Buratai: This Valiant Soldier Must Be Allowed To Finish The Battle
By Abdulkareem Haruna
The Boko Haram insurgency has in the last five years made me a momentary war-reporter which invariably brought me closer to the soldiers of the Nigeria Army more than ever before. And during my stint as a Northeast Nigeria Bureau Chief for my former organisation (Leadership Newspaper), even before I was later promoted to Assistant Editor and Chief Defence Correspondent in late 2015, I was able to understand the inner-workings of the Nigeria military - particularly the Nigeria Army, which of course has been the flagship of the ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
Since 2011 that the Boko Haram insurgency assumed its current hostile stance and continued to ravage the northeast Nigeria in its wild thirst for blood and wanton arson, I have seen how Nigeria as a country was left almost at the mercy of the insurgents who unleashed unprecedented terror on citizens. I have seen situations where soldiers of the Nigeria military had to flee because they lacked requisite weaponry to match the so-called sophistication of Boko Haram.
In the past six years, I have seen how soldiers of the Nigeria army were taken to the slaughters simply because someone somewhere has either not given the right order or provided the correct munition for solders to tackle the outlawed group head on.
Nigerians were reduced to a situation where they rather seek poetic justice than counting on their own security forces for protection as everyone lost hope that the nation’s soldiers would ever salvage the country that has almost lost one-quarter of its territory to the Boko Haram.
I have reported on daily basis between 2012 and 2014 how Boko Haram fighters would killed dozens of persons every day.
Barracks were attacked, armouries were looted, communities were sacked and seized, 26 local government headquarters in the northeast states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe fell under the control of Boko Haram; millions of residents especially women and children were displaced, while hundreds of thousands of corpses litter sacked communities - unburied.
I have reported how soldiers became helpless as young men and girls were turned into human landmines, blowing themselves up happily as though their lives were only a copy of what they destroy. Markets, bus stations and schools were turned into potential spots for suicide bombings.
I have reported tales of how Boko Haram moved from community to villages on convoys of trucks and armoured vehicles, seized from soldiers, in commando style; how every attacked community is left in flames and corpses of helpless and hapless villagers who refused to join the ‘War of God’ (as Boko Haram chieftains would call it) are left with their heads on their chests, while their wives and children who were not fit enough for abduction would have to walk over blood of their killed parents and husbands, crying and calling for help, that might never come.
I have seen how 219 schoolgirls were flocked out of their dormitories and taken to destination-unknown and not a single one of them were found until two years after when one appeared with a baby on her back.
I have seen how Nigeria as a nation became a mockery of its slogan “the giant of Africa”. And how citizens have now surrendered to faith in their collective despair that all may no longer be the same again.
I have seen how various chief of different military services would rather visit Maiduguri, the headquarters of the Boko Haram war for an hour or two and jet back to Abuja, than risking their enriched lives to visit the nearest military formation in the frontline to see how the troops were faring.
I have seen how soldiers went against the ethos of their callings to stage a mutiny against their commanding officers; and I saw how many of them were dealt with in spite the civil populace’s justification for their infamous act.
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| General Buratai and Major Gen. Irabor Breaking Fast In Soldiers Trench Konduga on Monday July 5th |
Even I, had lost hope.
Then suddenly the guards changed at the national helms of affairs and a new government led by a retired army General had to make changes in the way and manner things were ran in the nations military system.
The New President hit the ground running by issuing a matching order to the new set of Service chiefs.
The new President, Muhammadu Buhari said “the military command and control centre should be relocated to Maiduguri and to remain there until Boko Haram is completely subdued. But we can not claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents.”
Many perfunctory appointments were made to change the situation in the Nigeria military; but one of them stood out - the emergence of the then Commander, Multinational Joint Task Force, Major General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, as the new Chief of Army Staff. Even before his official decoration as a Lieutenant General, Buratai was able to show what could best be described as rare gallantry ever exhibited in the recorded history of the Nigeria Army. He led the war against insurgency from the front.
Though many may have said General Buratai was leveraging on the fact that he is from Borno state by taking the war to the insurgents’ den, but records have shown that quite a large number of officers and men of the Nigeria Army, and even the police and other sister paramilitary organisations that were of Borno descent who dared to show such bravery were either killed by Boko Haram or got their relations in danger.
The new President had worried that before his coming on board, the insurgents had “through official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion Boko Haram became a terrifying force taking tens of thousands of lives and capturing several towns and villages covering swathes of Nigerian sovereign territory.”
When he paid his first visit and COAS to the northeast, Buratai wowed the world by leading a gallant troops of soldiers of the Nigeria Army through the Damaturu-Gujba road, which was known then as a death trap of Boko Haram. Traveling on that lethal road that was laced with landlines, the General supervised an encounter with Boko Haram until he made it through to Biu, his home local government. That singular act of rare bravery of a very senior army officer was a turning point for all. Troops became inspired, Boko Haram became disoriented; and the country’s waned hopes suddenly sparked back to life.
The Army General did not only come to change the tone of the counterinsurgency operation in the northeast, he had also brought with him a new charge for the army in his vision statements, which is to “to have a professionally responsive Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional roles”.
General Buratai had upon assuming office as the number-one land soldier in the country, told troops during his first visit to Borno and Yobe state that under his command “the era of waiting in defensive position for criminals to come and attack and runaway must stop. We must take the battle to them and dislodge them wherever they are.
“In line with these, we must learn to adopt offensive disposition and respond quickly and appropriately to all situations, taking into cognisance our rules of engagement. “In view of our current challenges, our primary assignment in contributing our quota to national service is in line with my vision to strive towards eradicating the menace of terrorism from our nation.”
“During my tenure as chief of army staff, training in all aspects of our professional duties would be accorded its rightful place in line with my vision for the Nigerian Army to have a professionally responsive army in the discharge of its constitutional roles. “Together we shall make a difference in our army and our nation.”
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| General Buratai Arriving the Theatre Command and Control Centre, Maiduguri |
Between July 2015 to date, the COAS did not pay countless visits to Theatre Command and Control Centre (TCCC) in Maiduguri, he had also visited troops right in the frontline, and even passed nights with them.
Need one recall the petrifying moments when Boko Haram tried to attack the convoy of the Army Chief between Mafa and Dikwa local government, at the time he was leading some few officials of the army headquarters to visit and pass the night in Gamboru-Ngala? Or does one recount how Boko Haram spent the nights planting explosives on the path with an evil mission to attack the COAS and his team when retuning the next day? Despite these apparent threats, the Chief, during that visit did not only relaxed and even enjoyed a bonfire party with the soldiers he also had a one-on-one chat with very junior soldiers during which he allowed them about three hours of open discussion with him to enable them directly ventilate their minds about the operations and other related problems.
His visits to the troops in frontline has ballooned the morales of officers and men to high heavens as gallant soldiers renewed their commitment to root out Boko Haram by the battle to them.
Days pushed into weeks, months and today Boko Haram had been reduced to a pocket of criminals without having a known conquest as the case was some 13 months ago. On daily basis troops makes recovery, clearance of camps, interceptions of arms cache, rescue of women and children from captivity and killing of unyielding remaining force of the Boko Haram. Today the situation in places like Maiduguri and Yobe was a reversed case of the past as residents of the cities now go to sleep with their two eyes closed. The era of daily suicide bombing had gradually faded out - even as pockets of isolated cases of bombings recorded zero or no target casualty.
Just as the world began to praise the foremost soldier and his officer and men that made all these happen, some fourth columnists apparently not delighted by the feat of the soldiers under the current command of the army chief, began to sponsor some uncharitable and unfounded allegation to smear his image.
The first of such salvos, apparently fired from the Boko Haram sympathisers, was when a certain online publication published some unverifiable reports that injured soldiers on the frontline were abandoned by the Army. This was in fact a laughable allegation ever made in the recent time because it has been on records and published in several publications in which the Director Army Public Relations (DAPR), Colonel Sani Kukasheka had in his constant updates of troops activities in the operation theatre mentioned how each injured soldier was immediately evacuated to the hospital or nearest military medical facilities. On several occasions when the COAS visited the CCC in Maiduguri he takes time out to visit wounded solders and even interact with them with a view to hear from them, personally, what their pains and need were. A clear example was at the Bridadier Maimalari barracks, Maiduguri, when a certain injured soldiers got the ears of the Army Chief and informed him of how his allowance was stopped because he was no longer in the field. General Buratai who was not pleased with such information gave a marching order there and then by asking those concerned to pay him all the arrears owed him there and then. And the solder got his pay in less than two hours!.
The latest smear allegation against the COAS, which, of course, has spurred me to write this piece was the Saharan Reporters allegations that the Chief of Army Staff has acquired a property in Dubai through funds he got from some certain contract when he was Army’s ‘Director of Procurement’. Luckily when Colonel Kukasheka issued out his prompt rebuttal that eventually rubbished all the claims made by Saharan Reporters, it ended up exposing how fictitious the report and its allegation were. The gaping holes in that report could be used by even a camel. The report claimed it was exposing how Buratai and his wives bought a property in Dubai; but sadly the army chief had severally quoted such property in his asset declaration form when he was being appointed as Commander MNJTF and COAS respectively. The malicious report and the sponsors of it, had in their blind resolve to bring down a patriotic soldier - at all cost, threw caution to the winds and flagrantly jettison their professional ethos which emphasises factual reporting, claimed General Buratai was in 2013 a director of procurement at the army headquarters, when in actual sense, such an office never existed; more so, he was never at the army headquarters at that time. The publication further reported that under the command of the COAS used vehicles and motorcycles were bought and deployed for use by soldiers in the war front. Though I have seen and even inspected some of the motorcycles when the Chief of Army Staff commissioned early this year, I was really fascinated by the response of the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole who contributed in rubbishing the Sahara Reporter publication.
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| General Buratai Cutting the Tape To Reopen Liberated Damaturu-Biu Highway |
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai, since assumption of office, has taken the affairs of Op LAFIYA DOLE to a level that showed unparalleled commitment to the operational effectiveness and good welfare of troops. For example, between January till now, the COAS has provided various quantities of ammunition types, vehicles and other equipment in the Theatre. He has equally provided uniforms and boots for all the troops in Op LAFIYA DOLE. The payment of allowances and other requirements have been regular and in most cases, up-front. The COAS’ regular visits to the frontline are well known to all. The aggregate impact of the efforts is the huge operational successes being recorded in the Theatre. The morale of troops has equally risen to a level that was never witnessed in the past.
“The (Sahara Reporters) report imputed that the motorcycles inducted into Op LAFIYA DOLE and employed by the Motorcycle Battalion, were used and refurbished”, said Major General Irabor. “What a sad tale of lies! When a report of that nature was received earlier, the COAS instituted a high-powered investigation by Military Police. The findings of the investigation team revealed that the motorcycles were brand new and were delivered in crates as knocked-down-parts. The technicians who fixed some of them, failed to tighten some knots firmly which was later rectified. Ever since, the motorcycles have proven useful in various operations.
“The Motorcycle Battalion comprises trained counter-terrorist personnel, skilled in the use of motorcycles to enhance the capability of own forces to patrol, block routes, picket and pursue any remnants of the BHTs who usually use motorcycles in terrains where four-wheel vehicles cannot manoeuvre. So, this has proved successful in the last major major Operation CRACK DOWN which has practically brought to an end the activities of the BHTs particularly along Maiduguri-Damboa-Biu and Damaturu-Buni Yadi Biu roads, which were opened to the public earlier in the year.
“I consider this publication as part of the concerted, organised terrorist strategy to distract our winning spirit in the war against BHT. We will not lose traction. That is our resolve. All officers and soldiers in Op LAFIYA DOLE are committed and dogged in this resolve.
“I call on all well-meaning Nigerians, especially those who reside in the North East, being the direct beneficiaries of the great gains made by troops of Op LAFIYA DOLE under the firm direction of COAS, Lt Gen TY Buratai, to condemn this siege on their conscience. I call you to condemn this callous and irresponsible act. The publication is an attack on the good efforts by the troops of Op LAFIYA DOLE. It should be resisted in its entirety and with the endowments at our disposal.
But my take is not even in the justified and verifiable defence put up on behalf of the COAS.
My worries is on how small the minds of some people have become as they continue to scratch for anything around just to dent the image of a working army officer under whose command, in less than a year, has reduced a once perceived ‘powerful’ Boko Haram to nothing.
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| General Buratai In Gamboru-Ngala Frontline |
Each time I go through the calumnious allegations, one question keeps coming to my mind: “So what, if Buratai should own an apartment in Dubai’.
What is the big deal with that???
The smear campaigners did not say he owns fleet of estates in Dubai; but just an apartment. To those who are acquainted with how property investment marketers, like the First Group, inter alia, usually accost people in high profile hotel lobbies in Abuja, pressing for an investment in some property in Dubai, then celebrating the ‘exposure’ of an Army Chief’s property in Dubai is highly laughable. As far as Dubai is concerned, anybody, including even a small time entrepreneur, could easily invest in a property or an apartment in Dubai - talk more of a highly placed Army officer like the Chief of Army Staff!!!
Besides, the last time I checked, there was no place under the Nigerian laws guiding public service where it was stated that a public servant within or without the military circle cannot invest his earnings in any legitimate business anywhere in the world.
Interestingly, the Army Chief, whom we all fear might be distracted by such unfounded and vexatious campaign of calumny, had remained focussed and unshaken by the antics of those whom the daily defeat of Boko Haram insurgents is putting them out of business or gradually sweeping away the sands that covered their complicity in the whole crisis that have claimed over 200, 000 innocent lives and displaced well over two million people.
While we urge the gallant Army Chief to carry on with his good job, Nigerians must send a clear message to these army of detractors that General Buratai must be left alone so that he could finish the good job he is doing!!
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