Political
and opinion elders in Borno and Yobe states have alleged that
helicopters drop arms and ammunition, food and medicine to areas known
to be strongholds of the members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko
Haram, in the North-East.
They said the authorities in the states
could not claim ignorance of the development and that it was a bad omen
if a convoy of about 20 to 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles could move freely
without being detected despite the curfew in place.
The elders, who spoke at a press
conference in Abuja on Monday, also asked the government to provide
answer to the attack on the Maiduguri Air Force Base by insurgents, who
reportedly de-mobilised and set ablaze aircrafts and other military
facilities even with the existing state of emergency and curfew in the
town.
Speaking under the aegis of Borno, Yobe
People’s Forum, the elders also asked those in authorities to tell
Nigerians those that authorised the withdrawal of security personnel
from the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, few hours before the
recent attack that claimed the lives of 59 innocent children.
A former Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Al-amin Dagash (retd.), spoke on behalf of the forum at the press conference.
Dagash was flanked at the press
conference by a former Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma; a
former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Ambassador Babagana
Kingibe; an elder statesman, Shetima Mustapha and other political
leaders from the two states.
He said, “Are the authorities unaware of
helicopters dropping arms and ammunition, food and medical supplies to
areas well known to be strong holds of the insurgents?
“How were the insurgents able to attack
the Maiduguri Air-Force Base and demobilise as well as burn planes and
other military installations despite existing state of emergency and
curfew in the town? How could 20 to 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles move in a
convoy freely with subsisting curfew and still go undetected?
“How did a little band of rag-tag
misguided youths metamorphose into a well-kitted, well-armed killing
machine moving freely in convoy of vehicles and supported by
helicopters.
“How did the Shilka Tank, a multipurpose
self propelled anti-aircraft artillery weapon, positioned to secure
Giwa Barracks, fail to function resulting in heavy loss of lives of both
civilian and military as widely reported in the media? Are we dealing
with fifth columnists in this crisis?”
He wondered how the insurgents were able
to kill Gen. Mohammed Shuwa, whom he described as a civil war hero,
despite the presence of a military detachment in front of his home.
The retired Air Force chief asked the
Federal Government to unmask those behind the “online media campaigns of
calumny stirring ethno-religious intolerance in the country.”
He also asked the Federal Government not
to extend the state of emergency declared in the three North-East
states, saying that the action had failed to achieve its purpose.
The state of emergency, originally
declared in May last year and renewed for another six months in
November, expire on April 19, 2014.
Dagash said that about 18 communities
had been attacked by insurgents in the last one month with heavy
civilian casualties, adding that rather than abate, the insurgency had
continued to escalate and daring.
He said, “The continuous bloodletting
has led to the loss of over 17,000 lives. Official statistics released
by the National Emergency Management Agency revealed that over three
million people have been displaced by the insurgency and terrorist
attacks in the affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in the first
three months of 2014 alone.
“Most of the victims are women, children
and the elderly. These developments underscore the urgent need for the
government, the international community, as well as all Nigerians to
arrest the brewing humanitarian crises in the area.” posted by Emanto Ngaloru April 1, 2014.
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