FG Still Living In Denial Over Boko Haram

Retired Air Commodore and former Military Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Idongesit Nkanga says the Federal Government is still refusing to accept that Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation that is holding territory in Nigeria.

He said that the earlier the government designated Boko Haram a terrorist organisation, the better.

Nkanga added that Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) have continued to flood everywhere, despite government’s denial that the terror group was occupying Nigerian territory.

The ex-military governor noted that if the group were not truly occupying terroritory in Nigeria, the IDPs would have gone back to their homes.

“They have been saying it openly that they can’t go back home. This is serious but we are in denial. The first thing is to admit that they are there. There are IDPs camp everywhere. If insurgents are not holding any territory how come those displaced persons are not back in their homes.

“Every day we say we have killed one hundred (100) Boko Haram members and still we keep denying that we don’t have any territory that is in the hands of Boko Haram. If we had treated insurgency with seriousness when it started by now it would have been a thing of the past,” Nkanga said.

Nkanga, who was reacting to the US military’s warning on ISIS and al-Qaeda incursion into Nigeria, stated, “The point here is that we are having insecurity problems and we are not taking any serious measure to end it. That statement from the US should not come as a strange thing to us. It is something we have already known and taken precautions.

“And when the US mentions something like that, it is to help for world peace. They are saying that so that we don’t later pretend like we have been pretending that we don’t know that it exists. If you call your father’s house dustbin, people will help you put rubbish inside.

“This is not the time for us to continue pretending. Anybody that loves peace should take that statement seriously. It doesn’t hurt anything to take precaution. It is only a foolish person that will see a thing like that and not do anything about it.

“When the world said that Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation we were denying it, our government is still denying it till today. If we had admitted and treated it as such, I am sure even Al-Qaeda will be careful. But with all the security challenges all over the country, Al-Qaeda naturally will take advantage of such a situation.

“I don’t know what their reaction will be as government. Nigeria government up till today has not admitted that Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation. Of course, the only link that Al-Qaeda have to Nigeria will be Boko Haram.”