Boko Haram: Civilian JTF Vows To Take Battle To Sambisa Forest

Source: thewillnigeria.com

…Seeks Shehu Of Borno's Blessings
SAN FRANCISCO, September 04, (THEWILL) - Apparently worried by the recent attacks by Boko Haram on towns and villages in Borno State, the youth vigilante group, popularly known as Civilian JTF, as well as some local hunters, retired soldiers and other paramilitary men, Thursday in Maiduguri, the state capital, vowed to take the battle against the insurgents to their fortress in Sambisa Forest and other hideouts of the terrorists in the state.

Some Borno towns, including Damboa, Gamboru Ngala, Bama and Banki have become targets of attack by the insurgents in recent times with many civilians killed and several thousands of people displaced.

Expressing their anger at the affront and arrogance of the insurgents in recent times, the protesters , numbering about 10,000, moved round the major streets of Maiduguri metropolis, expressing their willingness to take the battle against terror to the hideouts of the insurgents.

Initially gathering at the popular Ramat Square Ground at the centre of the town, they later moved to the palace of the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Ibn- Garbai Elkanemi, to seek his blessing for their next move.

Expressing their resolve to enter the dreaded Sambisa Forest and other hideouts of the insurgents, the protesters said they were ready to put an end to the insurgency which started five years ago.

The Shehu of Borno however advised the protesters to always be guided by the rule of law while discharging their civic responsibilities even as he praised the Civilian JTF in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency.

He appealed to them to always follow the directives of the military and other security agencies while discharging their duties.

Maintaining that the youth vigilante group has really assisted in dislodging the insurgents from Maiduguri and its environs, the Borno monarch called on other communities in the state to set up their own Civilian JTF to tackle the menace of the terrorists.

“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 of our citizenry.

' I want to also appeal to you that you should desist from politics, religious or ethnic considerations while discharging your duties to your fatherland. In anything you are doing, you must make sure that you consult all other security agencies so that you work hand-in hand to end terrorism that have been destroying us as a nation,” he told the protesters.

In his remark during the protest, the state Coordinator of Civilian JTF, Mallam Abba Aji Kalli, said, they were at the Shehu's palace to seek his blessings and fatherly advice. He maintained that his group had vowed to go after the terrorists and members of his group are optimistic that with their sticks (Gora in Hausa) and other local arms, they will flush out the insurgents from their hideouts if the Federal Government gives them the go-ahead.

Aji Kalli disclosed that the youth vigilante group is now more motivated given the cooperation and support from retired military men, local hunters and other patriotic citizens who have expressed willingness to join the group to stop the five-year-old insurgency in the entire North East.