states have alleged that helicopters drop arms
and ammunition, food and medicine to areas
known to be strongholds of the members of
the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram, in the
North-East.
They said the authorities in the states could
not claim ignorance of the development and
that it was a bad omen if a convoy of about
20 to 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles could move
freely without being detected despite the
curfew in place.
The elders, who spoke at a press conference in
Abuja on Monday, also asked the government
to provide answer to the attack on the
Maiduguri Air Force Base by insurgents, who
reportedly de-mobilised and set ablaze
aircrafts and other military facilities even with
the existing state of emergency and curfew in
the town.
Speaking under the aegis of Borno, Yobe
People's Forum, the elders also asked those in
authorities to tell Nigerians those that
authorised the withdrawal of security
personnel from the Federal Government
College, Buni Yadi, few hours before the
recent attack that claimed the lives of 59
innocent children.
A former Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall
Al-amin Dagash (retd.), spoke on behalf of the
forum at the press conference.
Dagash was flanked at the press conference by
a former Minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu
Ciroma; a former Secretary to Government of
the Federation, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe;
an elder statesman, Shetima Mustapha and
other political leaders from the two states.
He said, "Are the authorities unaware of
helicopters dropping arms and ammunition,
food and medical supplies to areas well known
to be strong holds of the insurgents?
"How were the insurgents able to attack the
Maiduguri Air-Force Base and demobilise as
well as burn planes and other military
installations despite existing state of
emergency and curfew in the town? How
could 20 to 30 Toyota Hilux vehicles move in
a convoy freely with subsisting curfew and
still go undetected?
"How did a little band of rag-tag misguided
youths metamorphose into a well-kitted, well-
armed killing machine moving freely in
convoy of vehicles and supported by
helicopters.
"How did the Shilka Tank, a multipurpose self
propelled anti-aircraft artillery weapon,
positioned to secure Giwa Barracks, fail to
function resulting in heavy loss of lives of
both civilian and military as widely reported
in the media? Are we dealing with fifth
columnists in this crisis?"
He wondered how the insurgents were able to
kill Gen. Mohammed Shuwa, whom he
described as a civil war hero, despite the
presence of a military detachment in front of
his home.
The retired Air Force chief asked the Federal
Government to unmask those behind the
"online media campaigns of calumny stirring
ethno-religious intolerance in the country."
He also asked the Federal Government not to
extend the state of emergency declared in the
three North-East states, saying that the action
had failed to achieve its purpose.
The state of emergency, originally declared in
May last year and renewed for another six
months in November, expire on April 19,
2014.
Dagash said that about 18 communities had
been attacked by insurgents in the last one
month with heavy civilian casualties, adding
that rather than abate, the insurgency had
continued to escalate and daring.
He said, "The continuous bloodletting has led
to the loss of over 17,000 lives. Official
statistics released by the National Emergency
Management Agency revealed that over three
million people have been displaced by the
insurgency and terrorist attacks in the
affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa
in the first three months of 2014 alone.
"Most of the victims are women, children and
the elderly. These developments underscore
the urgent need for the government, the
international community, as well as all
Nigerians to arrest the brewing humanitarian
crises in the area."
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