infamous Boko Haram terrorist group pitched some of their camps was
one hell of a bumpy ride into a thickset of arid forests that
characterize the savannah region.
Bumpy, jarring and dangerous as the bush paths were, the tour of the
sacked camps provided anyone with the trainedeye of a reporter, a
great deal of insighton the true colour and character of the so-called
Islamic Jihadists.
The Sambisa forest, which they turned into a recruiting ground and
operationalbase is a vast expanse of nature, which was designated
'Games Reserve' by government. The intention was to keep, protect and
preserve our priced species of wild animals and other elements of
nature in their natural habitat. As it has turned out, the Games
Reserve now seemed to have been reserved for a band of misguided
blood-thirsty fiends who slip in and out of the belly of the forest to
wreak havoc in the northern part of Nigeria.
Without doubt, Boko Haram's violent campaign in Nigeria since its
emergencehas carved out a bloody trajectory, etching its gory sense of
agitation in our wounded hearts and leaving the restof humanity
outraged. What manner of shocking violence has the Boko Haram group
not visited on Nigerians since their violent campaigns? From
bombinginnocent worshippers in the sanctuary of their churches and
mosques to beheading of defenceless citizens, kidnapping women and
children and detonating Improvised Explosive Devices(IEDs) in
workplaces; name it, they have carried it out in Nigeria.
Theircampaign of violence has so far claimedover 3000 innocent lives
yet they are baying for more blood of fellow Nigerians!
Known for their defiant posture and grim determination to hold on to
actualize their nihilist agenda, the terrorist group stepped up its
intransigence by actually sacking institutions of government in a
number of communities in Borno state. The so-called Jihadists, who
claim to be fighting on behalf of Islam, took over communities and
forcibly conscripted young men into their fighting force andmade women
- their sex slaves! They violated Nigeria's sovereignty, burnt herflag
and hoisted theirs, strutting around those hapless communities like an
all-conquering force. That was before their nemesis arrived.
On proclamation of state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa
States by the President and Commander-in-Chief, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,
the Special Forces of the Nigerian military moved in and dislodged the
devils from their camps; the troops are currently 'sweeping the forest
clean'.
As our escort vehicles meandered through the forest path to reach the
sacked camps, the gory sight and eerie feeling that now characterize
the desecrated grove was inescapable. The first thing that assaulted
our sensibilitieswas the sight of charred vehicles, refrigerators,
sewing machines, coolers and such other items, which were apparently
stolen by the terrorists. We were told that as the terrorists
retreated,they destroyed any item they could not run with.
Then we saw fresh shallow graves of gang members who were summarily
executed by their kingpins. We stumbled severally on strange stuff,
which bespoke the true colour and character of our so-called
Jihadists. In almost all the camps we visited, we sawcountless number
of syringes, hand gloves and test tubes obviously for administering
narcotic drugs; also scattered in their camps were used and unused
condoms! In fact one of my colleagues couldn't help asking no one in
particular, "…so these devils are even afraid of venereal disease?"
From the accounts of their victims that were rescued by troops, the
insurgents repeatedly raped women they abducted from various
communities. According toone of the rescued children, "the terrorists
are always injecting themselves with something after which they will
be behaving abnormally as if they are in a trance". It is certainly
not surprising to learn that the insurgents engage in substance abuse
to put them in the right state to perpetrate the atrocious crimes they
carry out against innocent Nigerians. Indeed, what could be deadlier
than the combination of drug intoxication and evil indoctrination?
It was also gathered that whilst the kingpins of the evil association
live a life of luxury in the camps, their foot soldiers endure
subservient condition with instant death awaiting any dissenting voice
or suspected mole among the zombie-like subordinates.
Tucked away, therefore, from the pryingeyes of frightened locals and
outraged country, the Sambisa forest and other camps hitherto provided
this deranged group a sanctuary where they met their various kinds of
weird fantasies, all in the name of fighting for the Islamisation of
Nigeria. The question is, are these moral degenerates and blood
thirsty fiends actually fighting on behalfof Islam? The answer is
certainly no because Islam abhors all that the terrorist group
indulges in or stands for.Will they win this war they are waging
against Nigeria? Against, the answer is resounding no.
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