by Dr. Peregrino Brimah
While the Federal government of Nigeria has repeatedly announced that Boko
Haram no longer holds on to any territory in Nigeria, the commander of the
United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM), David Rodriguez in March this
year challenged that claim. Boko Haram "does own some significant territory in
northern Nigeria," Rodriguez told the Senate Armed Services Committee in
Washington.
In January of this year President Muhamamdu Buhari had said to the UN Sec.
Gen. at a summit in Abu Dhabi, that Boko Haram was "currently not holding
any territory."
Evidently from the latest video released by the group, there are still at least a
couple of thousand members of Boko Haram able to freely assemble in
Nigeria.
The latest 12 minute video claims to show two separate locations where the
Eid prayers were being held. One was in a rather large and well built above
ground Mosque and the other appeared to be in the same prayer ground
where the Eid prayers were conducted in another similar video released last
year.
Not Hiding
In the videos the alleged terrorist group members did not cover their faces as
they were not trying to hide their identities. This clearly means that these
large numbers in the thousands live in their own Boko Haram towns and
villages and not incognito within regular communities.
It is impossible for such numbers of people to live undercover or
underground. The numbers seen in the latest video must occupy decent land.
On estimate, the minimum area of arable land to support one person in most
congested conditions is 0.07 of a hectare, that's 7 hectares per thousand
people. And for at least 5000 in the video which did not show the female and
children populations which could blow up the numbers to double or quadruple
those seen in the video, we would have at least 35 to 140 hectares of Boko
Haram occupied territory. That's about 35 to 140 football pitches, minimum but
expected to be much more. The Nigerian military has deliberately blocked and
censored most information coming out of the northeast, so accurate details
are impossible to determine.
Well Fed
Another thing that could be observed from the video was the relatively well-
fed appearance of the community. Unlike Nigerians currently in camps for the
internally displaced, IDPs, who are suffering and dying from severe
malnutrition, the terrorists appeared well fed, well dressed and of good
wellbeing. This would mean that they are occupying villages where they have
lots of arable land where they cultivate their crops and they also command
large numbers of livestock for dietary protein and thus have access to natural
water sources where the livestock are hydrated.
Boko Haram appear to be living large in our farming villages while the decent
villagers are cramped up and dying in their dozens daily in congested camps
with sparse food, water and poor sanitation.
Occupying Villages
When the news broke earlier this month that the "Shekau" faction of Boko
Haram and the Barnawi one were fighting each other, it was immediately
apparent that they both were quite comfortable and occupied sufficient
territorial habitation.
A certain Mele Kaka had told AFP as reported in the Vanguard that the villages
of Yele, Arafa and Zuwa village in nearby Marte district were all occupied by
loyalists of Shekau. The report did not list the villages occupied by the
Barnawi sect.
From the above, we can safely draw the following conclusions:
It is evident that Borno's farming villages are still occupied by Boko Haram.
Terrorists are feeding fat on the rich farmlands of Borno while IDPs die of
starvation in camps.
It appears the Chief of Army Staff Tukur Yusuf Buratai is either auspiciously
clueless of the reality that several farming villages are occupied by thousands
of Boko Haram terrorists, or he is being willingly oblivious of this fact and is
lying to President Muhammadu Buhari that there is no territory under Boko
Haram control.
It can be concluded that the war against Boko Haram is far from over and is
in a controlled lull at best at the moment.
Is There An Accord Between Buratai and Boko Haram?
We had this same problem under Jonathan claiming he did not know where
Boko Haram was, which made us then publish the articles,"National Security
Update: Details Of The Sambisa Camps Holding Our 200 Abducted Daughters"
and later, "Cities In Sambisa And Myths Of Booby-traps." Boko Haram has
never been inconspicuous and still isn't. Our Civilian-JTF always locate them
when the army claims they can't.
It would be highly impossible for the numbers seen in the video to exist
without some sort of relationship with the army. The Nigerian army led by a
Borno indigene, knows where they are and has decided not to massacre them
as it does to others groups of individuals across Nigeria from Zaria to the
south east and south south.
If as is evident, the terrorists occupy these villages and the Nigerian army is
not doing anything about it, what is the mutual arrangement between Buratai
and the villages of Boko Haram and why is there such a private accord?
Is it only terrorists who step out of the areas where the Nigerian army may
have agreed that the communities of Boko Haram should restrict themselves
to that the army kills once in a while? We do know that in Boko Haram's
heyday, there were no fewer than 30,000 members. The military has never
produced evidence of killing or capturing more than a few thousand. The
latest video substantiates this analyst calculation.
While it is unreasonable and would be totally inappropriate to expect the
Nigerian army to wipeout the entire thousands of terrorists who still maintain
their own state within the Nigerian state, the citizens of Nigeria deserve to
know the true predicament and be a part of determining a final solution to the
crisis.
Implications As Boko Haram Threatens The President of Nigeria
How do we deal with thousands of Boko Haram terrorists and inadvertent
recruits, members and abductees residing in whole villages in the northeast?
There must be an open concrete plan to arrest all these members and charge
and capitally punish all guilty of murder or rape, and sentence other members
while punishing and/or rehabilitating as courts decide, those who have not
been involved in criminality. Any arrangement with Boko Haram that allows
their coexistence within the Nigerian space is unconstitutional and a violation
of Nigeria's sovereignty and security. More so as Boko Haram is a most
existential threat considering the fact that in their latest video they have gone
as far as issuing a direct threat at the President of the Federal republic of
Nigeria.
The Nigerian military does not have the authority to create a community-
amnesty arrangement with these wanted terrorists who have killed tens of
thousands of Nigerians, displaced millions and destroyed farmlands and the
economy, thereby causing untold hardship and deaths to locals and Nigerians
at large.
It is necessary the Nigerian army comes clean to the Presidency and Nigerians
at large. We must as a nation decide how best to deal with the remnant
threat of Boko Haram. We applaud our soldiers who have stayed steadfast
and continued to make the ultimate sacrifice, combatting Boko Haram
terrorists in the northeast. We understand that the military is stretched thin
and to capacity and thus we continue to offer our services as volunteer forces
willing, able and ready to join the Nigerian army combat and capture these
thousands of terrorists. The Civilian-JTF which consists/consisted of tens of
thousands of able youth, ex-soldiers, hunters and other Nigerians have shown
their commitment and offered their patriotic assistance to join the Nigerian
military in this battle.
It is time this offer is seriously considered. Boko Haram has resurged too many
times in Nigeria's history for an incomplete mission to be in any way
acceptable. The defeat of this menace must be total and complete.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah
@EveryNigerian
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