BY JOHN NWOKOCHA
A recent assessment of the intervention projects initiated and being implemented by Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai scored his Super Camps Strategy very high regardless of what critics of his leadership have said. They have ceaselessly unleashed negative comments against any initiative embarked by COAS. The critics have even gone beyond uttering negative comments and are calling for the sack of service chiefs because of escalating insecurity in the country. Nevertheless, the establishment of the super camps by Gen Buratai is the answer. With its superior power the super camp is adding fillip to the ongoing clearance operations which is already having impactful outcomes.
It is only a matter of time the super camp strategy would proof to be the super concept for winning the war against terrorism in the country. And when proper appraisal of counter insurgency strategies is conducted in the long run all of us will commend Buratai’s courageous decisions. The Chief of Army Staff does have a knack for sound intelligence judgment. He is not scared of implementing ingenious ideas. He is therefore, always clearly ahead of the enemy (terrorists) with his winning strategies. Unfortunately and very sad, his critics and their paymasters with the intent to undermine him would find no reason to commend his bold step.
In its own evaluation of the super camps initiative, the Nigerian Security Tracker said unambiguously: “casualties related to insurgency have significantly decreased”. This implies that Gen Buratai has taken the right step in the fight to flush out terrorists. On a good day even Buratai’s worse critics would agree that the super camp initiative is a super idea.
It is regrettable critics still find time to rubbish sound judgments in intelligence. Whereas they ought to seek public support for the Nigerian army in its efforts to end the existential security threat by insurgents in the north east and north west of the country. For over ten years citizens’ lives and property are constantly threatened by forces of terror by Boko Haram and now a splinter, by the name of ISWAP.
Thankfully, Boko Haram and allied terror forces have been largely caged by Nigerian Army (military). No more will they seize the space prowling with their caliphate ambition. The gallant Nigerian army has put a final stop to their ambition to establish a caliphate across the Nigerian state. No more tense situation in the north east. No more massacre of citizens by the terrorists. And no more will you hear about them occupying parts of the north east and hoisting their flag. The reason is that Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists’ key commanders and fighters have been neutralized. Their command structure has been dismantled. So also their intelligence centre has been degraded. Their recruitment capabilities have been greatly weakened. Their lift capacity/mobility, logistics supplies have been substantially paralysed. Their arms and logistics supply chains have been significantly paralysed. The terrorists are now gradually being totally isolated, fixed and suffocated as a strategy of war push forward by Gen Buratai. Also importantly, there are no safe havens for the terrorists to carry out their propaganda.
The public also has a major role to play in the final push by watching out for terrorists’ sponsors, logistics suppliers and report same to the military and other security agencies.
The public would come to realize soon these achievements were possible all because the counter-insurgency strategies launched under the dynamic leadership of Gen Buratai , have turned the heat against the terrorists. For those who know Buratai’s competence in evolving time tested counter insurgency strategy very well, they would not be surprised when he came up effortlessly with the latest strategies that would decimate the enemy.
In his counter-insurgency strategy Buratai in 2017 had announced the construction of the Super Camps also called ‘Fortress Strategy’. The super camps strategy is driven chiefly by the need to protect the military against constant ISWAP raids on military barracks in rural areas. Under the new strategy military personnel will be based in a few well constructed super camps which ISWAP cannot overrun. In this context COAS deserves commendations for having the plight of the troops in mind in establishing these camps.
Military pundit will agree that, the super camp concept is beyond the pursuit for troops’ protection. Certainly, it is a noble strategy of war that provides concentration of forces, equipment and resources enough to provide capacity to project force against daring enemies. Besides, it provides speed as the troops are in a staging position – mostly mobile on patrols. In the same vein the Super Camp strategy offers element of surprise hence troops are mostly mobile and so it is difficult to predict their moves or next line of action.
Add this to other reasons you can tell that the days of constant attacks on the military by ISWAP terrorists are over. From this perspective the super camp is a welcome respite from the devastation occasioned by the terrorists’ attacks the military has been facing over the years. The initiative certainly is serving its purpose. The decrease in deaths related to insurgents’ attacks on our soldiers is a good indication. It is an incontestable proof that the super camps undertaking is an action whose time has come. Since its implementation there been less confrontations and hostilities between the military and ISWAP terrorists and therefore fewer deaths of soldiers and helpless civilians who were constantly mowed down or abducted by forces of ISWAP or Boko Haram or the combined forces of both. Being that it has a potential to reduce ambush on military patrols as well as check the incessant obstructions of troops movements the super camps have begun to justify the decision of COAS in a profound way. It is beyond argument that the super camp strategy of Buratai preserves lives and can guarantee more permanent peace.
It would be observed that 20 super camps had been launched. While making this disclosure Gen Buratai, had said the Super Camp was the way to victory, he stressed that the Nigerian Army was expanding on the idea to defeat the insurgents.
Describing the concept as “the concentration of formidable fighting forces in strongholds that have the capacity for swift mobility, in one of his public interfaces, Buratai threw more light on the whole idea saying: “This requires the forces to be proactive, dogged, and capable of making bold offensives at all times to defeat the adversary by denying freedom of action”.
Unlike before, Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists can no longer carry out spectacular attacks on military units and other locations like markets, schools, worship centres in the cities. They can no longer attack cities and large communities and can’t move freely. They have no freedom of movement and action anymore.
It is interesting to note that in the whole of the North east, the Nigerian Army, with the support of other security agencies was able to substantially degrade and clear the terrorists from all the states of the North east, except Borno state where the army has succeeded in flushing them out of major cities like Maiduguri, Monguno, Baga, Demboa, Gwoza, Konduga and Bama, among other areas. Any terrorists’ activities recorded in any state of the North east is masterminded by hibernating terrorists from Borno state, where they came out from, commit havoc and go back.
Notwithstanding that in Borno state the terrains are largely remote, difficult to access and often deserted interior localities, the terrorists have been extensively decimated and flushed out. They have been considerably fixed and isolated to deep rooted, remote villages. And it is just a matter of time, the Nigerian Army, under the super camp zeal of Gen Buratai will definitely catch the few remaining terrorists where ever their hide outs exit are in Borno state and beyond. The recent destruction of Darulslam/Boko Haram terrorists camps in Kogi and Nasarawa states are good examples.
It is troubling that in Borno state many interest groups of citizens are pulling from different directions giving the impression that that the Nigerian military is overwhelmed instead of commending the troops. Although the activities of terrorists in Borno state make the case of Borno particularly pathetic and unfortunate, the state has recorded significant presence of military fighters and facilities more than others north east states formerly under the siege of terrorists. It should be a curious issue that with the heavy presence of military fighter Borno state still witnesses activities of terrorists. Many factors could be responsible for this. Prominent among them is infrastructure deficit, – poor road network and many ungoverned spaces. Another is high level unemployment, to mention a few. Unarguably, a state with these endemic socio-economic challenges is but a breeding ground and safe haven for unfortunate activities.
These are profound findings, therefore, those who emerge on the scene often times issuing statements branding the Nigerian army with names tantamount to opprobrium should make a quick U-turn and support the army in the fight to end terrorism and banditry across the country.
NWOKOCHA Writes from Abuja.