News
2019 And Borno’s Political Boko Haram
Global experts on terrorism have some new tasks on their hands, which they must devote time and energies to critically dissect in Nigeria. It is the emerging images of a psycho-political dimension and manifestations of operations with semblance of the defeated deadly Islamic sect, Boko Haram terrorism in Borno state and environs, in Nigeria’s Northeast region.
Security analysts have variously and successfully probed the totality of the success of the counter-insurgency war in Nigeria, with emphasis on the Northeast, where the fire raged tenaciously for years. The disparate analysts on terrorism in Nigeria identified the nuances of terrorism. They were also unanimous in the submitted and interspaced verdicts that Nigerian troops have defeated the popular and dreaded Islamic sect or the religiously inclined Boko Haram insurgents led by the now fatally bruised and humbled Abubakar Shekau.
But the mystery is that bombs have obstinately refused to stop detonating in Borno state particularly. Abduction of the female folk has now graduated from young or school girls to elderly women. At the periphery, it defeats the known social psychology of the egregious Shekau led Boko Haram terrorism.
The Shekau sect is concerned with abducting young and fresh girls to service their cursed libidos as sex slaves or earn money from them through forced marriage while in captivity. But abducting worn-out women, mothers to say the least, as prevalent in Borno now is quite alien and strange.
One could ask of what social or commercial value these insurgents attach to these aged women with weak strength and some with failing health; very unsuitable for the professed domestic servants’ roles masterminds of the current spate of terrorism have ascribed to them and marketing to Nigeria and the world?
Deep thinking also scratched memories on the whereabouts of the Boko Haram factional leader, Musab al Barnewi, who was Shekau’s publicists before they irreconcilably disagreed on principles and parted ways. No one has heard from him and nobody seems concerned with his whereabouts. Could it be that he is decapitated beyond any action? Or is it that he has become a repentant terrorist like other Boko Haram commanders?
In this mist, what is often bandied are random bombs in parts of Maiduguri and abductions of elderly women. And Nigerians are bored later, with still video footage of the abducted victims, where Abubakar Shekau takes responsibility and brags to high heavens. But has Musab al Barnawi who equally had large followership and claimed he is the new Iranian anointed terror kingpin in Nigeria and Shekau’s replacement denounced terrorism and associated vices?
Why is al Barnawi not releasing video footage of their exploits against Nigerians and the Nigerian state, as some undercover terrorists agents often probably feign about Shekau? And the released video footages these days are almost lifeless and lack Shekau’s accustomed gait of fanfare or pride at such instances.
These days too, the style of suicide bombings are peculiarly different and somewhat novel from the usual methods the loquacious terrorists have been cultured. A recent statement by the Deputy Director Public Relations Theatre Command Center, Maiduguri, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu eloquently aired an entirely new phenomenon thus;
“….one of the tactics employed by the terrorists is to create a scene such as fighting with each other or any other person to attract attention and cause people to gather around them before they detonate their suicide bomb. Another antic is by abducting children who are on errands, strapping them with suicide vests and sending them back home, where the suicide bomb detonates to kill members of the household.”
These new tricks of the infrequent suicide attacks are a yawning deviation from the haughty commodore style of the religious sect of Boko Haram terrorists known to Nigerians. The most dreaded sect of Boko Haram insurgents were finally humbled and defeated December 2016 by the courageous Nigerian military.
And in the last couple of months, leader of the counter-insurgency war and Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai also launched the “Operation Crackdown,” where soldiers have been combing communities and villages in the Northeast of remnants of fleeing terrorists and their agents.
No doubt, Nigerian troops have made reasonable progress in this regard too, as evident in the pace of peace and rebuilding process in the Northeast. Also, the resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in their ruined and deserted homes and villages and closure of IDP camps in the Northeast are further attestations of the effectiveness of the cleansing of communities in the region from leftovers of insurgents.
Perhaps, the effectiveness of the final phase of the cleansing exercise has cast a gloom on some politicians in Borno to the reality of the final termination of terrorism. These are politicians swallowed by the phobia of the next general election in the country.
In Nigeria, even before the advent of terrorism, the approach of general elections breed all manner of violence, instigated by politicians who dread the power and sanctity of the vote. They create crisis to scare off potential voters or minimize voter-turnout or even cause electoral apathy to have a manipulative smooth ride.
The hypothesis is increasingly becoming more plausible, as signals suggest some politicians in Borno and the neighbouring Yobe state, who dread clean ballot in 2019 have found the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists handy instruments in perpetrating the reign of terrorism in the state. The fresh tactics of this political Boko Haram sect as voiced by the military in Borno crystallizes this suspicion.
And creating make-belief fighting scenes to attract a mob or luring innocent children on parental errands by tying bombs round their waists to unknowingly detonate in family homes is a natural way of scaring people off the streets and public places. This way, voting centers would be deserted on Election Day and therefore, more convenient for dubious politicians to grab manipulated victories.
It’s a puzzle why one hardly hears of suicide bomb attacks in Adamawa, one of the three states in the Northeast which, until December 2016, was in the jaws of terrorism. But Borno takes the lead in the current wave of suicide attacks; just like on the flipside; it was the most devastated by insurgency before May 2015.
This is obviously a politically induced terrorism, orchestrated by a clan of politicians in Borno state who derive inspiration and energy from the phobia of losing 2019 elections and obliterating their political future. So, it is Borno’s Boko Haram and not Shekau or al Barnewi’s Boko Haram insurgents in operation who are more secretive.
It is now political business. Everyone who reflects deeply can discern the irony that Boko Haram insurgents, including top commanders cannot be offering themselves for armistice by surrendering en masse to the Nigerian Military, and at the same time, still be striking as experienced in Borno. There are possibilities that some of them willing to surrender have been hijacked and detoured by some wealthy politicians who are paying them sumptuous sums to keep scaring the people with sporadic suicide attacks.
The “religious” Boko Haram insurgents have been defeated and the remnants chained in their hideouts. It is incontrovertible that they are too feeble and sapped of all energies to stage any daring attack on the people anymore. But the political terrorists would continue to torment people in obscure locations, while their publicity agents would hype it in the media in order to activate the country’s panic mode again.
Like the conclusions of many other analysts, the job at hand is more of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and the Police, than the Nigerian military. The call to national duty has imposed on them the onerous duty to launch shadowy operations by tracking and profiling movement of cash to the Northeast by Politically Exposed Persons (PEP), especially to Borno state. They are sure to get clues.
But for now and basing on these palpable indices, it is more gratifying and convincing to accept the notion that some politicians in the areas are banking on sustenance of Boko Haram terrorism to destabilize the Northeast as guarantee to bail themselves out of their clearly envisaged, individual political Armageddon which hovers on their heads in 2019.
Ibrahim Bulama writes from Maiduguri, Borno State.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman, Board of Trustees of the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited (NCGC), Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has joined Nigerians in celebrating Former Governor Jonah Jang, fondly called Baba Jang, as he clocks 82 years.
In a glowing tribute, Dogara described Baba Jang as a visionary leader whose life and service remain a beacon of hope for generations. He noted that Jang’s tenure as Governor of Plateau State was marked by courage, foresight, and an unwavering commitment to peace, unity, and development.
“Baba Jang’s life is a testimony of service and sacrifice. He invested in infrastructure, strengthened institutions, and worked tirelessly to foster unity in Plateau State. His leadership was never about personal gain but about building lasting foundations for progress,” Dogara said.
He further emphasized that Jang’s integrity, resilience, and mentorship have shaped leaders across Nigeria, adding that his legacy continues to inspire beyond the boundaries of Plateau State.
“As he celebrates 82 years, we honor him not just for the offices he has held, but for the enduring impact he has made on countless lives. Baba Jang remains a statesman, a father figure, and a model of quality leadership,” Dogara added.
The tribute underscores Baba Jang’s enduring influence in Nigerian politics and governance, highlighting his role as a leader whose footprints on the sands of time cannot be erased.
A coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), maritime experts and policy advocates has raised serious concerns over Nigeria’s maritime boundary management and the allocation of offshore oil wells, calling for urgent intervention by the Federal Government.
The concerns were presented on Thursday in Abuja during a civil society roundtable where the coalition leader, Dr. Gabriel Nwambu, addressed stakeholders and unveiled the communiqué issued after a recent verification mission to Nigeria’s offshore maritime corridor bordering Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
The communiqué followed a technical fact-finding and verification exercise conducted at sea on February 28, 2026, focusing on Nigeria’s offshore hydrocarbon blocks OML 114, OML 115 and OML 123 as well as the maritime boundary areas involving Nigeria, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
Dr. Nwambu explained that the mission involved maritime governance stakeholders, mapping professionals and public policy experts who undertook physical observation of the maritime corridor, technical mapping verification and consultations with relevant authorities.
According to the coalition, the mission sought to independently verify the status of Nigeria’s maritime boundaries, offshore hydrocarbon entitlements and the implications of administrative and regulatory decisions affecting the Cross River maritime corridor.
ICJ Judgment Clarified
Presenting the findings, the coalition noted that the 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) between Nigeria and Cameroon ceded only specific settlements in the southern Bakassi Peninsula — Atabong, Akwabana and Archibong Town — to Cameroon.
The coalition stressed that several areas often assumed to have been ceded were not included in the ruling.
“The Cross River Estuary and the western Bakassi peninsular islands of Dayspring I and II, Abana and Kwa Island were not ceded under the ICJ judgment,” the communiqué stated.
The group further emphasized that Nigeria still maintains maritime boundary continuity between the Cross River Estuary and the Akwayefe River Estuary based on the ICJ cartographic evidence and the physical geography of the region.
Dr. Nwambu also clarified that the Cross River Estuary remains Nigeria’s natural maritime gateway to the Atlantic Ocean and provides Cross River State with direct offshore access.
Questions Over Boundary Management
A major concern raised by the coalition relates to the actions of the National Boundary Commission (NBC) in implementing the Offshore/Onshore Dichotomy Abrogation Act using what it described as a temporary implementation map.
According to the communiqué, the baseline drawn from Tom Shot into the Cross River Estuary effectively closed the estuary’s mouth to the sea, thereby rendering Cross River State non-littoral.
The coalition warned that this development raises serious constitutional, economic and national security concerns.
It further criticized the NBC for failing to demarcate the Nigeria–Cameroon maritime boundary more than two decades after the ICJ ruling, stating that continued reliance on the temporary map could jeopardize Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
The report also alleged that the situation has effectively resulted in the ceding of about 780 hectares of maritime waters within the Cross River Estuary toward the Akwayefe River Estuary to Cameroon.
Oil Wells and Revenue Concerns
Beyond boundary issues, the civil society coalition raised alarm over oil revenue allocation and the management of transboundary oil fields.
According to the findings, the failure of relevant institutions to brief the President on key inter-agency reports could prevent Nigeria from exploiting 49 identified transboundary oil wells located within OML 114 in the Cross River Estuary.
The coalition also raised concerns over alleged financial irregularities relating to the Ekanga and Zafiro transboundary oil fields jointly developed by Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea.
It alleged that more than ₦33 billion may have been approved from the Federation Account in favour of Akwa Ibom State without clear presidential authorization.
The group further questioned whether revenues from the Ekanga and Zafiro fields — estimated at over $8 billion — had been properly remitted into the Federation Account.
Call for Presidential Intervention
To address the concerns, the coalition recommended several urgent measures, including a presidential review of the 2024 and 2025 inter-agency oil verification reports affecting Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.
It also called for the proper demarcation of the Nigeria–Cameroon maritime boundary in line with the ICJ judgment and the establishment of a Presidential Special Investigation Panel to probe the alleged loss of Nigerian maritime waters.
Other recommendations include a forensic audit of revenues from the Ekanga and Zafiro oil fields, investigation into the alleged ₦33 billion payment approvals, and diplomatic engagement with Cameroon to develop transboundary reservoir agreements.
The coalition also urged the Federal Government to restore and recognize Cross River State’s littoral status based on the geographic and legal status of the Cross River Estuary.
National Security Implications
In its concluding remarks, the coalition warned that the issues uncovered during the verification mission have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s territorial integrity, maritime sovereignty, national security and oil revenue accountability.
Dr. Nwambu called on the President to treat the matter with urgency, stressing that transparent management of maritime boundaries and offshore resources remains critical to Nigeria’s economic stability and geopolitical standing.
The communiqué was jointly signed by representatives of the coalition of civil society organizations, maritime policy experts, technical observers and economic governance accountability groups.
News
Nigerian Youth Storm National Assembly Demands Access to Present Dishonourable Award to Senator
Nigerian Youth under the leadership of Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) on Tuesday stormed the National Assembly to present Senator Olajide Ipinsagba with the Most Dishonourable Senator of the year award.
EUYI previously threatened to present the Senator with the award, citing a plethora infractions and unwholesome dealings especially with his legislative aids and associates.
The group urged the Senate President to grant them access to the hallowed chambers to make the presentation as wake up call to other public servants.
Addressing the press at the National Assembly complex, Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince disclosed that they had gathered as early as 7 am at the National Assembly gate only to discover that the Senate is not sitting and that the embattled Senator was absent despite prior information.
“We’re angry that Senator Olajide Ipinsagba has refused to show up and collect his award for his dishonourable conduct especially as it pertains the exploitation and underemployment of Nigeria youth under his office
“How can a Senator be paying his legislative aid 30,000 naira when the national minimum wage is 70,000 Naira? Is he the only one that needs money? Is it not wickedness to treat unemployed Nigerian youth like that?”, he queried.
The group vowed to go ahead and present the award to the Senator in person, be it in the Senate Chambers or his house. We shall however not give the award to anybody but the senator due to the “seriousness of his offense”
Dogara Celebrates Baba Jang at 82, Hails Him as a Visionary Statesman
I’ ll contest for Nasarawa Governor in 2027, says Ombugadu
Oborevwori Hails Traditional Rulers as Pillars of Peace, Development
-
Uncategorized5 years agoFG, states urged to harness flooding for ranching, others with technology – Agbaje
-
Headlines10 years agoBreaking: EFCC seals Borno House of Assembly, as Hon members take to their heels
-
News12 years agoNigeria Security Operatives Stage Manhunt For Homosexual Perpetrator
-
News9 years agoHow 21-year-old Girl fled community over accusation of lesbianism
-
News10 years agoYobe Gov Moves Against Deputy
-
Opinion7 years ago7 signs she has friend zoned you
-
Technology4 years ago
Online job placement company headhunts women
-
Headlines10 years agoBorno Dep Gov Abducts Another Church Leader