A Call for Investigation of the Military and Its Approach to the War Against Terrorism in the Northeast By: Godwin ...
A Call for Investigation of the Military and Its Approach to the War Against Terrorism in the Northeast
By: Godwin Onuh Odeh, PhD.
This piece comes on the heels of the midnight attack on the military base in Yobe, particularly Buniyadi and Buni Gari, on 8 May 2026. This is a reputable base where soldiers deployed to the northeast are given two to three weeks of orientation and training before being sent to operation points in Yobe State itself, Borno, and other areas in the northeast. If not for anything, the security of the base and life there should be safer than the hot zones in Borno and Yobe State. However, under the guise of a safe base or zone, conspiracy, deception, and pseudo hope abide, taking in the gullible and eliminating unsuspecting military personnel and other security agents.
In a single stretch, this treatise seeks to know why most of the military personnel killed were Sergeants and Staff Sergeants. These are people equivalent to Lt. Colonel or Colonel among commissioned officers. In a war, you don’t group officers of the rank of Colonels in one spot without a blend of fresh blood—those who joined the forces two to about five years ago, who are more energetic and zealous in warfare. Experience is good, but zeal and agility count most in counter-insurgency war.
Opinions gathered reveal that the retaining of some of the victim personnel at the base was the machination of some evil superiors in their respective states of service, who probably wanted them eliminated. As such, they communicated to the personnel in charge of the Yobe zone to retain those ones for elimination through a tactical setup. Moreover, some soldiers of the Staff Sergeant and Sergeant ranks had earlier tendered resignations, but were turned down by the military, while the applications of some were sat upon by immediate superiors and never forwarded to the appropriate quarters, particularly Defence Headquarters, for necessary and appropriate action. It is this window of opportunity that some few evil superiors exploited, nominating such soldiers for operation in the northeast for speedy elimination.
The reason for tendering resignation letters is not far-fetched: they love the force and want to serve the nation, but they know the army or the military is not what it was when they enlisted over twenty years ago. Moreover, this is because of the insincerity of the military and the government to prosecute a genuine war against terror. More painfully, these were soldiers that had paid their dues, having previously deployed to the northeast and other danger zones in the country. Why redeploying them again?
Well, the dastardly act of setting a soldier for elimination is not new to history. This was what King David did to Uriah the Hittite, a people reputed for discovering iron and cunning in warfare. Uriah, a committed and patriotic soldier, carried a letter conveying his own death message and faithfully delivered it to Captain Joab, a ruthless military strategist. In the said letter, David directed Joab to put Uriah at the hottest part of the battle while the fellow soldiers withdrew for ultimate consumption in the war, to cover the sin and iniquity of David. But at the end, his evil was exposed and he was punished by God. Could this be what has been replaying in the war against insurgency in the northeast, given the way many high-ranking officers of Brigadier and Major General rank have been dying?
This stark revelation opens doors for interrogation and investigation into why soldiers of Sergeant and Staff Sergeant ranks were killed more in the Yobe most recent attack. This again adds another load of allegations of corruption in the military and the insincerity of the government to end terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
In a related thought, some sources reveal that the military receives orders not to report incidents of attacks on bases and military casualties until after the 2027 election. On this note, it is learnt that investigations are underway on how the Yobe incidents got to social media and journalists a few times after the attack occurred. The understanding of this is simple: to show that the president is doing well. He may be doing well in some instances, but he has to brace up in the area of security before it is ultimately too late.
In all, refuting the position of this piece would require the army or the military, as the case may be, publishing the names and ranks of personnel at the Buniyadi base and the victims, of course.
Rest in power, my dear brother and friend, SSGT Anthony Okpeh, alias Murphy, as you are committed to mother earth today. My heart is absolutely broken, but it is well. Your last words to me when we spoke last week and were planning for the future: “We put our trust in God, Sir. OK PROF.” May that God receive your gentle and generous soul.
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