It is heartwarming that the military is setting up more hardware and manpower to prevent the take- over of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, by the Boko Haram terrorist group. The near panic over the possible capture of the city is justified, and the state governor, Kashim Shettima, did well to cut short his trip abroad to help defend the state capital. Reports of the terrorists’ recent hair-raising mas- sacre of males in Bama have added to the grisly catalogue of Boko Haram atrocities and crimes against human- ity, and Nigeria must rise to stop their onslaught.
In the last three months, Boko Ha- ram has graduated from being a blood- thirsty killing machine, kidnapper of hundreds of women and bomber of places of worship, markets and motor parks, to a clear and dangerous threat to the territorial integrity of the coun- try.
Its insolent seizure, occupation and rape of Gwoza and Madagali; its bid to take Gamboru Ngala; its assault on Bama and environs; and the seizure of the Mobile Police Training College, are not just a poke in the eye of the military, they are a national embarrassment.
In these occupied towns and villages, the terrorists have hoisted their flags, and proclaimed a caliphate either in emulation of, or in sync with the Is- lamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Islamic jihadists who shock the world daily with their brutal massacres and sensational beheadings.
The hoisting of alien flags on Nigeri- an soil must be resisted by the military. The seized towns and villages must be recovered. These terrorists must be pushed out of the country. They be- long to the seventh century, and Nige- ria cannot go back there with them.
Many Nigerians are at a loss on how things got to this sorry stage. The gen- eral impression is that the military has so far treated Boko Haram with repre- hensible levity.
The primary task of the Nigerian Armed Forces as stated clearly in the Constitution is to protect and de- fend the territorial integrity of Nigeria. Opinions on how the military has per- formed range from the pessimists who think the military has been compro- mised and infiltrated by Boko Haram, to those in the middle who think the soldiers are too unfit, poorly trained and ill-equipped to be of much use. There are also the optimists who think the military is having a slow start and should be allowed more time to get its
acts together. The military has got everything it
needs to perform. Declaring a state of emergency in the three states of the North-East was to provide an enabling atmosphere for the mili- tary to effectively fight the terror- ists. The emergency was renewed despite objections by the civilian leaders of the North-East at the in- stance of the military. In addition to increased budgets for defence in the last few years, an emergency loan of additional $1billion is being accessed for more equipment.
President Goodluck Jonathan appears to be at a crossroads on the Boko Haram matter. He ap- pears not be keen on moving firmly against the insurgents to avert ac- cusations of genocide. On the oth- er hand, his soft-glove approach to the problem only projects him as feckless and indecisive. At the ex- treme, he has been accused of col- laborating with the insurgents.
What has become clear is that the president must eschew ambiv- alence and be clear and unequivo- cal on his stance in this matter. Our position is that the President must ignore the pressures and do what is right for Nigeria. The economic costs of Boko Haram terrorism is beginning to be calculated in tril- lions of Naira.
Jonathan must weigh the quality of advice he gets from his national security team and should not hesi- tate to change his advisers if he finds it necessary. We are inclined to think that he needs a new com- mander for the Nigerian troops in the North-East. We have had too many reports of controversies, poor morale, confusion and uncer- tainty, with allegations of treason, mutiny, cowardice and more.
The Nigerian military has had a good name since the early 1960s when it took part in the United Na- tions peace-keeping efforts in the Congo. Since then, it has won ac- colades and is well spoken of in West Africa.
We urge the government to dem- onstrate the strong will that is re- quired to confront this insurgency that is daily questioning its author- ity and ability to secure the nation. The Nigerian military must also find within itself the strength that once made it a force to reckon with on security issues in Africa, and do whatever is necessary to end this debilitating insurgency forthwith

Let the military tackle Boko Haram