Boko Haram Has Nothing To Lose, Fighting Them Is Difficult – Chief Of Defence Staff
Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has explained that the prolonged Boko Haram conflict is due to its unconventional nature.
Speaking on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Friday, he stated, “This Boko Haram thing is a lot, and for them to have succeeded for 16 years and still fighting, how are they getting their funding? Who is sustaining them? Because they can’t just be doing things like that.
“What I tell people is that no country should allow this kind of thing to commence. It is a difficult thing to eradicate. You know why? Before now, when we had conventional warfare, you knew the territory you wanted to achieve. Now you have to fight with people who have nothing to lose. It is an ideology they have in their mind.
“They believe they are right and you are wrong. He believes that if he kills you, he is getting blessings. If you kill him, he believes he is going to heaven. Absolutely, he has nothing to lose. That makes it very difficult, and it’s not written on their forehead. So, how do you identify who is who? We obey international laws, and they don’t. So, what do they do? They use human shields. And anytime they go into people because they know you can’t shoot.
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“When people say why it’s taking so long, it is a very difficult operation to do. You make mistakes and kill innocent people, the country comes after you. If you don’t kill them, the people will come after you. It’s difficult on both sides.”
Musa also noted that the military collaborates with the National Assembly to ensure transparency in arms purchases.
He stated, “No more corruption in the arms purchase. We are working closely with the National Assembly. There is an oversight function that is being carried out. We have both people that come and check what we are doing. We are very open, and I can bet you that we love this country and we want to give the best to the country.
“If you look at the amount we are getting and buying, the sixteen years of fighting Boko Haram has enabled us to build the capacity of our repair team, our engineers, and mechanics. Now we can pick a completely burnt-down MRAPV, fix it, and put it back into work.”
On equipping personnel, the general revealed plans for local weapons production, stating, “With the signing of the DICON bill by Mr. President, it has afforded us the opportunity to partner with original equipment manufacturers all over the world to come and produce. Because even with our money, we can’t produce some of this equipment. Now we are producing our ammunition. We want to start producing our own weapons.”
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.