Abuja by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Burantai, represented by the Chief of Logistics Nigerian Army, Major General Joel Uniugbe. 
Also last year the Presidency reported that the Buhari administration paid $496,374,470 for a dozen Super Tucano Fighter Aircraft for the Air Force in a direct, government -to- government transaction and other various military equipment amounting to $380, 513,950,71 for procurements of Navy Lynx Helicopter making the total funds spent on procurements for the military to be $876,888,428,7.
The question is, if truly all the procurements said to have been purchased for the military were made, why is it difficult for the Nigerian military to put an end to terrorists attacks in the Northeast region that has now become a permanent parasites?
It is so sad that the activities of terrorists continue  persist in the Northeast contrary to the claims by the Nigerian Government and the Nigerian military that “Boko Haram has been defeated”, and that the Islamic States West Africa Province has been decimated or eliminated ” out of the Northeast Region. 
The two notorious terrorist groups continue to strike and attack like deadly parasites killing, massacre and kidnapping civilians and soldiers at will days and nights. 
The failure of the Nigerian government to sack all the service chiefs for their inability to stem the tide of terrorism in the Northeast is an indication that something is wrong somewhere, or some people in the government or the military are benefiting from the worsen security situation. 
It is therefore the right time for all governors of the states in Northeast that comprises Brono, Adamawa, Yobe and others to formed an alliance in other to find a lasting solution to the incessant terror attacks in that region by the notorious Boko Haram and Islamic States West Africa Province. 
All hands must be on deck to ensure that these killings are stopped.

Agunloye Adewunmi Bashiru (bagunloye@gmail.com) wrote this piece from Lagos, Nigeria.