Buhari and his security effort in North East
By That the Buhari administration has made tremendous efforts towards tackling the nation’s security challenges is often lost to many, but for those living in the North Eastern parts of the country, the reality is different.
They are the ones who have had to contend with the Boko Haram insurgency since 2011, when at the peak of the insurgency, the sect was an occupation force, occupying about eight local government areas in Borno state killing, maiming and kidnapping at will.
Today the Boko haram has no foothold in any part of the North East, the sect has been decimated and largely operates from the fringes of the Lake Chad, attacking opportunistic targets and scurrying back to their hideouts. The ability to congregate and launch coordinated attacks has been taken away from them and the Nigerian military is in complete control of every Nigerian territory in the North-eastern part of the country
Nigerians are witnesses to the committed efforts the administration had made so far, to address the nation’s security challenges. There was a time, not too long ago when the entire nation was under the throes of Boko Haram, that now seems in the distant past. Then even the Federal Capital Territory, the seat of power, was facing grave security challenges. Between 2011 and 2015, there was a general state of apprehension as bombs went off intermittently, striking fear in the hearts of residents.
Only recently the United Nation moved back into its headquarters building in Abuja, which seven years earlier was attacked by Boko Haram killing about 21 of its staff.
It was a major attack that drew the world’s attention to the activities of the set as a result of the audacious nature of the attack. It would be recalled that the UN building suffered a car bomb explosion on August 26, 2011 in Abuja which killed at least 21 and wounded 60.
Before the UN building attack there was also the daring attack at the heart of the nation’s security apparatus when in 2011 the sect attacked the police headquarter building in Abuja. Perhaps the most devastating, in terms of human casualty was the attack by the group on the popular Nyanya motor part in Abuja which reportedly killed over 200 persons and maimed several others.
The inability of the immediate past administration to address the security challenges bedevilling the nation at the time was a major campaign issue in 2015. The situation was so precarious that the 2015 presidential election had to be postponed by about six weeks so as to address urgent security challenges in the North- east for election to take place.
In 2015, national security was a major issue that determined the election in favour of the then opposition. The nation was on edge. It is common knowledge that unless a country is secure, it can’t be governed. This was the situation we barely four years ago and it is a situation many Nigerians have chosen to forget. Without holding fort for the Buhari administration, it however helps to reminded, so that we can understand where we are coming from so that we can use the lessons learned to chart the course of our future.
Addressing the security challenges confronting the nation has been a major plank of the Buhari administration. The troubled North-east region got the immediate attention of the administration, immediately on assumption of office.
A commendable action of the administration was the establishment of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), aimed at confronting the Boko Haram insurgency and combating trans-border crimes in the north east. These efforts is what has stabilised the region and led to the silencing of Boko Haram and curtailed its ability to launch surprise attacks. The results are self-evident.
Today several schools which were hitherto shut down as a result of the activities of insurgents have resumed academic activities.
Sani Mohammed,
Abuja.
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