Many residents of Borno have insisted that strategic mistakes allegedly made or committed by the governments by allowing Boko Haram terrorists and its arch-rival Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) to migrate to the Lake Chad shores and Sambisa Forest and hibernate in these areas for more than a decade, may have prolonged terrorist activities in the Northeast region.
The Lake Chad shores have potential of high agricultural yields that feed Nigeria, West African and Sahel regions including Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger Republic and Sudan. It is high in agricultural production and also the Lake in the Chad Shores is also known for high production of fish, and the fish has been high source of terrorism financing.
The terrorists have conscripted farmers and civilians in the areas to produce massive smoked-fish for their consumption and trading, especially around Doron Baga and Lake to sustain their evil campaign.
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So, the Lake Chad is important to the terrorists not only providing source of finance but provide a safe haven for them.
These borders areas of Nigeria with other countries also provide avenue for them for arms deals and movements, especially with connection of international terrorist organisations like ISIS and other deadly group operating in the ungoverned spaces in the Sahel regions.
On a daily basis, there is growing disconnection between the political class and helpless civilians who are bearing the brunt of escalation of terror activities across the region.
For instance, terrorists group thrives in the region unabated due to massive landmass. The Borno State alone is more than the size of the South east of Nigeria, and this is to say there is need for adequate troops with modern technological hardware.
With its rich natural and human resources and vast landmass, the basin is a hub for crossborder trade, cultural exchanges and intra-Africa travels for its 45 million people.
Our leaders have failed us; they must admit this – Umara
Sadly, the basin has been a shadow of itself in the past 15 years that insurgency and violence have crippled it.
For many years now, it has been suffocating under the firm grip of terrorism championed by the Boko-Haram, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), and new groups that keep emerging to scramble for a share of the violence, which has become an enterprise.
From villages, to towns and country to country across the Chad Basin, it has been same untold stories by the helpless people.
“The most powerful armed forces of the black world was taken by illiterate, ill-armed and terrorists for more ten years, I think something is wrong because the federal government has slept over his rights, Nigeria has failed in terms of protecting the civilians, I think we need to admit to the reality, we have failed woefully,” Umara Ibrahim Gudumbali, a professor of Political Science at the University of Maiduguri, said.
He further noted that “The problem is; we have huge ungoverned spaces in the hand of terrorists. The federal government made strategic mistakes of allowing the fall of Lake Chad shores and Sambisa Forest to the terrorists. A serious country will never allow its rich natural and human resources to fall under the control of non-state actors. It is a costly mistake that our leaders must admit.
According to him, “Lake Chad alone can feed not only Nigeria but West and Central Africa. Look at the cows from the region that are being supplied to other parts of Nigeria; the fish coming out of Lake Chad; so, that’s how strategic the region is but the Nigerian government slept off and allowed these places to be controlled and administered by the terrorists group.”
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Umara lamented that the people have been sacked from their ancestral homes by the terrorists, their farms raided, businesses burnt, sources of livelihood cut off.
Yet, many have not recovered from the trauma of witnessing a father’s death, wives and daughters being raped, sons taken away and forced to join the terrorist groups.
“We have crude oil and minerals that are known in these areas. What went wrong has to be reversed and how do you do this? It is by massive recruitment of soldiers to liberate these areas inch by inch. We can’t continue like this. Apart from all these, Federal government must wake up to the reality; hiding in their comfort zones showing nonchalant attitude will no longer be tolerated,” he said.
He advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his team to swing into action to end the persistent attacks on both civilians and military.
“Our leaders have to wake up to the reality that our soldiers are dying every day and we demand they must stop the killings or the blood will be on their heads,” Umara warned.
Lake Chad provides safe haven for arms and ammunition movement from Sahel – Analyst
As expected, the sustained attacks by the terrorists in the basin have resulted in huge refugees, who are daily fleeing to neighboring towns and countries, especially Niger Republic, for safety of their lives.
Of course, the influx of refugees from Nigeria and Cameroon has also compounded the hunger situations in Niger Republic, as the country hosts the largest number of refugees in the region.
But, while the basin is still being weighed down under the grip of terrorism, climate change is also dealing a deadly blow on it.
Abubakar Mohammed Kareto, a public affairs analyst decried that in recent times, the basin has recorded an alarming rate of natural disasters, especially desertification, flooding and depletion of freshwater resources, while human activities such as bush burning, displacement of people and influx of migrants have pushed the countries in the region into hunger due to the negative impact on agro-pastoral production.
“Insurgency and burning of our lands have denied us access to farmlands, and also ability to farm to feed our families,” he said.
He added that “The importance of Lake Chad to Nigeria, West African, Sahel can’t be overemphasised. That area has high agricultural potential including grain, fish and water irrigation for the countries in the Sahel. But Lake Chad and Sambisa Forest have be safe havens for the terrorists over a decade.”
He revealed that lack of enough security personnel to man the borders has been a major problem, adding that Borno State has one of the largest land mass in the country, apart from Niger State.
“It is a place you can hide, transport and receive arm and ammunition. The borders, especially in the northeast specifically in Borno State, bordering Cameroon, Niger and the Chad Republic, are basically porous. They allow terrorists to move from different parts of neighbouring countries into our country,” he observed.
He noted that terrorism has affected inter-state, regional, and Trans-Sahara trade that the areas were known for over the centuries and decades.
“It is a difficult terrain and Nigeria borders these three African countries, and close to Sahel region including Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Chad where arms and ammunition are moving freely without control.”
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He maintained that the Nigerian military may have become overwhelmed by the cumbersome operations going on all over the place across the country.
“The situation is extremely difficult in the North West because of the Lakurawa terrorist group; when the military takes them on, they cross the borders from Sokoto or from Kebbi to Katsina, which has become a threat to the peace and development of the northwest and part of the central,” he said.
Right equipment, strategies needed to overcome challenges – Experts
Nigeria stands at a crossroads across the northern states of Niger, Kwara, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, Katsina, Plateau, Benue, and Borno as communities have been transformed into killing fields.
Families are displaced, livelihoods destroyed, and the ordinary rhythms of life shattered by banditry, terrorism, and insurgency. The cries of victims echo across the nation, demanding justice and decisive leadership.
There is the urgent need for regional cooperation. Terrorism, knows no boundaries. Nigeria must engage Niger, Chad, and Cameroon to form a coalition against insurgency, recognizing that insecurity in one country inevitably spills into another.
Senator Iroegbu, a security expert, said the geography plays a significant role in determining the success or failure of military operations, noting that poor and inaccessible road networks could hamper Nigeria’s military efforts in the northeast.
He said: “Limited mobility restricts the rapid deployment of troops, supplies, and equipment, thereby slowing down operations. That said, no obstacle should be insurmountable for a determined military and a resolute nation committed to governing its territory. With the right weapons, equipment, and strategies tailored to overcome such terrain challenges, the military can recover, adapt, and ultimately secure and reclaim its territory.
Iroegbu: “Ungoverned spaces provide safe havens for violent non-state actors, making counter-insurgency operations more prolonged and complex. No serious nation should allow large portions of its territory to remain outside effective governance.
“Nigeria must strengthen its aerial capabilities, enhance missile deterrence, expand drone operations, and improve its overall Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets. By doing so, the military can effectively track terrorist movements, disrupt their networks, and apply sufficient willpower, manpower, and arsenal to degrade their capacity until they are forced into surrender and submission.”
Zulum begs military to launch offensive in Lake Chad, others
Governor Babagana Zulum has passionately appealed to the Nigerian Armed Forces to launch an urgent, full-scale offensive against terrorist strongholds in the Tumbus Islands of Lake Chad, the Mandara Hills, and the Sambisa Forest, declaring that such action is necessary to “end their madness.”
Governor Zulum made the call recently during a meeting with the Chief of Air Staff, Sunday Aneke, who paid a working visit to Maiduguri as part of ongoing assessments of counterterrorism operations in the North-East.
Speaking with visible frustration over persistent terror attacks originating from the Lake Chad axis, Zulum described the Tumbus Islands in the shores and Mandara Hills, situated across the marshlands and waterways of Lake Chad as entrenched operational bases for Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
He lamented that despite years of military engagement, a full, joint operation involving the Navy, Air Force, and Army had never been executed to completely clear the Tumbus region.
“A thorough military operation that involves the Naval, Air Force and Army, purposely intended to rid off the Mandara Hills and Tumbus has never been conducted,” Zulum said.
“If we want to bring down insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria, we must address the challenges we are facing in Lake Chad.
The area has provided a safe haven for the terrorists. This is our major problem now.”
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The governor identified Sambisa Game Reserve and the Mandara Hills as the two remaining enclaves shielding terrorist factions, insisting that only a well-coordinated, multi-agency attack would neutralise the threats embedded in these terrains.
Zulum further urged the Nigerian Air Force to deploy additional Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the North-East theatre, stressing that enhanced aerial surveillance and rapid engagement capability are key to achieving decisive victories.
He also proposed the convening of a strategic command-and-control meeting in Maiduguri, where top military brass could harmonise tactics for upcoming operations.
The governor expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his consistent support to the armed forces, while appealing for increased funding to help the military acquire cutting-edge equipment needed to sustain counter-insurgency missions.
