But for the deliberate sabotage and short-stemmed tactics employed by former President Goodluck Jonathan’s security aides in prosecuting the war against Boko Haram, the situation would have long been quelled, LEADERSHIP Weekend can now reveal authoritatively.
Since the assumption of office by President Muhammadu Buhari and the subsequent appointment of a new national security adviser, Mohammed Monguno, as well as the new service chiefs led by Major General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin (chief of defence staff), the war has taken its toll on the sect, with the service chiefs promising to end the war by the end of December, this year.
A security source who spoke to LEADERSHIP Weekend on condition of anonymity, however explained that the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki and the then service chiefs, were allegedly more concerned with funds requisitions and purchases of military hardware than tactical management of the war. Our source further said that the former president was always availed several doctored intelligence reports, aimed mostly at getting approval for more funds intended to fight Boko Haram, whereas the huge sums never got fully devoted towards prosecuting the war.
Before his retirement in September, 2013, our source revealed that the current NSA, Mungono, then the Chief of Defence Intelligence had approached the former president and in a report, detailed how the Boko Haram war could be brought to an end without necessarily spending the billions of dollars that were regularly applied for and released under the guise of fighting Boko Haram. This move allegedly did not go well with the then service chiefs and that ultimate led to Mungono’s retirement.
“When Mungono approached the then President Jonathan, the president referred him to the then NSA who did not find Mungono’s boldness funny. “It was at that juncture that they set out to discredit Mungono as one who knew too much about the Boko Haram and hence had to be tossed off as he was painted to be in touch with the insurgents,” our source said.
The source which said the deliberate neglect of the Nigerian Army during the Jonathan administration was never his making, but actually as a result of his manipulation by the security aides who took advantage of the president’s purely civilian background to mess him up, said it was only few months to the election that it dawned on the former president that the Boko Haram war could cost him his re-election and thus the regalvanizing seen a few weeks to the election and the subsequent call by the former NSA, Sambo Dasuki for the postponement of the elections.
“There was no motivation for the soldiers and military fighting the war then as was seen in the picking and capture of towns by the Boko Haram at will, while our soldiers began acts of mutiny which was largely borne out of frustrations as they were being killed by the sect randomly while the aides pre-occupied themselves with funds requisitions which never got to see the light of day as it concerned concerted efforts at fighting Boko Haram.
“As a matter of fact, once one of the service chiefs under Jonathan had requested for funds assistance from both the Borno State government as well as from the federal government at the same time to buy vehicles. The Borno government quickly assisted with about 100 Hilux vehicles and further made available extra N40 million for branding of the vehicles to the service chief.
“Weeks later same service chief took funds for the purchase of same vehicles from the federal government and simply made do with what the Borno government had provided and diverted the newly approved fund,” the source stated.
