SHOCKER: Boko Haram plans nationwide expansion of its Islamic caliphate, says Rtd General, Expert
A retired Director of Military Procurement at the Defence
Headquarters, Brig. Gen. Ayodele Ojo, and a Lagos-based security expert,
Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has said the Boko Haram was planning a nationwide
expansion of its Islamic caliphate.
The sect has already seized no fewer than 13 communities in the North East.
The retired army general and Ekhomu stated that the exploits of the
Sunni Jihadist group in the Middle East, the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria, was motivating the Boko Haram insurgents to overrun communities
and towns in the North East.
In a telephone interview with one of our correspondents, Ojo warned
the Nigerian armed forces to change their tactics from waging a
“counter-insurgency operation” to an “all-out war” to prevent the
security situation from further deteriorating.
He said, “It is obvious that their (Boko Haram) plan is to expand
their Caliphate with the aim of establishing an Islamic State in
Nigeria. They started with the hoisting of their flag in Damboa, Borno
State.
“The exploits of ISIS in Syria and Iraq was the tonic they, the Boko
Haram insurgents, needed. From the North East, they would now expand
their caliphate to cover the entire country. I believe the Federal
Government is aware of this.”
The general, who during his military service participated in several
peace keeping operations, including the ECOMOG Operation in Liberia,
said it was shocking to note that terrorism which was alien to the
Nigerian culture was becoming a regular feature of its national life.
Stating that members of the Nigerian armed forces were up to the task
of maintaining the territorial integrity of the country, he added that
the Defence Headquarters should improve upon specialised training for
its men in battling terrorism.
In an interview with one of our correspondents, Ekhomu said the sect
was trying to actualise its aspiration to rule Nigeria and introduce its
fundamental brand of Islam into the system.
He said, “Their real goal was to grab territory to exercise
sovereignty over the land. If you remember, they had in the past
controlled about eight local government areas in Borno State. They
control these places before the emergency rule was declared on May 14,
2013.
“With the emergency rule and the subsequent troop surge, they were
chased away into the Sambisa forest. Now, they are resurgent; they are
pushing to regain what they lost. They are reading news and they can see
what is happening around the world.”
The security expect said the sect members could have links with ISIS
and other terrorist organisations, adding that they were all cut from
the fundamental cloth.
Ekhomu added that some foreigners had been fighting on the side of
the insurgents and giving them tactical support. The expert urged the
government to declare a total war on the insurgents to end their reign.
