A Nigerian-born U.S. Army Captain, Sunday Adebomi, on Sunday said that war against Boko Haram could be won if President Goodluck Jonathan set aside his gentility.
Adebomi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ado-Ekiti that the war could be won if the Federal Government was determined to introduce a hard stand.
“There are several ways of wiping out the sect and end the killings. If government is determined to end Boko Haram today it will be achieved.
“Who are those in the sect that dare face the government? But unfortunately, I suspect there are some bigwigs behind these people.
“Mr President is being too gentle in his handling of the killings; but unfortunately, it is daily assuming dangerous dimension; gentility cannot win the war.
“Although gentility is not a crime but Mr President will have to be more aggressive because this is a security threat to the entire nation.
“Mr President will have to take a stand on the matter either to continue to tolerate the sect and leave Nigerians to be mourning every day with the several killings.
“Mr President should give a matching order to the military to wipe them off once and for all.
“Not until a strong stand is taken Nigerians may not be able to sleep with their eyes closed,” he said.
Adebomi said the military had been doing a good job in the affected states but “they are fighting unknown faces and faceless groups.
“Government will have to first identify the cause of the problem, the root, sponsors, as well as where and how these insurgents get their weapons.
“The security agencies do not also understand the terrain they are fighting the war because most of them are alien to the battle fields.
“They know nothing about the sect, how then will they fight such war and think they will win; it is difficult.”
The U.S. captain said he led over 5,000 U.S. soldiers to war during the Pre-Mobilisation in 2010 and expressed optimism that the sect could be wiped out.
He said that the sect meant nothing to the Nigeria security agencies if genuine commitment was there adding, “all they need is the Presidential directive.”
He appealed to President Jonathan to read the riot act to the governors of the affected states or be made to face the wrath of the Federal government.
Adebomi said that the President could also compel the governors in the states to account for each soul lost to the insurgents.
“What am simply saying is that the matter deserves an aggressive reaction; enough of a gentleman approach, because you don’t dialogue with faceless groups,” he said.
“The question we need to ask ourselves is: “When will enough be enough? I woke up this morning with this thought in my mind asking Nigerians when enough will be enough.
“I ask the President when enough will be enough. I ask members of the Senate and House of Representatives when enough will be enough.
“Is it not time the government declared full state of emergency in the affected region?
“Since this insurgency, what concrete intelligence step has the government taken apart from fire for fire exposing ill equipped military men and women to excessive fire power of Boko Haram.
“Let us ask, when will enough be enough? Nigeria is dripping blood on daily basis; it is time the government woke up to its task.”
NAN reports that Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states have been under the attack of the Boko Haram insurgents, loosing several lives and property.
Adebomi hails from Ise-Ekiti in Ise/Orun local government area of Ekiti and had been in the U.S. Army for almost two decades.
NAN
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