‘Civilian JTF’ hunts Boko Haram in Borno

The conflict in northeastern Nigeria has continued to take various shapes and tactics in Borno State, believed to be the birthplace of the insurgency.  The latest development is a new accord between youth groups and the Joint Task Force (JTF) to the effect that the youths have formed vigilante groups for trailing, capturing and handing […]

The conflict in northeastern Nigeria has continued to take various shapes and tactics in Borno State, believed to be the birthplace of the insurgency. 
The latest development is a new accord between youth groups and the Joint Task Force (JTF) to the effect that the youths have formed vigilante groups for trailing, capturing and handing over of known insurgents to security agents.
The youths, who call themselves ‘Civilian JTF’ and are becoming increasingly popular in Maiduguri and its environs, move about freely on the streets.
According to the youths, they are tired of the lingering insurgency in Maiduguri which has claimed the lives of thousands of people when the activities of members of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad took a deadly dimension in 2009 after the killing of its leader, Mohammed Yusuf and many of his group members.
The civilian JTF also said they decided to take the bull by the horn because of the assumption by the average Nigerian that the insurgency is purely a Borno affair, pointing out that wherever an indigene of Borno State goes, he is being looked at with contempt, disdain and as a potential insurgent.
The youths said they know the Boko Haram members who lived in their midst in the past and those still living, but lacked the courage to reveal their identity for fear of being killed and the alleged complicity of some security operatives.
Sources told Weekly Trust that in the last three weeks, over 60 suspected Boko Haram members had been arrested by the vigilante groups while about 30 others had been killed by the JTF when they attempted to flee after they were arrested and handed over by the youths.
This development immediately spurred youths in other communities, especially those close to the state capital and those who had been under the heavy attack of the insurgents to synergize together and embark on similar offensive to fish out the sect members among them.
However, angered by the ‘new romance’ between the youths and JTF operatives, some Boko Haram insurgents last week allegedly organized a mocked funeral procession and concealed weapons in a coffin and thereafter stormed Hausari ward in the metropolis and allegedly opened fire with a view to avenging the capture of one of their colleagues.
During the revenge mission, about 11 people were allegedly killed, a development that prompted the JTF to cordon off the whole of Hausari ward for over 20 hours and reportedly succeeded in arresting the suspects.
A member of the youth group from Gwange ward said one of the reasons for the recent volunteerism was because soldiers have also changed their style of operation. Chairman of the Volunteer Youths Group, Abubakar Malum said despite the evident dangers in their mission, they decided to end the “reign of terror” because they have suffered enough.
“We were moved to take this decision because the youth in Maiduguri are facing extinction. Parents, sisters and brothers have died either in the hands of the insurgents or angry soldiers…enough are enough,” he said.
According to him, the youths had sought the cooperation of the military to make their task successful. The chairman said many youths in Bolori, Lamisula and Lawan Bukar areas have cued in. “We are not against Sharia which the Boko Haram insurgents said they are propagating, but we detest their approach,” he said.
 Dabo Ali, another volunteer, said what the youth groups want from the public is prayer, noting that they have arrested many members of the insurgent group.
To get support for their work, last Tuesday, youth groups from various wards in Maiduguri went round Damboa road, Gwange I, II and III, Bulabulin, Hausari, Fezzan as well as the Monday Market   to mobilise more volunteers.
However, credible sources said most of the Boko Haram suspects being arrested in various wards of Maiduguri are those who fled from Sambisa forest and Kirenowa, a village close to Chad and Cameroon in Marte Local Government Area.
It was also gathered that though the insurgents had been checkmated in Kirenowa, Bama, Monguno and other villages in northern Borno, military operation is still going on Sambisa forest which stretches through Bama and Konduga Local Government Areas to many communities in Adamawa State up to northern parts of Cameroon.
Another source said to scoop out the insurgents from the vast Sambisa forest, military authorities are using other warfare techniques. “They are spraying certain chemical in the forest which will make someone very tasty once he or she inhales the substance. The military have also rounded up large part of the forest and cut off movements and supplies. This is making the hideout very uncomfortable for the insurgents and many of them are sneaking back into Maiduguri,” the source, which craved for anonymity, said.
He said that was why when military authorities from Abuja bowed to pressure and invited international journalists to see what was happening in Borno State, they were not taken to Sambisa forest.
“The journalists were only taken to Kirenowa and no tangible reason was given to them for not taking them to Sambisa where the major offensive was launched,” the source said.
Before the May 14, 2013 declaration of state of emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan, there was similar proclamation in December, 2011 after relentless offensive by the Boko Haram sect and counter offensive by security operatives which resulted in the death of hundreds of people, including security men, politicians, clerics and civilians.
Months after the lifting of the state of emergency in 2012, serial killings and occasional bombings continued unabated even though the Joint Task Force (JTF) left on the streets of Maiduguri and Jere had succeeded in reducing loopholes that gave the insurgents unfettered access to their targets.
This was achieved by mounting countless checkpoints and complete blockade of routes leading to prime targets like police stations, barracks and sensitive government offices.
However, the attacks in the peripheries appeared much more deadly than what obtained in Maiduguri. For instance, on May 7, 2013, dozens of Boko Haram fighters attacked a military barracks, police station and government buildings in Bama, one of the fledging towns in Borno State and succeeded in killing about 55 people, including security operatives and freed 105 prisoners.
The attack came few days after a similar one in Baga, a fishing and farming town in northern part of the state where a military personnel was killed and efforts by the JTF to fish out the attackers led to another encounter with the militants that led to death of over 200 people as well as the burning of over 2,000 houses which has been disputed by the government.
Civilian and military sources opined that the pressure on the Boko Haram enclaves outside the state capital had led to “massive sneaking” of the insurgents back to Maiduguri which was marked by the reemergence of serial killings that provoked a new bout of thorough house-to-house search and impromptu screening at many buildings as well as the attendant mass arrests and detention of youths.
Abba Abubakar, 30, also known as ‘A-square’ and a founding member of the latest youth volunteer initiative said they have been pushed to the wall and that is why they have come out to confront the situation.