Boko Haram has waged a war against Nigeria

In total violation of the fundamental principles of society, the Nigerian  government is yet to respond to the war it’s people and military have been  subjected to.

The May 7th occurrence in Bama, Maiduguri is the latest in a series of full  scale rebel attacks by Boko Haram forces against the people of Nigeria.  According to accounts, over 200 fully armed warriors invaded Bama at 4am,  Tuesday and destroyed the town, burning down government parastatals, launching  attacks on police stations and liberating over a hundred prisoners before  descending on the military barracks.

The Boko Haram “hard-drugged up” combatants came in in several military-style  pickup trucks and buses armed with heavy machine guns and rocket launchers. 14  prison wardens were killed, 22 police officers, several civilians including  women and children and 2 soldiers. The palace of the traditional leader of Bama  was also attacked. This is the new dimension of the threat Nigeria faces.

From Terrorists to Rebels

In our article published and distributed on May 6th, “Boko  Haram: Nigeria Losing Borno,” we detailed the metamorphosis of Boko Haram  from terrorists into an aspiring rebel force. Boko Haram operate from the  borders of Nigeria and neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon and have specialized  with training from al-Qaeda in the Maghreb(AQIM) and terrorists unleashed in the  post-Gaddafi era.

Boko Haram recruits displaying amassed  weapons

Recruitment

Boko Haram preaches a radical brand of Islam and recruits primarily via three  systems: 1- Poor disgruntled youth who have lost faith in government and value  of life. The war gives their life a purpose at last and is also fun for these  youth, especially so with cocktails of hard-drugs. 2- Boko Haram forcefully  conscripts children from villages they invade. 3- Boko Haram utilizes its  funding to pay for warriors. All over the world, rebel forces offer a lucrative  employment.

Funding and weapons

Funding from politicians who initially constituted Boko Haram and utilized  them for political maneuvers, has diminished and as a result, Boko Haram  switched to kidnappings to obtain ransoms for sustenance and purchase of  sophisticated ammunitions – available from the stockpiles of Libya’s arsenal  that found their way to terrorists hands in the poorly NATO supervised  dethroning of Gaddafi.

Allegedly Boko Haram was paid $3 million to release French hostages and  NewsRescue sources detail that they continue to kidnap family members  of Borno politicians and business men for more funding. Majority of the  kidnappings are not made public.

Outline Nigeria Must Commence in Full Wartime Response

1. State of Emergency: Nigeria must immediately declare a full state of  emergency in Borno and parts of Yobe States. The governors must be retired for  the time being till the situation is put under control. Over 1,600 people have  been killed by Boko violence in Borno and about half this figure in Yobe, the  two states at the center of the violence.

2. Full military deployment to Borno State to man the borders and coordinate  search and eliminate missions into the bordering territories of Chad, Niger and  Cameroon, this in concert with Nigeria’s neighbors.

3. Nigeria must immediately engage with the leaders of its North eastern  neighbors. The leaders of Niger, Chad and Cameroon have been complacent in  seeking out and squashing terrorists’ training camps on their terrain. The  failure to take a determinate action against the terrorism brewed on their soil  is related to their fear of being prey to Boko Haram. However they must  recognize that such a growing threat to Nigeria will soon affect them  regardless. Joint military forces must sweep the border areas linking the four  countries.

4. Nigeria’s citizens in the north east must be informed to evacuate.  Temporary refugee camps should be created to accommodate the families during the  war against this rebellion. Borno is a war front and civilians can not be left  in the crossfire till the situation is solved. Nigerians can not be left to live  in a region being taken over by terrorist governments. Marte, Magumeri, Mobbar,  Gubio, Guzamala, Abadam, Kukawa, Kaga, Nganzai and Monguno Local Government  Areas have largely fallen under Boko control. Evacuating citizens will be  properly registered and searched as they depart to permit full combat.

5. Mobilize the full strength of the Nigerian armed forces, Air, Land and  Water. Nigeria’s air force must immediately be deployed to Borno. Jet bombers  and helicopters must be recruited. The predominant land force can not combat a  superior rebel army without concordant assistance of air operations. Presently  the lives of the military are being sacrificed in reckless disregard. No war of  the current dimensions are fought without adequate aerial support.

6. Security overhaul including at the very least acquisition of advanced  counterinsurgency hardware and know should be prioritized. The national assembly  should as a matter of urgency approve a supplemental budget towards this  objective (Drones, Advanced helicopters, Military jets, Armored personnel  carriers) Drones: Drones like the ScanEagle can be purchased for just $100,000 a  unit. Nigeria should immediately begin the process of procuring surveillance and  attack drones. This is affordable and critical.

7. Sealing Nigeria’s Borders. The NewsRescue article of  April 12th, fully detailed the insecurity issues of  Nigeria’s borders. The current Nigerian government must immediately and  aggressively secure its borders and plan long term maintenance of this  measure.

8. Prisoners: Arrested Boko Haram fighters are war criminals. They must no  longer be imprisoned in the vicinity. We recommend quick expedient trials and  prosecutions. We also strongly recommend the transporting of all prisoners out  side Nigeria to foreign prisons.

This is an impelling notice to the President, the national assembly and the  Nigerian people to protect life of our citizens in the North east and our  dedicated serving security men, while curbing the progressing catastrophe for  the entire nation. The war against Boko Haram should be embraced not only by the  the noble men and women of the armed forces who operate under the most arduous  conditions but by every Nigerian. Enhanced information gathering and community  policing action would go a long way to prevent hiding places for undesirable  elements amongst us.

To the international community and friends of Nigeria; the time for  complacency is over. Nigeria needs you. It is a clear unambiguous choice between  sheer terror and freedom. Between a peaceful democracy on a path of prosperity  and wanton banditry. The victims of Boko Haram’s activities are the Nigerian  people. The choice  is between the Nigerian people and a band of callous  terrorists. Join this war on the right side of posterity. Every missed  opportunity to assist us crush this evil is a victory for Boko Haram. Every new  successful kidnapping, Arson, Assassination or collection of ransom money fuels  and enables this senseless terror.

Boko Haram represents an existential clear and present danger to the  the Nigerian state. There is a rapidly vanishing window of opportunity to act in  the best interest of the Nigerian people to halt these dark forces. It is time  for war.

Read more: http://newsrescue.com/nigeria-at-war/#ixzz2SkUvXJKc