Nigeria: Fear grows as elections draw near

Army arriving to repel Boko Haram

Increased Boko Haram violence in north-east Nigeria could derail the country’s forthcoming elections, according to a priest in the region.

In a message sent to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, Father Gideon Obasogie described how Borno State’s capital, Maiduguri, had been attacked repeatedly as the extremists seized and occupied nearby towns and villages.

The priest said residents are concerned that the city – which the terrorists have tried to seize three times over the last week – will be overrun, but political leaders seem more concerned with the forthcoming elections.

Fr Obasogie, who works for Maiduguri Diocese’s communications department, said: “With the recent waves of attacks, there is so much fear and tension in the air. With the February polls drawing ever closer, we see all sorts of personalities who make promises too good to be taken as true trooping into Maiduguri and the north-east.

He added: “The personalities do not identify with us in our plight but beg for our votes.”

The priest said that unless security could be assured voters would be too scared to turn out on 14th February.

He said: “Most people are quite sceptical of the polls as they fear the terrorists’ attacks. Citizens of Maiduguri, as far as possible, avoid crowded areas and the polling units would not be an exception, unless people’s security is assured and ensured. If anyone needs our votes, our safety must first be assured.”

The priest said that the political classes seem unable to tackle the threat of Boko Haram. “Those whose duty it is to protect the lives of the populace are obviously unable to halt the radical Islamist group. The Government and the polity are saturated with campaign rallies – and the minds of our political leaders are gradually being eclipsed from the core issues regarding our safety but Maiduguri must not fall… if it does fall, the corresponding consequences would be devastating.”

According to Kashim Shettima, Executive Governor of Borno State, a third of the north-eastern state is currently held by the militant group.

Fr Obasogie warned that if the state capital falls it will give Boko Haram a strong base from which to attack the neighbouring states of Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Gombe. The terrorist group would also gain control of the city’s airport and military base.

He said: “If it falls, we have only succeeded collectively in empowering the terrorists, recapturing it would take some time and the consequences apparently would be deadly.”

He called on the federal government to step up their counter insurgency and counter terrorism approaches to ensure the safety of Borno State’s largest city. “Boko Haram militias constantly launch massive attacks on military base surrounding Maiduguri to cart away arms in a bid to heavily attack the city.”

The priest told Aid to the Church in Need that key military installations in the region had already been seized by the group, including bases in Bama and Baga as well as the Mongonu barracks, and suggested the weapons Boko Haram had seized were used to attack Borno’s state capital.

Describing how the city was attacked from all four sides at once, he said: “The recent attack on Maiduguri was quite deadly. We in Maiduguri are pragmatically speaking, sitting on a keg of gun powder...We live with constant fear, which is being heightened each passing day.”