A coalition of Civil Society Organisations at the forefront of providing humanitarian assistance in North East and a team of international journalists led by Daniel Furnard, as well as their Nigerian counterparts has said that contrary to the avalanche of conflicting reports emanating from the region that Gundumbali, Damasak are now early under the Nigerian army.
The team, in an attempt to assess the effectiveness of the military operations in North East Nigeria, the team was on the ground for one week from 25th September to October 4th, 2018 to have first hand information about the situation of things.
The group which also consisted of organisations such as Victims and Disaster Management Initiative (VDMI), Peace Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Initiative (PRRI), Centre for Social Justice, Equity and Transparency as well as participants drawn from various media houses in Nigeria, as well as select social media influencers in the country.
The Team Leader, Daniel Furnard in a report released yesterday in Abuja stated that the overarching objective of the tour was to put paid to speculations about Boko Haram occupying territories in some communities in North East Nigeria after some attempts by the terrorists to invade Nigerian communities under the control of the Nigerian Army.
He said consequently, the team decided that there would be no military escort for the duration of the project.
Furnace stated: “The team discovered that there is no territory under the control of Boko Haram terrorists anywhere within the geographical entity called Nigeria . Using the case of Garshigar as an example, the town enjoys relative peace. Here, indigenes
“ In the case of Garshigar, it was gathered that Boko Haram terrorists have made several attempts to gain entry into the town, but were repelled by the Nigeria Army. One of the commanders of the 145 Battalion also hinted that some years back, Garshigar used to serve as one of the training bases of the Boko Haram terrorists until the Nigeria Army dislodged them, hence the repeated attempt to attack the community, but the Nigeria Army has always repelled them.
“In the case of Damasak, indigenes went about their regular businesses without fear. The visible signs of unrest were the buildings that were demolished in previous attacks. As a fact, farming and fishing activities are ongoing in large scale. Damasak is bustling with economic activities, so much so that people from neighbouring communities of Dogomolu, Douro, and Chemba frequent Damasak to trade. There was also a strong military presence in the town at strategic places. Upon interacting with the indigenes’, they heaped praises on the efforts of soldiers in the military base stationed in Damasak.”
Furnard stressed the team also observed a high return rate of people that were once displaced by Boko Haram terrorist in times past, saying that there are lots of construction works ongoing in homes and schools
The team observed that most of the news emanating from the North East is fake news and a direct opposite of the actual situation on the ground.
Furnard added; “As a group conversant with the activities of the Nigeria Army in North East Nigeria, it should be stated that if this trend is not arrested, it could affect humanitarian works in the area.
“Also, it was observed that the fake news emanating from the theatre of operation in North East gives the Boko Haram Terrorist a psychological boost and the audacity to make attempts at regrouping and launching attacks in communities.
“ It could also send the wrong message to the international community about the efforts of the Nigerian government in confronting the Boko Haram threats to our sovereignty as a nation.
Consequently, it is advised that citizens must, therefore, interrogate news content before circulating some as the terrorists thrive on the gullibility of reasonable persons who do not cross-check their facts to reach out to the rest of the world with their falsehood.
“It was also observed that the troops are in high spirit and well-equipped with arms and ammunition,” the ten observed.
