By Ibrahim Wala Garba
I read the warning put across by the Military on the purported claim which says some individuals from Borno and North East in particular are working to reverse the gains made so far.
The most interesting part of the publication, it's the aspect that says "
“The unscrupulous individuals and their cohorts were determined to reverse the gains made and scuttle our efforts of achieving the Presidential directive to defeat Boko Haram terrorists within 3 months. They are enlisting the services of some Non-Governmental Organizations in this grand design".
For this statement to come out from the Military at exactly the time we went to North East and Chibok, the coincidence surely called for a response.
I was in Chibok and across 5 other states of the North East recently, I went there for a work with some NGOs. After our visit, when we returned back to Abuja, we received a call from a Colonel in the Nigerian Army, whom threatened to write his report and implicate us. We demanded to know why, he said because, we went to Chibok and took unauthorized photos. These are his words:
"I got an Intel from Maiduguri Airport that you people were seen at the Maiduguri Airport with some NGOs, you were busy sharing the unauthorized photos you took from Chibok... in that case, I will write a report which will implicate you people..."
The officer made this statement after a heated debate on phone with one of us (being an indigene of Chibok) that challenged him to explain two things:
1. What is wrong in visiting his home town, Chibok?
2. What is an "unauthorized photos"?
For asking the two questions above, the officer concluded that "the bloody civilian was being disrespectful".
Our team leader had to call the officer to explained to him politely (even in Yoruba, because the officer is a Yoruba man). He confirmed to her that her colleague was disrespectful to him.
In our own findings, we came to establish that, at the Airport in Maiduguri, there was a woman seated next to two of our colleagues in the Aircraft we boarded. This woman is from Chibok and she is a wife of a famous politician that had rift or beef with the same young man that we went to Chibok together with, I mean, the man that the Military officer claimed he was being disrespectful. For us, the woman was the source of the Intel that the Colonel mentioned on the phone conversation. Furthermore, the impression the source of the so called Intel was that we were coming from Chibok on that very moment. Whereas, we went to Chibok some 3 days ago from Adamawa not through Maiduguri, and for the whole work we did across all the state, it's about the mapping of IDP camps under the need to ascertain the Educational needs of the IDPs.
Why it became very important I speak, the warning message released by the Military was more than a coincidence that could make anyone in our position to disconnect the message from what has happened. For this, I wish to communicate that we did not in anyway make any formal complain on the security harassment meted to us in Chibok. We witnessed the brutal attitude of some military officers that is undermining the work of the Military institution in Chibok and environs. We kept quiet simply because, this was never why we went to North East and Chibok. We swallowed all that was given to us and reasoned with the frustration of a drug addicted officer that also threatened to kill us simply because, we drove in a "Prado Jeep from Abuja". This is because he confirmed that he has being the Commanding Officer in Charge for almost 2 years and he has seen things and nobody ever care to know what he is going through in Chibok. The hostility of this particular officer, may be related to frustration out of the long stay and effect of substance which may have been his source of courage.
I wish to call on the Military authorities to be mindful of individuals that have built personal working relationship with politicians within their days of stay in the crisis region. Such individuals are using or abusing the powers of the offices to please their political friends, some are using it for economic gain.
Long before my working visit to the North East, a region I also came from, I have made strenuous effort even via the Facebook inbox to share some document with the present"Spokesperson" of the Military. I demanded his email address but, he refused to say a word. This document contain some names of Military officers that are abusing their office in the North East. Thank God, I was able to forward it to the Presidency long before, I went to the North East.
THE MILITARY CANNOT BE IN THE WAR FRONT AND EXPECT THE MEDIA AND NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS WILL STAY AWAY. EXCEPT, THERE IS SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE HIDING OR SOME POLITICIANS ARE USING SOME OF OUR MILITARY OFFICERS.
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