Boko Haram: Nigerian Military’s Observance of Rules of Engagement, Commendable-Security Expert.

Boko Haram: Nigerian Military’s Observance of Rules of Engagement, Commendable-Security Expert.

Renowned Security expert Air Commodore Darlington Abdullahi (rtd) has given the Nigerian military thumbs up in the observance of the rules of engagement in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists in the North East, despite the difficult conditions of the war and the murderous dispositions of the terrorists.

Speaking at the launch of his book, “The Boko Haram Phenomenon and Terrorism in Nigeria” in Abuja at the weekend, Commodore Darlington Abdullahi said “Nigerian military has so far done very well as fighting a conventional war, where rules can be strictly adhered to, is different from what is happening in the Northeast”.

Recall that concerns had continue to mount on issues of human rights and general conduct of Nigerian troops in Operation Lafiya Dole with regards to adhering to the rules of engagement and Amnesty International has continually petitioned the leadership of the Nigerian Army that their Soldiers over grossly violation human rights.

The military has however vehemently countered the position of the group, saying there is no evidence to prove the alleged disregard for human rights and rules of engagement.

According to Abdullahi, tactical changes, constantly unpredictable and unconventional actions taken by the insurgents require immediate strategies that would counter the aggression by the military. It is not a conventional war. We all know that, we are fighting insurgents, when you fight insurgents, sometimes you may not be able to apply the rules ‎as it is written in the books, because it comes in different ways, that is why their tactics keep changing but as it is, I think we have done very well.”

Explaining the motivation for writing the book, Abdullahi challenged all Nigerians to take up the responsibility to be involved in the fight against insurgency, notwithstanding where one comes from, saying, “as an individual I think this is part of the role I have to play; that is, drawing awareness to the plight of the victims of insurgency.
“Trying to bring out the historical event for future generations to read to know what happen, with a view to avoiding the kind of situation we found ourselves today.”
The retired donated 25 per cent of proceeds of his book launch to victims of terrorism saying focus should be on tackling human development aspect of the insurgency because it will go a long way in tackling the root causes of the problem.

He said that the security challenges in the North-East was enormous and required synergy from all irrespective of the geo-political zone one came from.

“We are making contributions to the rehabilitation of the victims and that is why I devote 25 per cent of what we generate today to the Victims Support Fund,’’ he said.

Book reviewer and Chairman of the Editorial Board of Thisday Newspapers Segun Adeniyi‎ said the author should be commended for taking the time and risk to put out an enlightenment material that can be used ‎by security professionals, for easy referencing, as it covers critical areas which many other commentators might find too sensitive to address in a book.

Adeniyi said the issues of Boko Haram explicitly emphasized in the book and well captured by the author and the proffered solutions to counter insurgency operations, offers a reader the opportunity to have a Better insight into how best to approach issues of this nature.

He however challenged the military to produce proof that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shakau is dead while tasking them to penetrate the seemingly impregnable Sambisa forest.

Commenting, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, the Commandant, National Defence College (NDC), said that the book was not only an intellectual property, “It is a recipe for finding solutions to the case of terrorism globally and particularly in Nigeria.

“We are all aware of the challenge of Boko Haram; the book will contribute in finding solutions to the problem of Boko Haram. We have done a lot to find solutions to the problem of Boko Haram; what is happening in the North-East now is an example.

“The Boko Haram insurgents have been brought to their knees; the challenge will soon be over,’’ he said.

END.