By Fola James
Few hours after some soldiers were allegedly killed by boko haram in Borno state, during an attack on the convoy of Governor Babagana Zulum the chief of Army Staff, COAS Lt General Tukur Burutai has given a marching order to the soldiers fighting insurgents to treat all Nigerians as possible terror suspects.
The Borno state government has debunked the report claiming that the state’s helmsman was attacked on his way to Baga town on Saturday, while the military has remained mum on whether soldiers were actually killed by the insurgents.
The state government said in a statement that “For the record, we write to quickly clarify that contrary to a “breaking news” by an online news medium, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum was neither attacked nor was any component of his convoy attacked by anyone.
The governor was actually in Baga from Saturday to Sunday (Sunday), during which he supervised the distribution of food and cash to 5,000 residents and he assessed major reconstruction and resettlement efforts with no hitch whatsoever.
While we continually accord respect to all media organisations as supportive partners, we importantly clarify that we have no knowledge of the breaking news” in question. As members of the public can testify, it is the culture and principle of Professor Zulum to say things as they are, and in this case, it is what it is- no attack whatsoever.
Any media organisation that wants further clarification may wish to contact the Nigerian military. “Meanwhile, Governor Zulum appreciates all well- wishers, and he gratefully commends armed forces and civilian volunteers for the relentless efforts to fully regain lasting peace in Borno State,”
Sources at Defence Headquarters in Abuja said the armed forces is taking the war on terror very seriously which may require adequate profiling of some persons to determine his/her level of involvement or otherwise in terror activities in the north east.
The COAS directed the troops to brace up because the nation is in a state of war and cannot afford to take anything for granted any longer, after lamenting that a slack in soldiers’ performance had prolonged the war.
An online newspaper, Sahara Reporters quotes an army correspondence where the COAS said “All persons must be treated as suspects unless fully identified and cleared especially in isolated, high threat areas, when on clearance operations and check point duties.
“We are not in peacekeeping operations, internal security operations or deterrence actions. This is real war fighting.”
The memo titled: “COAS Special Order-01 Change to War Mode,” also directed soldiers deployed in ‘Operation Lafiya Doleé a special anti-terrorism combat squad to embark on adequate profiling of resident in the troubled region as a way to fish out Boko Haram suspects.
Meanwhile, some experts informed the magazine that the order could lead to unnecessary harassment of innocent Nigerians resident in the region.
But another school of thought also insists, that it is within the Army’s rule of engagement to do whatever necessary within the the law to rein in insurgency in the region.
