believe that Boko Haram fighters are better
equiped than soldiers — going by his call for
better guns for troops battling the insurgency
in his state.
Gaidam also cited "poor intelligence" and
inadequate support of the military action as
part of the reasons why the insurgency thrives.
He said if the war must be won, soldiers must
be given superior arms and ammunition as well
as better intelligence gathering.
Damaturu, the capital of Yobe, was the scene
of last Thursday's deadly attack by the Boko
Haram in which many soldiers and insurgents
died.
Gaidam donated N1million to each of the
widows of the dead.
The governor, inspected the areas destroyed by
the insurgents. He was accompanied by the
Joint Task Force (JTF) Commandant in the state,
Col. Aliyu Abdullahi and Police Commissioner
Sanusi Rufai.
He said: "It appears to me that the security
operatives, the police and the army and every
other security personnel, were taken unawares.
I have been taken round and based on what I
have observed, we don't have enough
intelligence all over the state to give
information. If our security operatives were on
24 hours alert, some of these things would
have been averted and these boys would not
just come to the town and start shooting.
"I have also observed that some of the
weapons used by the insurgents are superior
weapons in capacity, which are much higher
than the ones obtained by the military or the
police in Yobe State.
"I wish to call on the Federal Government to
prevail on the Defence Headquarters to ensure
that they provide high profile capacity
weapons to the army, if this insurgency is to
be averted or stopped.
"The military, the police and other security
men in Damaturu only have AK 47 rifles.
Maybe a few high profile weapons are there
with the military. We need more of trained
personnel on ground and more equipment to
fight the insurgents.
"The Federal Government is interested in seeing
the end of the insurgency but if the type of
weapons used by the military and police in this
place does not change, I think the chances of
defeating this insurgency is very remote. They
must be provided with high-profile weapons."
The governor added: "How can you have a
smaller weapon and somebody has a rocket
launcher that can destroy a building, let alone
a human being. If the Federal government
provides the required weapons for the security
agencies, the problem will be over within
weeks."
The tragedy of the invasion of Damaturu came
to the fore yesterday. It emerged that no fewer
than 35 bodies in military uniform were
deposited at the morgue.
Twenty soldiers are hospitalised in Jos, the
Plateau State capital, it was also gathered.
Many insurgents were killed by the troops.
Thursday's attack in Damaturu was the first
raid in a major urban centre in several weeks
by the insurgent group waging a four-year
Islamist uprising.
Police and residents said large numbers of
Boko Haram fighters, some in vehicles and
others on foot, stormed Damaturu after dark.
Armed with guns and explosives, they attacked
and torched four police buildings, sparking a
fierce, hours-long gun battle with the security
forces.
"We have received lots of bodies in the last
three days from the attacks. I counted 35
bodies in military uniform," said a senior
official at the Damaturu Specialist Hospital,
who requested for anonymity.
An army officer based in Jos, the Plateau State
capital, said 20 soldiers had been admitted at a
hospital there, suffering from "gunshot wounds
sustained in the battle against Boko Haram in
Damaturu".
"They were brought here for security reasons
and better medical facilities," said the officer,
who also asked his name to be withheld.
The military rarely discusses troop fatalities
following Islamist attacks
Contacted by the AFP, Yobe State military
spokesman Capt. Lazarus Eli did not deny
reports that dozens of soldiers were killed
during the clash.
"We do not have any data on the death toll,"
Capt. Lazarus said.
Boko Haram has repeatedly worn military
uniforms as a disguise during attacks and it
was not yet clear if the bodies were those of
insurgents or troops.
The day after the attack, witnesses and local
officials did not say the insurgents who staged
it were disguised in uniforms.
Nigeria's sweeping offensive against Boko
Haram has entered its fifth month and the
military has described the group as being in
disarray and no longer capable of attacking
major population centres.
But the success of the operation remains
unclear and the attack in Damaturu, apparently
carried out by a significant number of
insurgents in a heavily fortified city, has cast
further doubt on the effectiveness of the
military offensive.
There are, however, signs that Boko Haram
has been pushed back into the Northeast, its
historic stronghold, after carrying out attacks
across the wider North through much of 2011
and 2012.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state
of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa
States in May and vowed to permanently end
the uprising.
Jonathan must decide whether to extend the
emergency measures when the six-month
mandate expires next month.
The conflict has killed thousands since 2009.
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