Am I the only one beginning to conclude that we simply do not have the skills, manpower, systems, services and right tools to fight the insane menace of Boko Haram in Nigeria.
The problem has defied the efforts of past administrations including those led by experienced and seasoned Army Generals.. Granted that the last administration seemed to largely pay lip service to containing the situation while its service chiefs spent their time diverting funds allocated for fighting the insurgency to their own personal use.
The new administration came in with gusto and the steely determination to fight and rid the nation of this bloody and blood thirsty irritant decimating the population on a daily basis, but so far in spite of their efforts the evil cancer seems to have a way of replicating itself. The more of them that are killed the more deadly and determined they seem to get.
Unfortunately for some biased folk, rather than see Boko Haram for what it is, their best response is to blame the leadership and question what they are doing even though we hear daily the news of Nigerian soldiers perishing in fights with the insurgents. Only a few days ago it was reported that about 100 soldiers went missing and no one can tell if they were killed or simply abducted. Our resources and skills are simply inadequate to fight this obviously well equipped enemy.
Which brings me to the question – isn’t it time we asked for help from the outside world in fighting and vanquishing Boko Haram?
How many more lives are going to be sacrificed before we realise we just can’t win this war?
The Nigerian Army seriously lacks the necessary intelligence, manpower, resources, systems and tools to fight this evil.
The Western world has been fighting terrorism since the 90s and with the combined efforts and super weapons of Super power nations and NATO forces the battle is ongoing. How much more us with our poor second hand rifles and broken down armoured vehicles and largely illiterate personnel?
Our army, police and emergency services are ill trained, ill equipped and ill committed to facing squarely the work that is required in this war situation.
Imagine if we had been faced with the Paris situation in a large city like Lagos? How many lives instead of 129 would he have been lost?
How many policemen or paramedics would have responded and reported to the scene? Many of them would have run a mile and gone into hiding only to emerge when the shooting had ceased.
Our army looks like the only machinery bold and brave enough to come out and hold a face-off with this enemy but they are woefully under armed, outnumbered and under equipped.
Unless the administration admits clearly that in spite of it’s determination and resolve to tackle the BH problem, the resources and manpower to do so just isn’t there.
Sometimes asking for help is not such a bad thing…..