Riding motorbikes with soldiers in Damboa

Since 2011, there has been a ban on the use of private and commercial motorcycles in Maiduguri metropolis and environs because they were being used by Boko Haram insurgents to carry out attacks and quickly disappear without being trailed or arrested. However last Saturday, residents who have come to associate the sound of motorcycles with […]

Since 2011, there has been a ban on the use of private and commercial motorcycles in Maiduguri metropolis and environs because they were being used by Boko Haram insurgents to carry out attacks and quickly disappear without being trailed or arrested. However last Saturday, residents who have come to associate the sound of motorcycles with Boko haram attacks, were woken up by the sound of motorbikes plying Baga Road in the metropolis, just that this time the motorbikes were used by a special group of soldiers as part of the Nigerian Army’s renewed strategy to sustain the eradication of the remnants of Boko Haram.
“When I woke up and heard the sound of motorbikes along the road, I couldn’t believe it. I only came out to discover, to my relief, that they were soldiers,” Kabiru Ahmad said, adding that the military riders displayed special biking skills. The combat motorbikes which were test-run for a couple of hours within the metropolis, led the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General T.Y Buratai to Damboa town in Damboa Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State for the commissioning ceremony at the Nigerian Army Headquarters 25 Task Force Brigade, where the army chief formally unveiled the Motorbike Battalion of the Nigerian Army (MBNA).
“We see it as a force multiplier to the fight against Boko Haram terrorists. This, we intend to use more effectively to ensure that our roads are kept safe, and the Boko Haram terrorists are pursued anywhere they go,” he said. The army boss noted that the combat motorbikes have added speed, firepower and communication gadgets, stressing that the reach of the specially-made motorbikes would be a very important element in ensuring that Nigerian troops would maintain the initiative and continue the feats so far achieved.
Daily Trust observed that the soldiers manning the combat motorbikes demonstrated different skills to showcase their strong command of the vehicles. The riders were able to control the motorbikes while standing (either on one, or both legs), and on different difficult positions. The combat motorbikes have compartments on both sides and in front of the motorbikes, apparently for storing ammunitions and other tools.
Chairman of the Youth Volunteer groups, popularly known as ‘Civilian JTF’ in Damboa LGA of the state, Chiroma Kasim, described the combat motorbikes as a unique reinforcement to the troops stationed along Maiduguri-Damboa Highway. “Because of some peculiarities – as this road falls in-between very major camps of Boko Haram insurgents, where they had several sub-camps and they were training their foot-soldiers – it is very good to have this kind of measure. In spite of the fact that most of them have been killed, we still see and pursue a few who were, perhaps, tired of hiding and want to run away.
Kasim added: “A year ago, we could not stay for just two minutes in-between these forests. The left side goes into Sambisa Forest while the other goes into Alagarno. Then, nobody was able to even pass by this place let alone stay there. So, our soldiers have really tried. We are very grateful to the Nigerian Army which trained and empowered us to help them identify the bad elements in the society. Our soldiers have tried a lot and they deserve commendation.”
Daily Trust gathered that the motorbikes were equally meant to beef up security along Maiduguri-Damboa road which until last week Saturday, had been closed for a couple of years due to frequent attacks on unsuspecting motorists by insurgents.
Lt.-Gen. Buratai, who led drivers of some commercial vehicles with passengers on board to officially re-open the Maiduguri-Damboa road, said with the Motorbike Battalion of the Nigerian Army patrolling the highway now, he doesn’t want to entertain cases of attacks on the highway. He said: “I want to assure you that from today the Maiduguri-Damboa and Damboa-Biu roads will be opened. The roads will be entrusted to the Brigade Commander, 25 Brigade. I don’t want to hear any case of attack on innocent civilians or motorists on this road henceforth. Our troops must be alert, 24 hours, to ensure that this road is kept open. We want to call on the good people of Borno, especially those plying this road, to rest assured that we’ll do our best to protect them.”
“People should be able to move freely, and we will do our job to ensure that it is secure,” Buratai assured members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Borno State branch, who witnessed the ceremony. Expressing his gratitude, a visibly elated state chairman of the NURTW, Alhaji Ahmadu Musa, said his members were stunned when they learnt that the Maiduguri-Damboa road would be re-opened. “With the closure of the road, most of our drivers lost their means of livelihood,” he said.
Also in Damboa, the Chief of Army Staff revealed that he deliberately chose the town to launch another batch of posters containing 100 pictures of wanted Boko Haram suspects, appealing to Nigerians to try and look at the posters in order to help the Army identify and arrest any suspect. “The choice of Damboa is not by accident, it’s deliberate. Knowing the centrality of Damboa in this operation, the vigilantes here will play a very important role in identifying these terrorists. It will not only be left here but we would send it across the country to ensure that those who have run away are fished out,” Buratai said.