How the Biafra war was different from ongoing Boko Haram insurgency

Gen. Geoffrey Ejiga one of the delegates representing Benue State has harped on the differences between the Boko Haram insurgency and the Biafra war in an attempt to illustrate why it is the unconventional nature of the terror war and not the weakness of the Nigerian Army that is causing the Boko Haram menace to drag on.

The former military man who served under the Shagari administration had this to say in an interview with SUN.

Excerpt:

Some people believe that the Boko Haram challenge has exposed the military and leading to allegations of lack of capacity. Do you see it the same way?

No, I don’t see it as that. This is the first time our military is facing such guerrilla warfare. This is a different type of challenge and we must appreciate that. During the Civil War, the Igbo, and I respect them a lot, did not face us with insurgency. They came out for a conventional warfare. In other words, they matched their troops versus our troops. It is easier to defeat a weaker troop that way. What Boko Haram is doing, can be disruptive. What they do is to lay ambush especially on soft targets. They don’t go after the military. They go to the villages and kill civilians. That is a more difficult kind of war to fight. I think the military is trying its best. But my advice to government is that for this type of warfare, you need specialised equipment. You also need technology in information gathering. They need real training. And if you check, the military officers of today are even more educated that during my time. Today, they go to the NDA and come out with degrees. Many of the officers have Masters Degrees and PhDs in addition to several other courses they attend. In our time, we joined the army from the secondary school; went to the academy and commissioned after three years. So, I believe they are doing their best and Nigerians need to appreciate them. I read a lot of what even senior citizens say about the military. Those can be very demoralising. You can hold your views privately but when you talk in public, try and support the troops. During crisis, you support your troops and not to demoralise them with what you say. If Boko Haram succeeds, it will be very terrible for our country. So, we must support our troops to defeat Boko Haram and throw them out of our country.