Buratai, Nigerian troops must sustain onslaught against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists – Arewa youths

The Coalition of Arewa Youths for Good Governance (CAYGG) has charged the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and the troops on the frontlines to sustain the momentum against Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

According to the group, the onslaught must be intensified, so as not to give the terrorists any space to recuperate.

CAYGG made this appeal in a statement signed by its President Haruna Ochimana on Monday.

From experience, the group said the radical sect leverage on “any lull in attacks against them to recruit more hapless youth into their ranks and also pick up arms and provisions supplied by their sponsors”.

The group, however, expressed confidence in the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole, especially with the COAS leading from the front.

It assured that the “ hour for a final victory is now and nothing should be spared in smoking those vermin out of those vermin out of their warrens”.

Read full text below:

After taking time to assess the ongoing war that the Nigerian Army has taken to the camps of terrorists in the northeast of the country, the Coalition of Arewa Youths for Good Governance is appealing to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and the Nigerian Army to sustain the upper hand they now have over the terrorists be it the Boko Haram elements or those dealing death under the franchise of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The onslaught against the terrorists must be intensified and slowed down on any account in order not to allow them any breathing space to reorganize. Past encounters have taught that the terrorists use any lull in attacks against them to recruit more hapless youth into their ranks and also pick up arms and provisions supplied by their sponsors.

We further appeal to the COAS and his commanders not to be distracted by the recent gimmicks of the terrorists and their sponsors as the singular objective of the military presence in the region is to ensure that the terrorists are sent into oblivion and the communities in the area can again resume their places as the agricultural, commercial and entrepreneurship hubs that contribute a huge chunk to the economy of Nigeria.

The trick that Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is playing by being indecisive with whether he wants to surrender or be killed in battle is one that the COAS should not allow to slow down the efforts to bring this war criminal to justice. We rather see Shekau and his sponsors being caught in the confusion ensuing from the intensity with which the troops have descended on them.

We expect that the military anticipate the next front in the ongoing war, which would be fought in the theater of public opinion and populated by international NGOs that will publish fictitious reports to continue the strategy of distracting the troops. The military must put itself in a position to appreciate that patriotic Nigerian youth like the Coalition of Arewa Youths for Good Governance is more interested in having peace and security restored to their country and not given unnecessary consideration to what pro-Boko Haram international NGOs think about the rights of sociopathic murderers.

The news feeds are replete with the how troops of the Nigerian Army under the leadership of the COAS, who has relocated the fronts, have continued to dominate the winning streaks against the terrorists that once tormented the peace of the country. While not behaving like Oliver Twist, the Coalition of Arewa Youths for Good Governance sees now as the best time to sustain the momentum against the insurgent and eventually finish them off once and for all time.

We nonetheless greatly appreciate and thank the Army for putting the terrorists in their place because it would have been a calamity had the Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists continued to torment Nigerians at a time when COVID-19 is ravaging the world. We are consequently grateful to the Nigerian military that they have sustained the war and maintained the tempo of victory against the insurgents, who would have added to the dread that the virus is instilling in hearts.

We believe our troops will do more especially at a time that the COAS is busy in the theatre of war to see to a final defeat of the insurgents from all angles. Nigerians both at home and abroad appreciate these selfless sacrifices, the tenacity of purpose and resilience being displayed by our gallant troops, their commanders and the Chief of Army Staff.

The troops should see that the hour for a final victory is now and nothing should be spared in smoking those vermin out of their warrens while also cutting off the head of the serpent as this amount to tackling the problem from its the root and bringing us the desired trophies from the war front. This is one battle that the world has been eagerly waiting for Nigeria to win and enthrone its long-standing superiority in the continent as the force against insurgents and terrorists.