Boko Haram sustain ground battle with soldiers

• As Army intensify military operations in North East

From BODUNRIN KAYODE, Maiduguri

Boko Haram terrorists have continued to resist the offensive of the Nigerian Armed Forces over territories in the northeast, especially, in Bama where the insurgents struck again on Friday. The military have, however, sustained their push of the insurgents towards borders.

Major General Lucky Irabor, Deputy Theatre Commander, OPS Lafia Dole, at the weekend said that the terrorists are on the run and will be chased out of the country.

He added that the Army has rescued 700 hostages. “But I cannot tell what number of people are still being held hostage. We have heightened military operations in the North East. Military has rescued over 700 hostages,” he said.

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Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, Acting Director, Army Public Relations, in a statement at the weekend revealed that troops of 21 Brigade Bama, under 7 Division area of operational responsibility, in a blocking position, had at the early hours of Friday, cleared escaping Boko Haram terrorists that came through Sabsawa axis of Sambisa forest.

The troops, Usman said, also recovered a Toyota Hilux, two AK-47 rifles with registration numbers 58006915 and KO 35839, as well as 37 rounds of 12.7mm metal linked ammunition.

But Usman hardly finished his statement of triumph when information filtered out of the theatre that Bama came under fire at the weekend.

Boko Haram insurgents renewed attack on the town in the early morning of Friday. They engaged the soldiers in a fierce ground battle to take over the council area. This led to massive loss of lives on the part of the insurgents.

Meanwhile, intelligence has revealed that the insurgents have devised new means of using “unscrupulous middlemen” to crudely sell rustled cattle at the Gamboru cattle market in Maiduguri with proceeds used to fund terror activities.

Borno Governor Kashim Shettima disclosed this while inaugurating a new market management committee made up of representatives of the army, police, the Department of State Security (DSS), Civilian JTF and government officials. They have been assigned to take full charge and scrutinize sources of all cattle, delay slaughter of uncertified cattle for claims in all the markets.

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With this discovery, the government has placed a ban on importation of cattle through various international routes, and the sale of dry meat, usually, camel (tinko) across the state. Cattle markets have been temporarily closed, too.

Shettima, represented by Secretary to the Borno State Government, Usman Shuwa, at the inauguration of the new committee, said the insurgents have resorted to the new order because they now lack capacity to attack and loot banks, towns and other traditional methods of sourcing funds for their murderous activities.

“Our security agencies have reasonably established that most of the cattle being traded at the markets were the direct proceeds of cattle rustling perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents which were sold at prohibitive costs to unsuspecting customers through some unscrupulous middlemen who use underhand ploy to deliberately disguise the transactions as legitimate,” the governor said.

Shettima said he was putting in place a committee made up also of government officials and credible representatives of unions of traders and butchers to take over the markets so that activities in the markets would resume due to public demands for meat and under a sanitized system.

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“In addition, the committee is to device strategies to ascertain the source of all cattle being traded and slaughtered at the markets; ensure that a mandatory period of three to four days is observed on all cattle sold before they are slaughtered in order to enable interested parties to inspect them.

This also is to avail the opportunity of those whose cattle have been rustled to make claims and counter claims; certify all cattle traded at the markets to ensure that all pre-set conditions have been met before they are slaughtered for consumption,” the governor stated.

Shettima vowed to personally, and severally, hold members responsible for any omission or commission in the effective discharge of this onerous assignment of ensuring that the insurgents do not utilise markets in the state to make money and prolong the war.

He presented cheques worth N100 million to leadership of the cattle traders and butchers to serve as bailout to thousands of law-abiding traders who had been thrown out of business following government’s move to close down cattle markets.

The members are to use the funds to purchase legitimate cattle that are to be subjected to investigations by the new management committee of cattle markets.