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Continued from Part 2

Tricks and treachery are the practice of fools, that don't have brains enough to be honest. (Benjamin Franklin)

All deception in the course of life is indeed nothing else but a lie reduced to practice, and falsehood passing from words into things. (Robert South)

Vain are the beliefs and teachings that make man miserable, and false is the goodness that leads him into sorrow and despair, for it is man's purpose to be happy on this earth and lead the way to felicity and preach its gospel wherever he goes (Kahlil Gibran)

igeria is no longer a “country”, in that the president has lost control of some parts of it to insurgents. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nigeria are threatened right now, and can anybody tell the difference between Nigeria and Syria or Iraq or Libya? NGRi wrote that Boko Haram has in recent weeks seized more towns and now controls a large swath of Nigeria’s extreme northeast, in a new strategy to form an “Islamic caliphate,” mimicking Iraq’s ISIS group. The Nigeria Labour Congress, in a Press statement it released, strongly warn that the consequence of allowing any part of the country to be forcefully seized by any group will be overwhelmingly harmful to our collective unity and socio economic advancement, just as it would also endanger the growth of democracy.

While the Boko Haram terrorists are moving mostly unhindered and unchallenged, the government is only spewing out empty words that it will defend Nigeria even to the last citizen in the country; that no group would succeed in dividing the country; and that it had confidence in the Nigerian Army despite threats by Boko Haram. The United States, on Thursday September 4, said it was concerned by the increasing Boko Haram violence and territorial gains in Nigeria, warning that the deteriorating situation threatens the future of the country. It, the United States, added that with the frequency and scope of Boko Haram's terror attacks in the country, the reputation of Nigeria's military was at stake. It observed that the future of the country was in jeopardy, arguing that Abubakar Shekau's bold announcement that "Boko Haram is now governing a caliphate in Nigeria" only added to the perception that the security situation in the country was steadily growing worse. The United States said "We are very troubled by the apparent capture of Bama and the prospects for an attack on and in Maiduguri, which would impose a tremendous toll on the civilian population. This is a sober reality check for all of us. We are past time for denial and pride. Cameroon's military is increasingly forced to fight Boko Haram within its borders and they flee back into Nigeria without fear. The Chibok schoolgirls and others remain hostages, enduring horrible and tragic suffering”. Imagine that the Boko Haram insurgents, on Saturday September 6, seized Kirchinga, hometown of Adamawa State’s Acting Governor, Umaru Fintiri, hours before he won that state’s PDP governorship primaries. NGRi reported that residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika towns and nearby villages fled their homes Friday through Saturday September 5-6, following a Boko Haram advance after repelling a military offensive to retake Madagali town, seized by the militants last month. An eyewitness said that “All the residents of Madagali, Gulak and Michika have fled their homes to the mountains and Mubi town after soldiers retreated from Madagali where they made a failed attempt to push out the insurgents and to recapture the town. Boko Haram is now in control of Gulak, headquarters of Madagali local government (municipality) in Adamawa State”.

It’s no longer surprising that the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has seized five North-Eastern towns in five days, killing hundreds and leaving thousands of residents fleeing for safety as it continues its quest to establish a caliphate in the country. The Will of September 03, reported that barely a month after Boko Haram seized Gujba, a town in Gujba Council Area of Yobe State, the insurgents, on Tuesday September 2, captured Bara, the headquarters of Gulani Local Government Area of the state, thus bringing to two the number of Local Government Areas under the control of the insurgents in the State. The insurgents who stormed the town immediately took over the council secretariat and the Local Government Lodge, which they are now occupying. The recent capture is the climax of their effort in the area as they had earlier cut- off Gulani and Gujba from Damaturu after blowing off the Katarko Bridge about a month ago. So far, the insurgents are in control of over 16 towns and villages in the North-eastern part of Nigeria, and they are as follows: Gwoza, Buni Yadi, Gamboru Ngala, Damboa, Marte, Bama, Bara, Banki, Gulak, Dikwa, Madagali, Michika, Kirchinga and Uba. The Secretary to the Borno State Government, Amb. Baba Jidda, confirmed the insurgents’ unstoppable territorial grab by saying that most parts of Borno State had been taken over by Boko Haram.

The local residents, in those areas captured by the terrorists, disclosed that the insurgents are in full control as they move freely across the various towns and villages, preaching and explaining their mission, which is, that they are there to do the work of Allah. This writer, in the words of Lucien Bouchard (1938), “have never known a more vulgar expression of betrayal and deceit”.Although this writer is not a Moslem, but, he doubts if what Boko Haram is doing or saying has any religious underpinning in the real sense of it. Rather, the insurgents are only deceitful, hiding under the cloak of religion and hatred for western education to commit atrocities. The insurgents are grabbing towns and villages, killing and displacing people, raping girls and women, kidnapping school children, enlisting children under the age of fifteen years into their group, taking illicit drugs, stealing other people’s wives, houses, vehicles and properties all in the name of Allah. Then, where is the virtue of piety they are supposed to be preaching and showing with their character? This writer is sure that Allah didn’t command anybody to perpetrate such atrocities; they are only doing evil, on their own, using the name of Allah as a cover up. The insurgents should stop inflicting pains, sorrow and destruction on other people and property all in the name of Allah. Remember that last year, the military took some journalists to the camps abandoned by the insurgents; and we were told that those places were littered with used condoms, syringes and needles (used for hypodermic injection of illegal drugs), stolen vehicles etc. What has raping of women or the turning of many women, even girls, into sex slaves or the use of illegal drugs or stealing government or people’s properties got to do with doing the work of Allah? The terrorists should read where Bernard Baruch (1870-1965) wrote “Let us not deceive ourselves; we must elect world peace or world destruction”, because, if the table turns, which will soon happen, they, the terrorists, will get a taste of their own medicine (they have been administering to others). The terrorists should not forget the saying that “you can never forget that one bad thing you did in life haunts you for the rest of your life”.

The terrorists should remember that God is averse to deceit in a holy cause. Report from The Tribune has it that Boko Haram has taken over Emirs' wives; in that high ranking members of Boko Haram have acquired wives of Emirs who fled their palaces in the wake of the insurgents' renewed onslaught on some communities in Borno and Yobe States. The Paper, while reporting that no fewer than seven Emirs are said to have abandoned their Boko Haram-infested domains in the two states in the last couple of days, quoted a key member of the civilian JTF, Ahmadu Umar, as having described the action of the insurgents as a violation of the sanctity of state, tradition and religion. In Umar words: "They have sacked over seven Emirs from their palaces in Borno and Yobe States. Emirs are symbol of culture and heads of Islam in this part of the country. If the Boko Haram members were truly Muslims, they would have had reverence for the palaces, they would have had respect for the Emirs and they would not have taken the wives of Emirs for their commanders (to use). This is sacrilege. Reports from some local governments areas showed that after taking over their palaces, the Boko Haram commanders, who then constituted themselves as lords in the affected Emirs' domains, mocked the traditional institution by forcing their wives into "marriages.” This development showed that Boko Haram was not only against democracy, but it was also against tradition and Islam as a religion. Nigerians must understand that this is not a religious problem but a case of some "cultists" trying to use Islam as a platform to perpetrate evil. Those who are sympathetic to this group among Muslims are doing so either because they do not know the atrocities these bad elements are committing or they are part of those that have been brainwashed by the sect leader and therefore, they are also Boko Haram. We wanted to go and die for our people and for the traditional stools in those areas captured by Boko Haram, but we were prevented from doing so by security operatives who said the casualties would be too many."

Just see how the insurgents are dismembering Nigeria with impunity: We read how the Boko Haram terrorists in Gwoza, Borno State, have pushed back a battalion of the Nigerian Army in its effort to retake the town captured by the insurgents over a month ago due to the terrorists’ superior fire power over the Nigeria Army. Still today, Colonel Agu of that battalion is still missing in action. The battle which took place few weeks ago resulted in the death of several soldiers who engaged the insurgents in a gun duel that lasted many hours. The soldiers met a stiff resistance from the insurgents thereby making the soldiers to suffer many casualties and were forced to make a retreat as the insurgents proved insurmountable. The Citizen reported that the defeat suffered by the Nigerian soldiers has finally sealed hopes that Gwoza may be freed any time soon, as the insurgents seem to have gained strength as they allegedly seized many weapons from the soldiers including a military tank, and the newly installed Emir of the community was also allegedly kidnapped. Now the Boko Haram insurgents have relocated from their camp in the Sambisa forest to the captured territories in the north-east. AFP reported that following the sustained territorial conquests by the insurgents, who have occupied the army base in Gamboru town in Borno State which they took over recently, the insurgents have turned the sacked emir’s palace in Gwoza to their headquarters. In AFP words: “As you are aware, part of the administrative unit of the palace was destroyed but the insurgents are using the remaining part as their headquarters. In the past few days, even the old people who could not move to anywhere were taken out by the Boko Haram. They put them in vehicles and drove to the outskirts of Limankara, 16 kilometres away, and left them there. Both Limankara village, the police training school there, Pulka village and dozens of communities around Gwoza are all under the control of the Boko Haram”.

The terrorists have dismembered Nigeria and are going scout free. Last week, Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram declared Gwoza an “Islamic Caliphate”. The insurgents hoisted their flag. Recently, Boko Haram also took over a Catholic Church in Madagali, Adamawa. Elombah.com, on August 29, reported that following the week before’s attack on Madagali in Adamawa State; the Catholic Church has complained that Boko Haram insurgents have taken over the parish rectory of its church. That includes several houses owned by Christians. Rev. Fr. Gideon Obasogie, the Director, Catholic Social Communications in-charge of the Maiduguri Diocese, in an electronic press statement, said the outlaws seems to be drawing a line of demarcation of whom to visit or not to visit with mayhem, adding that, "in recent times, it seems that Christians and Christian institutions have been at the receiving end of the attacks by the terrorists. The whole town and the parish rectory have been occupied by the terrorists, so many structures and items have been vandalized. Dozens have been killed and a lot of church structures have been burnt down. Christians in the town are really in a terrible situation; a moment of great persecution. Christian men are caught and beheaded, while Christian women are forced to become Muslims and are taken as wives to the terrorists. The houses of Christians that have fled are now being occupied by the terrorists, and their cars are used by the terrorists. Some Muslims around identify Christian homes to be occupied and the Christians’ hiding were also exposed and they were killed. Strict Sharia Laws have been promulgated, as observed by a woman who luckily escaped the dead zone. The situation as it is has really and truly gone out of control. People are finding it really hard; citizens are being killed in their numbers.” Rev. Fr. Gideon Obasogie expressed hope that the federal government would be more proactive in handling the dwindling state of insecurity that has overtaken the entire North-east, that has forced the Catholic Church to close down all the parishes on the major road linking Maiduguri and Adamawa States because of the Boko Haram insurgents.

As it’s now, the insurgents are coming and will take over Maiduguri very soon, and that will be catastrophic for Nigeria. Reuters reported that hundreds of civilians reportedly fled Maiduguri out of fear that it might also be attacked by Boko Haram. Apprehension among Maiduguri residents grew after the fierce fighting between the military and Boko Haram in Bama. Reuters wrote that travellers besieged bus stations in the city seeking transport to Damaturu in Yobe State. It added that vehicles laden with passengers and their belongings were seen on the Maiduguri-Damaturu road. The agency quoted one of the residents, Saka Lawal, as having said, "I'm leaving now because people keep saying Boko Haram may attack Maiduguri anytime and it is possible." The problem is that the insurgents are cleverer than the Nigerian military, in that they, the insurgents, are out-smarting the military in the game. We read the report where Senator Ahmed Zannah, representing Borno Central at the senate, raised the alarm that the Boko Haram insurgents might be aiming to attack Maiduguri town, the Borno state capital, as Maiduguri remains the ultimate target of the terrorist sect and recent indications showed that the sect is arming for the battle to capture the town. Zannah warned the military that members of the Boko Haram are using Bama to draw out the Army from Maiduguri so that they can now penetrate the town, which has remained impregnable for some times now. The senator revealed that the major fighters of Boko Haram have vacated Bama for their Sambisa forest stronghold and may re-launch a major battle on Maiduguri soon, while calling for further deployment of operatives in the area. The senator said that the only way to end the continuous siege was to wage a maximum war against the insurgents. From the lawmaker, we read that the insurgents looted equipment and machinery from the military barrack in Bama, and he advised the military not to deploy soldiers in Bama to the detriment of the security of Maiduguri. In the senator’s words: “At present, there are few insurgents left behind in Bama, by their leaders, to continue to terrorize the town. The leaders have left for their hideouts in Sambisa. It is believed that those left in Bama are meant to draw the military out of Maiduguri and when they are reclaiming Bama, the large number of insurgents in Sambisa will sneak into Maiduguri to take control of the town”.

What is Nigeria saying about the towns and villages captured by the insurgents? Only empty words, lies and denial! Cicero (106-43 BC) is telling Nigerian officials, military or political, that “It is the act of a bad man to deceive by falsehood”.

To be continued!

TIT BITS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUOLn4U0kig

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!

Continued from Part 2