12,000 Civilian Volunteers Demand Permission To Go After Boko Haram

With military officials and the government of Borno State quietly backing away from claims that the strategic town of Bama was still in the control of Nigerian soldiers, at least 12,000 volunteers gathered yesterday in Maiduguri to offer their services in the war against the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. The volunteers,
who gathered at the Maiduguri palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Ibn- Garbai Elkanemi, urged the Nigerian government to accept their services in the war against terror. They includes thousands of ex-service men, hunters, and youths said they were ready to become part of the increasingly critical war against Boko Haram, which recently has captured several towns in Borno and Yobe States and killed more than 2,000 civilians in the first half of 2014, according to Human Rights Watch.

Some of the ex-servicemen, who had served in the military, the police, and with the SSS, said that they wished to join youths in the civilian joint task force (JTF) to stop Boko Haram’s incessant attacks and recent string of triumphs over demoralized Nigerian soldiers based in the violence-ravaged northeast of Nigeria. The prospective volunteers vowed to enter Sambisa forest and other hideouts to hunt down Boko Haram militants and bring an end to the ongoing insurgency.

Some of the volunteers said their goal was to resist Boko Haram’s reign of terror and to reverse the insurgent group’s seizure of important towns. Ex-staff sergeant Yahaya Suleiman, who fought in Nigeria’s civil war, urged the Nigerian government to accept the offer from him and others. “We are fully ready to join the military in fighting against terrorism. Enough is enough. All we need is support from the federal government to stop this madness.” 

Addressing the volunteers, the traditional ruler commended the effort of the civilian JTF in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency. He urged them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies. He added that the civilian JTF had helped to dislodge the sect from Maiduguri and surrounding areas. He encouraged other besieged towns and communities to set up their own volunteers to help fight terrorism.

“I want to thank you for this visit and the effort you are collectively and voluntarily making in order to fight Boko Haram who are bent in not only destroying our social and economic structures, but also killing innocent lives. I want to also appeal to you that you should desist from politics, religious or ethnic considerations while discharging your duties.”