Suspend Gentility, Soldier Tells GEJ

President Goodluck Jonathan

Sunday Adebomi, a Nigerian born United States Army Captain has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend every form of gentility and get down with the Boko Haram terrorists group.

NAN reports that Adebomi, who hails from Ise-Ekiti in Ise/Orun local government area of Ekiti State and had been in the U.S. Army for almost two decades, gave the advice on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

He said for the President to win the war against insurgency, he has to shelve his gentility and introduce a hard stand. He said the war against insurgency could be won if the Federal Government was determined, adding that there were several ways of wiping out the sect and stopping the incessant killings. He added that if the Federal Government was ready to end Boko Haram today it will be achieved.

“ Who are those in the sect that dare face the government? But unfortunately, I suspect there are some bigwigs behind these people. Mr President is being too gentle in his handling of the killings; but unfortunately, it is daily assuming dangerous dimension; gentility cannot win the war. Although gentility is not a crime but Mr President will have to be more aggressive because this is a security threat to the entire nation. Mr President will have to take a stand on the matter either to continue to tolerate the sect and leave Nigerians to be mourning every day with the several killings. Mr President should give a matching order to the military to wipe them off once and for all. Not until a strong stand is taken Nigerians may not be able to sleep with their eyes closed,” he said.

The U.S army captain, who said the Nigerian military has been doing a good job in the troubled states, stated that the military is fighting unknown faces and faceless groups. He said to effectively combat the menace, the Federal government will have to first identify the cause of the problem, the root, sponsors, as well as where and how these insurgents get their weapons

According to him, the security agencies do not also understand the terrain they are fighting the war because most of them are alien to the battle fields, adding that they know nothing about the sect, and questioned how they will fight such war and win.

Adebomi, who revealed that he led over 5,000 U.S. soldiers to war during the Pre-Mobilisation in 2010, expressed optimism that the sect could be wiped out. He said the sect meant nothing to the Nigeria security agencies if genuine commitment was there adding, all the military need is the Presidential directive.

The Nigerian born U.S soldier urged Mr. President to read the riot act to the governors of the affected states or be made to face the wrath of the Federal government, noting that the President could also compel the governors in the states to account for each soul lost to the insurgents.

“What am simply saying is that the matter deserves an aggressive reaction; enough of a gentleman approach, because you don’t dialogue with faceless groups. The question we need to ask ourselves is: When will enough be enough? I woke up this morning with this thought in my mind asking Nigerians when enough will be enough. I ask the President when enough will be enough. I ask members of the Senate and House of Representatives when enough will be enough. Is it not time the government declared full state of emergency in the affected region? Since this insurgency, what concrete intelligence step has the government taken apart from fire for fire exposing ill equipped military men and women to excessive fire power of Boko Haram. Let us ask, when will enough be enough? Nigeria is dripping blood on daily basis; it is time the government woke up to its task,” Adebomi said.

It could be recalled that Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states have been under serious attacks from the Boko Haram insurgents, with several lives and properties lost.

Meanwhile, recent reports indicate that the Nigerian military has retaken Chibok, a town in Borno State, where nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted on April 14, by the Boko Haram sect.

The town was reportedly taken under the control of the terrorists group Boko Haram on Thursday night.