By Ochereome Nnanna
On January 16, 2014, the President appointed new service chiefs to man the principal commands of the Nigerian armed forces. Among them was Air Marshall Alex Badeh, who was promoted from Chief of Air Staff to the Chief of Defence Staff. Badeh thus became the absolute top gun in the Nigerian military. He coordinates the effortsto flush out the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.

Prior to Badeh’s appointment, Boko Haram had been uprooted from major Northern cities and they fled to the now legendary Sambisa Forest in Borno/Yobe states, from where they engaged the armed and security forces in asymmetrical warfare, raiding remote villages in the dead of the night.

As soon as Marshall Badeh took over, he addressed senior officers of the armed forces in the glare of media attention, and promised that by April 2014, Boko Haram would be a thing of the past. The appointment of Badeh as the CDS, Major General Kenneth Tobiah Minimah as Chief of Army Staff and Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin as the Chief of Naval Staff buoyed confidence after former Army Chief, Lt General Azubuike Ihejirika’s campaigns against the terrorists had become increasing mired in politics following accusations of “genocide” levelled at the troops by some Northern leaders.

Minimah, being of Ijaw extraction, was expected to complete the good work started by Ihejirika and protect the Presidency from the enemies of our democracy. Badeh, as the nation’s number one defender, had all the motivational factors stacked on his side to finish off the insurgents. The North East is his home region, and Adamawa, his state, was frequently raided by the Islamists. It was already under a state of emergency.

But unfortunately, it was under the command of Badeh and Minimah that Boko Haram transformed from a guerrilla outfit into a conventional army. Between January and this moment, unthinkable things have happened, not only to our army but also to the nation’s territorial integrity. It was within this period that due to lousy leadership at federal, state, local government and the armed forces and police levels, Boko Haram calmly walked into the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno South and hauled 219 girls off to captivity in April.

It was also during this time that acts of sabotage within the army led to deadly Boko Haram ambushes that claimed the lives of troops. It precipitated the shooting incident at a parade in a military barracks in Maiduguri, prompting the recent court-martials. Families locked up barracks to prevent soldiers from being drafted to the war front, allegedly due to “poor equipment”. Our troops were often reported to flee into Cameroun as the insurgents charged forward. This was the first time since the end of the civil war I ever heard that Nigerian troops fled from an advancing enemy! We are talking about a rag-tag army that has no assault aircraft and only recently started acquiring armoured personnel carriers, APCs.

It was under Air Marshall Badeh’s command that Boko Haram suddenly abandoned the asymmetrical or guerrilla warfare and sprang out of Samisa Forest. They started capturing territories – Bazza, Bama and Gwoza in Borno State – where they declared an Islamic Caliphate. What did the Defence Headquarters say about it? “We will never concede an inch of Nigeria’s territory to terrorists”.They have since conceded over 20 local government areas in four states (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe).

It was this same Badeh that, out of the blue, announced a unilateral ceasefire at a time the tide of the war seemed to be turning in Nigeria’s favour after the slaying of Abubakar Shekau (II). The troops were told to stop fighting, and Badeh promised a stunned nation that Boko Haram would release the Chibok girls in a matter of days.

This was the breather Boko Haram was looking for. They surged south in Adamawa, swept through Madagali, Michika and stormed into Mubi, the second largest city in the state. What an irony! What a shame, that the man who had in a fit of Johnny-just-come bravura declared that Boko Haram would end in April, lost his personal house, home town and local government to them.

Black flags of Boko Haram

Today, Mubi, Badeh’s local government headquarters, has the black flags of Boko Haram fluttering in the Savannah wind, with a new moniker: Madinatul Islam (city of Islam). Badeh’s predominantly Christian hometown has been effectively Islamised. And what does Badeh say to State House Correspondents about that?

“It is no big deal that my home town has been captured. It does not matter if it is my house or Emeka’s house or Lagos that has been captured; the burden is on my shoulder. Nigeria can never be helpless. I take responsibility”. Then he swaggers off.

Badeh has shown he has nothing to offer in defence of our country. Under his command, Boko Haram marched all the way from Sambisa Forest, captured and Islamised his hometown. If Badeh cannot defend his hometown, whose hometown can he defend? If he allows his Christian-dominated hometown to be Islamised, who is safe?

I have a feeling that the situation that Badeh finds himself in is much bigger than him. The armed forces are obviously in a bigger mess than we can imagine. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah’s book: Witness To Justice, disclosed the Oputa Panel discovered that the military, even back then, had become a “moral fugitive” and reeking with “smugglers and witchcraft”. Generals are now said to be retiring as “billionaires”, and troops are no longer motivated by the right values in enrolling in the army.

We must save the armed forces, security agencies and Police Force before this nation collapses on our heads. Nigerians must join hands with the leadership of this country to arrest the march of Boko Haram. If by January things continue on baleful trajectory, we might lose the entire North East to the Islamists. Once that happens, North West will be much easier to lose because they are already mostly Muslims and may simply switch sides. After all, they are already practising a measured level of full-scale Sharia law. From there, your guess is as good as mine where the Islamists will turn. You and I may have to go home and defend our hometowns since the army can no longer do so.

Unless we save the armed forces pronto, our democracy is in danger. The army may take the laws into their hands as they did in Mali when the Islamists captured Timbuktu in 2012. The nation is on the brink. Now is the time for us to act. Tomorrow may be too late.

20 years of People and Politics

Yesterday, November 9, 2014, was exactly 20 years since the Chairman and Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Sam Amuka-Pemu, signed me on to start this column. Between April 1999 and August 2001, my late mentor and erudite columnist, Pini Jason and I, went to try our hands on The Examiner. When it did not work, we resolved to shun other beckoning opportunities to return to our home base, Vanguard, and the rest is history. This is a vote of thanks to all of you for keeping faith with me, even when you disagree with my way of looking at Nigeria and her affairs. My ambition is to be like Uncle Bisi Lawrence (Biz-Law) who, at 81, is still lucid – and writing.