Issues
Boko Haram Without A Caliphate
The Boko Haram
insurgents captured Gwoza, one of the largest towns in Borno State, in August 2014.
Gwoza, about 135km to Maiduguri, is surrounded by mountains and it is adjacent to the country’s border with the Republic of Cameroon.
After the attack, the insurgents instantaneously proclaimed Gwoza as their caliphate and held it until March 27, 2015 when Nigerian troops routed them and liberated the town.
Gwoza was recaptured by the troops less than 24 hours before the 2015 presidential and National Assembly elections but the insurgents only retreated after committing a lot of atrocities in the town.
The insurgents virtually left the town in ruins, as they razed several houses, including the Emir’s palace, schools, shopping complexes, banks and markets as well banks and filling stations.
Although the Boko Haram insurgents have been forced to flee the town, their imprints — Arabic inscriptions – are on various signposts, houses, banks and filling stations within the neighbourhood.
Nowadays, life is gradually returning to normalcy in Gwoza, as a number of residents, who hitherto fled the town, have returned to their homes.
It was reliably gathered that the troops engaged in an eight-hour battle with the terrorists before they could liberate the town, an indication that the soldiers met some stiff resistance.
The Defence Headquarters, which coordinates the military operations against the terrorists in the North-East, recently took some journalists on tour of the area to see things for themselves.
The Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), including men, women and children, who returned to the town after its recapture by the troops, appeared quite were excited when they sighted the journalists who were on a guided tour of the town.
Some of the returnees prayed never to experience their town’s occupation by assailants again.
With grief, they narrated stories of how their husbands were killed, how their wives and children raped or conscripted into the fighting force of the insurgents.
They, nonetheless, commended the Federal Government and military for the recapture of the town.
Narrating her ordeal, Hajia Fatima Gwonbo, a resident of Gwoza, said that she fled the town after the Boko Haram insurgents killed her child, stole her money and goats.
Gwonbo said that she later returned to Gwoza when soldiers took control of the town, adding that she now felt safe and happy.
Her words: “We are happy that soldiers have come; we returned immediately when we heard that they have taken over the place. Since the soldiers came here, there has not been any problem and we are moving about peacefully.”
Another resident, Mr Adamu Alisika, said that when Boko Haram took over the community, he and his family fled to a cave in the nearby forest for refuge.
“But we came back since March 20 and till date; there has not been any problem. We are grateful to the military, may God help them to fight the Boko Haram,’’ he said.
Similarly, Alhaji Bello Musa, another resident, expressed happiness that the troops had recaptured the town, recalling that he also hid in the bush during the period when the insurgents occupied town.
He said that the residents were now confident that the terrorists would not return to Gwoza because of the presence of soldiers, urging the government to deploy more soldiers to secure the entire area.
Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, the Director of Defence Information, who led journalists on the tour, assured the people that the Federal Government would do everything possible to make them comfortable.
The general also conveyed the determination of the Nigerian military to ensure that “terrorists will never again take over any community in the country’’.
He emphasised that the military was in the final phase of wiping out terrorists from the entire North-East geopolitical zone.
“So, you see that the military advance is still continuing and the tempo of the mission is high, we have entered the final phase of the mission,’’ he said.
Olukolade said that the tour of the neighbourhood was undertaken to expose to journalists the level of atrocities committed by the terrorists before they vacated the area.
He said that the tour was also to confirm that life in the area was returning to normalcy after the entry of troops, adding that the journalists’ media interaction with members of the community was indicative that they were confident of their security.
“The areas left to be captured are very minimal; what is important now is the stabilisation of the territories taken back and the mopping up operations as well as the cordon-and-search operations that are ongoing,’’ he said.
Olukolade said that the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNTJTF) was constituted to guarantee the success of the mission.
He said that the task force would guard against the repeat of a previous situation where troops had swept the terrorist off, only for them to regroup in other places.
He, however, said that it would now be extremely difficult for the terrorists to regroup, considering the involvement of the MNJTF that was specifically mandated to operate along the border areas.
“And they are there to ensure that there is no new breeding ground and escape route for the terrorists,’’ he added.
At Gwoza, there was a heavy presence of troops and military equipment such as Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), main battle tanks and artillery pieces, as soldiers continue with the cordon-and-search operations in the area.
Col. Oduware Irabor, the Commander of 26 Task Force of the Nigerian Army in Gwoza, told newsmen that the town was liberated from the clutches of the terrorists after heavy fighting and bombardment by troops of the Nigerian Army and Air force.
He said that since the troops took over the area, peace had been restored and people were now moving around, carrying on with their various businesses.
Irabor said that the military was carrying out constant patrols of the area, so as to ensure the sustenance of the people’s peace and safety.
“We have not rested on our oars, as we have been training and retraining our soldiers, while assisting the IDPs with our limited facilities,’’ he said.
It would be recalled that military asked for a six-week extension of its campaign in order to launch a renewed offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents, while liberating the towns and communities they hitherto occupied.
The troops have secured a string of victories since the launch of the renewed offensive on the terrorist group, as most communities, previously occupied by terrorists, have been liberated.
The military, through air and land strikes in the past few weeks, had been able to liberate several communities from the terrorists.
Since its commencement of the extensive six-week anti-Boko Haram operation on February 14, the soldiers have succeeded in dislodging terrorists from several communities in Adamawa, Yobe and Borno states.
The liberated communities include Gwoza, Mubi, Bara, the headquarters of Gulani Local Government Area of Yobe State, and Gulak, the headquarters of Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
Other liberated communities, according to the military, include Shikah, Fikayel, Tetebah, Buza, Kamla and Bumsa.
The troops also recovered Monguno, Marte, Gamboru Ngala, Dikwa and Baga, among other communities.
Having successfully liberated most of the towns, the troops’ attention is now focused on consolidating the security of the areas to pave the way for the return of citizens to their normal life.
In the campaign, Nigerian troops also had some level of support from neighbouring countries like Chad and Niger that are involved in the Multi-National Task Force.
Observers, however, are of the opinion that as the military continues to record successes in is campaign against the Boko Haram insurgents, the menace of terrorism in the country will soon be brought to an end.
Athekame writes for the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Constance Athekame
Boko Haram fighters
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
