‘Technically Defeated’ Boko Haram: The Sad Case Of Metele

By Reno Omokri

A most disturbing thing happened in Nigeria. Over a period of 3 days last week, the allegedly ‘technically defeated’ Boko Haram managed to overrun multiple military bases and reportedly killed close to a hundred Nigerian troops and carried away heavy military hardware.

*President Buhari with COAS Gen Burutai 

But that is not the disturbing thing that occurred. The killings were shocking, but something much more disturbing happened. The Nigerian President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the military and who is supposed to be the most pained over these avoidable deaths had time to:

*attack former President Jonathan for agreeing with Transparency International that corruption had increased in Nigeria

*attack Priti Patel for saying that Mr. Buhari’s anti-corruption war is a sham.

But the President could not find time to speak on the killing of over 70 troops by Boko Haram. As I write these words, almost a week after these gruesome killings, Mr. Buhari has yet to say a thing. But he has plenty to say about other things, except the most pressing issue. I took time to read the comments of one of the survivors of the Metele assault at which over 70 soldiers died at the hands of Boko Haram.

The sad fact is that the man testified that Boko Haram was so confident of defeating our troops at the 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele, that they wrote them a letter intimating them of their plans to send the soldiers to the world beyond.

And nothing was done. Yet, on his Democracy Day speech of May 29, 2018, President Buhari claimed that “Today, the capacity of the insurgents has been DEGRADED”. What a hyperbolic LIE! And the survivor’s tale of woe is not over yet.

He testified that our troops were overwhelmed by the more heavily armed Boko Haram. I know that finances are tight, but if President Buhari has ₦3.5 million to feed the detained leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, then he should consider releasing Zakzaky and use that money to fund the troops in Borno.

If the ₦3.5 million Buhari is using to feed Zakzaky every month is not enough to fund our troops fighting Boko Haram, then he should borrow some money from the Kano State Governor’s babanriga Bank to Fund our troops. They should not keep dying at the hands of a better armed Boko Haram. For 2 years I have raised my voice against President Buhari’s practice of releasing ‘repentant’ Boko Haram members and the APC attacked me. Now in just 3 days, Boko Haram has killed almost 100 Nigerian soldiers. Are these repentant terrorists not involved?

And the sad fact is that we are carrying on as if nothing has happened. No flags flying at half-mast. No national mourning. It is as if those 100 or so soldiers killed recently by Boko Haram died for nothing.

One French police officer was killed by terrorists, Macron attended his funeral and flags were flown at half-mast in France on March 24, 2018. No national awards for these soldiers, no national day of mourning, no appreciation. It is worse than slavery to be a Nigerian soldier under Buhari’s thoughtlessly cruel government.

This is a man who can run to London at public expense over his own health but can’t run to the barracks over his soldiers deaths. Buhari appears to be more concerned about securing his #NextLevel Second Term (second fraud?) than he is in securing the lives of Nigerian soldiers he sends to battle the Boko Haram that he lied were technically defeated.

The sad fact is that of the over 12 Presidential candidates for Nigeria’s February 16, 2019 Presidential election, only one, Atiku Abubakar, has addressed the incident at Metele and suggested solutions while doing something tangible to help the soldiers and their families.

By endowing a scholarship scheme for the children of those soldiers who fell at Metele and urging those who want to celebrate his birthday to instead donate to the survivors of those soldiers, Atiku Abubakar has shown that he is shoulder above Muhammadu Buhari, a man who cares for nobody but himself and his immediate family.

And that is the reason why I am personally very disappointed with Garba Shehu, a man I personally know. A man who I thought had a conscience. A man who has transformed from a proper gentleman to a proper propagandist. A sad shadow of what he used to be. I was reading the statement he put out after the Metele incident. No mention of these gallant men and the deaths they suffered under Boko Haram. Just a vitriolic attack on former President Jonathan for saying the obvious – that Nigeria is now more corrupt than she ever was under the PDP.

And I thought to myself that Garbs Shehu does not know that

*The GSM he uses to insult PDP

*The EFCC Buhari uses to harass PDP

*TSA

*Buhari boasts about BVN that is eliminating corruption

*Cashless policy that helps stop money laundering

* The only airport in Buhari’s home state of Katsina

*The economy that his boss ruined

   – are all PDP achievements

Even Garba is a PDP achievement!