I believe that Boko Haram (BH) is now actually defeated. I know I made fun of the announcement when it was made around December 31st 2015. It was President Muhammadu Buhari’s (PMB) deadline for defeating BH. But here it is. We no longer get daily announcements of BH’s destruction of lives and property. PMB has redirected his focus to Biafran agitators and threatens to annihilate any uprisings in the Delta Region. His attention is now focused southwards.
The defeat of BH calls for more questions. Who defeated BH? How was the defeat accomplished? Is Nigeria now at peace?
Who defeated Boko Haram? Some would say that former President Jonathan defeated Boko Haram. This school of taught would argue that there were clearly documented “wars” against BH under the command of the GEJ’s retired military officers. They engaged the terrorists and routed them from key strongholds and from which they never recovered.
This line of thinking would be bolstered by the fact that since PMB’s administration there has not been a direct confrontation between the Nigerian military and BH; that there has not been any noticeable inflow of arms and ammunition; that there has not been any significant policy changes that would imply Nigerian forces had overwhelmed BH. In other words that PMB did not defeat BH; that there should not be any promotions for the men and women in combat for their gallantry in the war against terrorists under PMB.
Some other people, including this scribe, would argue that BH has been “defeated” by the current PMB Administration and the forces under his command. That he gave a deadline of December 31st and his officers accomplished the mission. The question of how this miracle was accomplished without an open engagement by his forces against the enemies will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
But first let us look at how Nigeria’s previous conflicts ended.
The Nigeria/Biafra war was waged from 1967-1970. Nigerian forces under the command General Yakubu Gowon overwhelmed Biafran forces under General Chukwuemeka Ojukwu and aided by diplomatic actions of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe resulted in the suspension of hostilities (Obi Nwakanma). Many of us alive at the time can still remember the time of the day in January 1970 when General Philip Effiong met with General Obasanjo and signed cessation of hostilities documents. This war was a traditional war engaged in by two massed forces over defined geographies. There was a battle line which those of us in Special Services crossed frequently at great risks to our lives. But with the end of hostilities nothing was ever heard of Biafran again. Until PMB’s second coming.
The other conflict in Nigeria was the insurgency led by MENDS. It was a guerilla war not unlike what BH is now waging. The only difference is that BH terrorism is larger in geographical sense, than either Nigeria/Biafra war or the MENDS rebellion. BH terrorism is/was spread from Maiduguri to Kano to Benue and lower Benue. It was all over Northern Nigerian zones NW, NE and NC. And has resulted in more human and property destruction than MENDS rebellion.
Mr. Obasanjo started this war as he had approached the Nigeria/Biafran war. He invaded villages killing large swath of citizens and set lands on fire. Despite heavy handedness he was never able to defeat the rebels. Then came President Yar’ Adua. Who changed tactics and sued for a peaceful conference at which the Nigerian government agreed to meet some of the demands of the rebels in return for peace. The documents were signed and the compensation began. All through Yar’ Adua’s administration, short live though it was, we did not hear of MENDS and all through the administration of Jonathan’s. NOTHING. Maybe until recently, under PMB’s second coming.
Please note that both Biafra and MENDS wars ended with signed agreements.
Now that it is accepted that BH insurgency has ended, people are asking where are the cessation of hostilities signed documents? What are the terms and conditions of cessation of hostilities?
The answer lies in how the terrorism of BH started. It will be recalled that while there were rebellion rumblings in parts of the north under Obasanjo’s administration, it got worse after the defeat of GMB at the polls by Yar’ Adua. GMB swore then that blood would flow. Right away blood started to flow and aided by Yar’ Adua’s mistake that allowed death of the leader of BH Yousef, at the hands of Nigerian security forces, blood drips became blood flows. GMB was accused of giving impetus to the movement which he denied at the time. Then followed by another defeat at the polls by President Jonathan, GMB could no longer hide his contempt for Nigerian politics. He avowed the Nigeria would be ungovernable. BH insurgency picked up. No city in northern Nigeria was safe anymore. UN offices were bombed; large territories were taken over by BH; churches and mosques were bombed and worshippers killed; etc. Nigeria was unsafe and warnings by foreign countries to their citizens that travel to Nigeria was unsafe emanated and one could hear what sounded like the 18th and 19th century warnings about the Bights of Benin and Biafra: “where many go in and few come out.”
Many people believed that GMB has succeeded in implementing his threat. Nigeria became ungovernable. Following the fears within and without the country the sing-song became that GEJ was weak. Nigeria needed a strong leader. It was not surprising that PMB won the 2015 elections on the basis of resolving security concerns and within 3 months in office he promised that there would not be any more talks of BH problems by December 31st 2015. And on December 31st he declared the end of BH. Some of us doubted at first but events since then has proved that BH has indeed been defeated. It ended without any know battles, no known peace meetings. Just ended.
No confrontations, no overwhelming forces and no surrender and signing of cessation of hostilities documents as was the case with Biafra. No peace treaty and signed papers between former enemies now friends. BH disappeared just like it had appeared.
It is a miracle!
Written by Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba.
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