The images of our dead soldiers from Boko Haram attack in Borno recently evoke the feelings of dirge and panegyric for our fallen heroes. They died from a preventable occurrence. They died from neglect. They died on the altar of politics. They died before the firing squad of corruption, incompetence and politics of cabal and nepotism as against professionalism. I have come to agree that Nigeria is a dangerous country to live in as anybody be it civilian or force man. Only politicians are greatly insulated from the maladies of this rotten society and politicians made it so.
I have said it before, there is no motivation for anybody to join Nigerian military at all. My heart bleeds for those that became husbandless, fatherless, sonless, brotherless, sisterless, wifeless, and motherless overnight. For as much as over 70 soldiers to die in one-day at a place that supposed to be their fortress in the hands of the so called technically defeated Boko Haram shows that something serious is wrong with our defense department. What if Boko Haram is not technically defeated as they claimed, then even President Buhari would have run back to UK to avoid being killed or captured and Shekau would be sending out messages from inside Aso Rock.
Politics and corruption everywhere. Many of those heading Nigeria’s security apparatus have no business still being in office but they all had their office renewed till after elections and I ask, to what end? I was greatly appalled and horrified as I watched the videos sent out by Boko Haram showing how they mowed down our soldiers as if it was the soldiers of Seychelles fighting with American Navy Seals. The shame of a nation. These soldiers are the reason other parts of Nigeria is still living in peace. If not for them, I won’t be typing this to voice my mind and if not for them, Syria would be a paradise to what we would have been.
A worthy Epitaph for these heroes should be, ‘for your tomorrow, we gave our today’. These soldiers stayed till the end even when they knew their base was compromised, their arms no match and there is no outside help for them in case of emergency. They are truly heroes. I have heard of doctors run away from patients during epidemic due to none supply of PPE for them, I have heard of nurses abandon patients for same but these soldiers stayed when their human instincts told them to run.
We should be asking questions. All those military war jets two of which crashed recently in Abuja during their rehearsal for Independence Day, where were they during the attack? How come no form of air support for these soldiers on the ground? The monies being budgeted for defense, what are they used for if soldiers are exposed like this? DSS that is marauding and crushing political opponents of APC government, why haven’t they penetrated Boko Haram for effective intelligence gathering? Where is Nigerian Intelligence Agency (NIA) in all this? Have they been able to unravel outside collaborators of Boko Haram? What exactly does defense budget cover?
According to one of the soldiers who lived to tell his tale with injuries. “The attack came at about 6pm on Monday evening”. When the soldier on top of the observation post alerted that a large number of Boko Haram fighters were advancing, we all got alarmed as we took cover and waited within the base in Metele.
“The fight did not last for more than 45 minutes; but it was bloody because the Boko Haram fighters had more armament advantage than the soldiers. “When we realized the fight would be against us, we decided to retreat from the camp, but it was rather too late. The camp was surrounded with barbed wire, and the enemy fire was coming from the direction of the entrance. We were completely surrounded.
“One of the drivers of the gun trucks decided to push through the barbed wire so that other vehicles could follow and escape, but the truck got stuck, that was how many of our soldiers in other vehicles and those on foot were massacred. “Those that managed to escape with injuries made it on foot through Cross-Kauwa to Monguno where they boarded commercial vehicles, some even sat on the booth of the Golf cars to get to Maiduguri. “The Boko Haram made away with about seven gun trucks of the Nigeria army.”
It is scary to think of your child or sibling wanting to join Nigerian military at this time when it seems they are treated as sacrificial lambs. Is there anything that happened in the last administration that has not happened on the watch of this one if not worse? This is a clarion call to all Nigerians to decide how to engage in the forth coming elections. Since politicians have refused to learn and change, the people should not only change them like diapers but join politics with mission to make positive impact. To the families of fallen heroes I say, take heart and may the good Lord give you fortitude to bear this loss engineered by betrayal, politics, corruption, ineptitude and above all carelessness.
*** Obi Ebuka Onochie is a political Analyst.
obiebuka360@gmail.com
