BOKO HARAM HAS KILLED 3, 000 PEOPLE – Chief of Army Staff

It’s been confirmed; The much feared religious sect, Boko Haram has notched up a total figure of 3, 000 deaths so far, so says the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika. The COAS who spoke at the third inter-division and headquarters map reading competition organized by the Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC) in Ilorin, said the death toll from the nefarious activities of the sect had risen to 3, 000.


He also took the time to commend the efforts by NAEC to publish a book on terrorism, saying that this would help in strengthening the determination to fight the present security challenges.
STOP PRESS! I don’t see how publishing a book would help fight terrorism and minimize, if not totally reduce, security challenges in the country, I mean, youths these day DON’T even read! And they’re the ones who perpetrate these security threats. They have a better chance if they put it online and make it available to everyone, or create an application that fights terrorism, and call it the TERROR TRACKER or something.

Back to Ihejirika: while he was quick to roll out official death figures (at a map reading competition of all places!), he was silent on the number of that figure which included military and police personnel.
The Corps Commander, NAEC, Major-General Lucky Banjiram, chipped in and said the current security challenges in the country had continued to undermine national security – duhh!!! Even my 3-month old niece knows that. Whenever the TV is turned on, and she hears the words, Boko Haram, she starts crying.

It’s time we put a stop to rhetorics, put on our boxing gloves and fighting boots and kick Boko Haram hard where the sun don’t shine. Let’s stop with the symposiums, counter-terrorism conferences, terrorism Bills that are as dead as the dodo, and just make like Nike, and Just Do It! Enough of the talk! It’s time to act.

One of the ways we can show them that we mean business is to look them straight in the internet video, and say NO to their conditions for a dialogue. I would even go as far as saying that any serious government shouldn't be dialoguing with a criminal group which has murdered thousands in cold blood. The fact that after committing these crimes they could come out and make demands on us – as if murder is a cool thing – is a slap on our collective psyche as a people. I don’t know about you, but on a personal level, I’m greatly offended. If killing thousands under the banner of a religious or socio-political group, and dialoguing and getting amnesty out of it works (al la Niger Delta groups’ financial pay-off), then I’m definitely in the wrong business.

3, 000 dead and counting, while we hold meetings and dialogue with murderers. . . that’s no joke.