By Jude Njoku, Kingsley Omonobi, Charles Kumolu & Umar Yusuf

THEY realised that they had become endangered species in their own fatherland and if nothing was done urgently to flush out the insurgents, their huge investments would be destroyed, political ambitions thwarted and their relevance called to question. That was the quagmire some concerned elites and business tycoons from the Boko Haram- ravaged Adamawa State and other parts of the North East found themselves in.

These elites and business icons who had before now, laid all the blame for the rising occurrence of insurgency in their geo-political zone on the Federal Government, apparently realised that if urgent actions were not taken, their investments and political bases would be lost to the diehard terrorists.

Vanguard Features, VF, learnt that it was against this backdrop that these prominent indigenes mobilised the local warlords who are not sympathetic to the cause Boko Haram is fighting, to take up arms and defend their homeland from being overrun by the overzealous insurgents.

The need to mobilise the local vigilante groups, hunters, ex-servicemen and able-bodied youths to defend their communities from Boko Haram occupation, became imperative following the failure of the military to contain the dissidents.

Collaboration that worked magic

This failure on the part of the military was attributed in part to their unfamiliarity with the terrain, the use of substandard weapons when compared with those being used by the insurgents and the leakage of security information to members of the dreaded sect. But a recent collaboration between the military and the local vigilante groups, seems to be the magic wand needed to flush out the insurgents. It worked in Mubi and Chibok, hence the clamour for this mode of operation in the war against terrorism in the country.

A prominent indigene of the zone and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is one of those calling for self- defence against the insurgents. The APC presidential hopeful who faulted the handling of insurgency by the Federal Government, posited that “sometimes self-defense is the only option”. He did not stop there.

“I mean, if somebody else cannot defend you, you have to defend yourself . I must confess that I am extremely frustrated with the Federal Government because this insurgency has lasted for more than five years. Nigeria has all it takes to have eradicated it in a couple of weeks, but we allowed it to fester,” he said.

A university don and Vanguard columnist, Dr Rotimi Fasan, observed that Nigerians have been leading the battle against terror groups of armed robbers, pipe line vandals and more dangerous bands like those from Sambisa forest that have taken over and renamed many towns in the North East.

“The local militias with their crude weaponry of bows and arrows, and dane guns have been succeeding where our so-called national soldiers have been failing,” he said. He attributed their success to the fact that they come “from the same background as most of the bastards now terrorising the North East”.

Creation of community police

Calling for the creation of State Police, Dr Fasan posited that local vigilante’s knowledge of their terrain of operation appears to be standing them in good stead. “It is the logic that makes it possible for these militias to succeed where so-called professional soldiers have failed that informed the call for state police- better knowledge of their community. But as usual the unitarists masquerading as patriotic federalists in Abuja, the very same people that created groups like those from Sambisa forest for very selfish ends, would be the first to croak about the possible abuse of local police.

Possible abuse of local police

But without admitting it, the Nigerian state has for long privatised the security of the country to the extent that many of these local militias have been enlisted in its security operations and have moved from being mere neigbourhood watch to carrying out actual policing duties,” he argued. He noted that militias led by Frederick Fasehun, Gani Adams and Asari Dokubo, among others, had in the past been employed in these roles.

The don further noted that the situation in the North East shows that the safety of Nigerians in our different communities may in the end be in the hands of these militias.

“They have been doing a lot for Nigerians, sustaining the security of life and property where people can no longer rely on the state. Indeed the state has failed serially in protecting Nigerians in many parts of this country. The number of people left destitute in the North East, to take an immediate example among many, has increased exponentially since the latest surge in insurgent activities. Their saviours are the militias who are only different from the rest of our conventional security personnel for their lack of uniforms. The time might be right on us to get the militias properly equipped and into uniform,” he contended.

Militia used by defunct Biafra

Chairman Federation of Ethnic Peace and Conflict Resolution, FEPCR, Dr. Harry Peterside, told VF that the Federal Government should consider conscripting the youths to fight the insurgents.

Manhunt of the insurgents

‘’It is is not a bad idea. The youths, whose ages range from 15 and 30 years, were left with no choice than join in the manhunt of the insurgents. If that is the case, they should be supported. The matter should be taken seriously because of the seizure of territories that we have witnessed lately. Militiamen were used by Biafran troops. In war times, militiamen are used to boost the efforts of the conventional soldiers,’’ he noted.

VF checks show that a few victories recorded against the insurgents by the youths, make arming them imperative. For instance, local hunters and  juju  men were used to recapture Mubi, the second largest town and commercial engine-room, from Boko Haram insurgents.

Adamawa State governor, Mr. Bala Ngilari confirmed that the locals were used to recapture the town, a feat he attributed to God’s intervention.

”The insurgents have been flushed out of Mubi and are on the run,  God is in this business of security in Adamawa State. You know in the last one week or so, the government has decided to be working with the vigilante group “Yan Baka”. Local hunters and vigilantes have been working hand in hand,” he said.

Military perspective

These are indeed not the best of times for the Nigerian military which have been charged with the task of flushing out Boko Haram insurgents from their strongholds. The job of the soldiers is made more difficult by the reoccupation of the captured territories shortly after they (army) might have moved to another war theatre.

Before now, whenever the Nigerian troops flushed out Boko Haram terrorists from a community, going by the arrangement of the Joint Task Force, the Mobile Police Squadron took over such a town to ensure that the terrorists don’t come back. But that arrangement has not worked perfectly, hence the new collaborative arrangement between the military and the local vigilante groups, which appears to be working magic.

Vanguard Features, VF learnt that the new strategy was forged when the new General Officers Commanding 7 Division Maiduguri and the 3rd Armoured Division, Jos, observed that as soon as the military left a community, the insurgents will recapture it.

The reoccupation gave grey hairs to the military chiefs. Intelligence findings however showed that although the soldiers sacrificed their lives and comfort to dislodge the insurgents, they did not carry the indigenes of the various communities along.

The terrorists were said to have got wind of this lacuna which they exploited. Reports indicate that they (insurgents) always arrive these communities with highly sophisticated weapons. The locals, VF learnt, usually take to their heels on hearing the deafening sounds of such heavy duty weapons, thereby paving the way for the insurgents to recapture the towns which they were dislodged from.

How new strategy works

Under the new strategy, soldiers now mobilise vigilante groups, local hunters and ex-security personnel. They (soldiers) usually educate them on the dangers of rumour mongering, panic and fear which are responsible for the apparent invincibility of the insurgents.

These civilian vigilante groups are made to know that Boko Haram terrorists are human, just like any of them. The troops further demystify the terrorists by letting the vigilante groups know that they would be allowed to fight alongside the military and see things for themselves.

During such counter-attacks, the vigilantes and civilian JTF under the supervision of the army, usually   inflicted defeat on the terrorists who run for their lives. The local hunters and vigilante groups usually become emboldened on realising that the Boko Haram militants are not invincible after all. They (civilian JTF) are now better equipped with the knowledge that they can hold their own against the Islamists.

A senior military officer told VF that unlike in the past when the terrorists had the opportunity to regroup and carry out reprisal attacks, the present offensive would be continuous until the objectives are attained.

The recapture of Mubi and Chibok are cases in point. At Mubi, the joint operation was necessitated by the fact that the people needed to know that it is their home town and that the army alone cannot succeed in putting a final stop to the rascals unless the people are personally involved.

“That was why they felt the excitement of victory and danced around the town,” he said.

Alleging that it was the group of terrorists that were flushed out of Mubi that relocated to Chibok through Askira Uba and Maraba Mubi, the officer said the same strategy was employed. According to him, some vigilante groups having seen the success of Mubi, volunteered to join the Army.