16th March, 2015
Eromosele Ebhomele
Nigeria’s Defence Headquarters on Monday gleefully announced that the country’s troops had successfully pushed the Boko Haram insurgents away from the Yobe State.
Yobe, up till now, was one of the states mostly affected by insurgency. Terrorism in Nigeria is estimated to have resulted in, at least, 13, 000 deaths with many other citizens of the country living with sour tales of their experiences with the sect that began over six years ago.
Making the announcement on Twitter, the micro-interaction site on the internet, General Chris Olukolade, Nigerian Army’s spokesman, simply said: “we announce the reclaiming of Goniri today. That was the last stronghold of terrorists in Yobe.”
In another tweet, he said: “Adamawa is free, Yobe is free, Borno is soon to be freed by our able military.”
The Nigerian Army had, days ago, announced that it had fully taken over lost territories in Adamawa State.
President Goodluck Jonathan had promised, in the heat of the six weeks extension of the general elections in Nigeria, that the Nigerian Army would ensure that it rids the country of Boko Haram.
He also gave an order that Abubakar Shekau, the acclaimed leader of the sect must be captured alive.
The presidential election is currently less than two weeks.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, on Monday promised that the country’s Army would never again be ridiculed or humiliated as it had become in the fight against insurgency in the country.
Minimah, who said this at the Chief of Army Staff’s First Quarters Conference, Abuja, noted that the Nigerian troops had been resilient in spite of the many challenges they had passed through in the fight against insurgency.
While thanking Nigerians for keeping faith with the military through its trying period, he recalled that Nigerians showed their frustration when the military was not measuring up but that these same Nigerians are now proud of the success recorded by the military currently.
“I want to seize this opportunity to express the Nigerian Army’s profound appreciation to all Nigerians who have stood by us through thick and thin particularly in the last one year. The challenges that we continue to face have again brought to the fore, the strength, perseverance, long suffering and resilience of the Nigerian nation and her people.
“Despite some of the reverses we suffered in the course of our operations some of which almost brought the Nigerian Army to its knees, the good people of this country never wavered but consistently solidarised and identified with us.
“They are understandably frustrated when we fail to perform to expectation but are always quick to show their support and appreciation of our successes. I think this has been the tempo in the last four weeks.
“Nigerians have come out to identify with the Nigerian military, the Nigerian Army and the security agencies.
“I salute all Nigerians for identifying with us; it is from them that we continue to draw inspirations and I want to invite them to our battle cry, that never again shall we go through this process again; never again shall the Nigerian Army be humiliated the way we have been humiliated,” he said.