Boko Haram: Military works hard to meet mission deadline

The Nigerian Military said that there is no going back on its promise to end the insurgency in the northeast of the country by December 2015.

Military spokesman Colonel Rabe Abubakar made the pronouncement during his visit to the corporate headquarters of The Sun Publishing Limited in Lagos. He said that the military command headquarters is now located in the northeast and is working toward finally routing the insurgents.

“We are working round the clock. The military high command has been established there and we just inaugurated a committee on military command centre and control comprising not only the military, but other paramilitary services including the SSS, Civil Defence, the Police and other stakeholders.

“The essence is for us to have a proactive engagement against the Boko Haram terrorists. Additionally, the 7th Division has deployed its men to man the areas close to the Camerounian borders. This is one of the key things that have happened in the fight against insurgents.”

He said that the blockade by the soldiers of the 7th Division have started yielding results, especially as infiltration has been halted and the supply of logistics to the insurgents have been denied, with members of the insurgency surrendering in droves.

Colonel Abubakar lamented the killings by the insurgents, explaining that the teachings of the holy books do not advocate murder, noting that: “there is no where in the Quran or Bible that killing of fellow human being was advocated or attached a celestial reward to killing of fellow human beings.”

He revealed that some of the Boko Haram members arrested and those who surrendered were regretting joining the movement, especially when they were told the reality of what the Quran said concerning their relationship with their fellow humans.

While seeking the assistance of the media in the fight against insurgents, the Military Spokesman commended The Sun Publishing Limited, publishers of the Sun, for standing by the military in the fight against the insurgents.

Colonel Abaubakar said he was at The Sun to solicit the assistance of the media organization and other ones in Lagos, adding that the war in the northeast does not only affect persons living in that part of the country, but all Nigerians.

He said that the war on terror had reached an advanced stage and that what is remaining is just mop-up operations, adding that the action of the military both on land and air would continue until victory was achieved.

In his response, the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr. Eric Osagie, commended the military for their anti-terror operations, saying that it was sad to see young members of the military pay the supreme sacrifice daily for the homeland in a war where they are not fighting enemies from other countries.

He said there is no greater respect to pay to these soldiers than for the media to support with the troops in the fight against Boko Haram.

“We take military issues seriously because every day you see young men and women pay the supreme price for their fatherland in a war you are not really fighting enemies of other countries but our misguided brothers and sisters who have decided to turn our country into a war zone.

“So in a bid to make them turn-in their weapons, people lose their own lives and there’s no greater respect that we can pay as media men than to be in solidarity with you in your fight to rout the insurgents.

“I also take cognizance of the fact that the oxygen [the terrorists] need is information. This is the debate everywhere: how much information are we going to release about their activities; if tomorrow there is a bomb blast and we say ‘Boko Haram kills 50 soldiers’, that is what they want to read and it gives them oxygen that they are wining and it demoralizes the military and sends panic across the civilian population.”

The Editor urged the military to avail the media with information on the war on insurgents, insisting that the media must have the benefit of information, especially in an age of social media.

Osagie called for partnership with the military in other to work out citizens’ responsibility in the fight against the insurgency.