From TIMOTHY OLANREWAJU, Maiduguri and MOLLY KILETE, AbujaTuesday’s comments of presidential aide, Dr. Doyin Okupe on Boko Haram yesterday drew the ire of Borno State Governor Kashim Ibrahim, who had visited the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Monday to express his frustration over the sect’s menace.
Within a week, Boko Haram had killed scores of people in some Borno villages, the latest being 146 in Izge last Saturday. He complained that the terrorist group was better motivated and armed than the military. As if to allay the governor’s fears, the Federal Government is set to send the disbanded Joint Task Force (JTF) in the North-East, back to the area.
Meanwhile, Okupe said on Tuesday that the governor’s comment on purported inability of the military to tackle the insurgents was lacking in expertise and misplaced. Responding to Okupe’s comment yesterday, the governor challenged the presidential aide to visit Borno to assess the situation rather than making statements from the cosy of his office.
“Dr Doyin Okupe should kindly note that if he is finding a governor to drive any rift with the Presidency,he has not found one in Kashim Shettima because those who know Shettima know him to be honest,courageous, respectful, humble, but also dogged. Governor Shettima will certainly not be one of Okupe’s tool for showing face on TV. Okupe should kindly be reminded that as a public relations officer, part of his job is to interprete situations correctly to the Presidency, attract goodwill and create more friends for the Presidency and not to create rift,” the governor said through a statement signed on his behalf by his spokesman, Isa Umar Gusau.
He said the governor felt it was time to let Nigerians know the truth about the insecurity in his state and parts of North-East and not to denigrate the military as the presidential assistant would want people believe. He said as the leader who wears the shoe, he feels the pains of the insurgency more than any other Nigerian leader, having lost thousands of his people in the two and half years of the crisis.
“The governor’s very honest remark in Abuja was a case of ‘one who wears the shoes knows where it pinches.’ The governor is the person on ground, he knows exactly what the problems are. As most Nigerians would testify, Shettima had been very patient until he opened up and the sole aim was for Nigerians to appreciate the situation on ground. Unless Dr Okupe wanted Shettima to tell lies or to conceal the truth by deceiving Nigerians, or perhaps he wanted the people of Borno to die in silence otherwise, the governor did the right thing any responsible leader should do in the circumstance he found himself. A leader must be bold enough to tell the truth so that solutions can be found to critical situations,” he stated.
Gusau said the state government has been supportive to the military and all the security agencies, noting that he would not turn round to belittle these security institutions which he has supported and appreciated. He said the security situation on ground, however, compelled him to open up so as to stop the mindless killings and destruction. He said over 300 people were killed alone in a local government, wondering why Okupe did not call a press conference to condole with the state and her people. He described the presidential aide as being insensitive to the suffering of the people.
“It is an irony to realise that while Okupe didn’t find it worthy to hold a press briefing in sympathy with the people of Borno and to join in condemning the horrible serial attacks that left nearly 300 innocent citizens killed in February alone, he found it very urgent to try to take advantage of a honest opinion just to show his face on television in the name of doing his job. At the end, it is Okupe that would attract ill-feelings of the people towards the Presidency and not his targeted prey. First, let me say with emphasis that Governor Shettima has the highest regard for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and appreciates the President’s continued efforts in the last two and half years in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is set to return the JTF to Borno. This is coming just as both the Chief of Army Staff(COAS), Lt.-General Kenneth Minimah and the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Amosu on Monday visited Borno for an on-the-spot-assessment of security situations.
The return of the JTF which was hitherto responsible for the security operations in the North-East, according to top security sources, may not be unconnected with the increasing attacks and killings of innocent Nigerians as well as the declaration on Monday, by Governor Shettima that the Army lacks the capacity to combat the sect.
The killing of over 211 innocent civilians in Konduga, Gwoza, Izge, between February 11and 15 has attracted widespread condemnation from Nigerians who are calling on the Jonathan administration to stop the carnage.
Reports show that 39 people were killed on February, 11, nine on February, 12, another 57, on February 13 and 106, on February 15 by terrorists.
But the Defence Headquaters (DHQ) says it would not be deterred by the unfortunate attacks against its troops and innocent civilians by the insurgents who are moving from village to village, attacking innocent civilians, are those escaping from the onslaught against their make-shift hideout along the border and entry points from neighbouring countries.
It also said it has beefed up security patrol in locations that are prone to attacks while the general area is now under heightened surveillance and announced the arrests of suspects of the recent assault and recovered huge number of weapons from them.
Before the establishment of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army in Borno State last year, the JTF, made up of personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, Department of State Security and other security agencies were deployed in the North-East to curtail the insurgency.
The Sun
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