The landscape that stretches away from the indirect
border separating northeastern Nigeria from Cameroon is arid, barren and very
difficult to defend. Which is why Malo, a corporal in a Nigerian mobile police
unit, and his fellow officers were glad to see a convoy of reinforcements
unexpectedly show up where their patrol was resting earlier this month, near
the border village of Gamboru. Then the reinforcements, which included
army-issue armored cars and heavy-caliber weaponry, began shouting "Allahu
Akbar!" and opened fire; 13 police officers were killed in the ambush, Malo
told VOA in an exclusive interview.
Their bodies rotted in the hot sun for three days.
The bogus reinforcements, he said, were Boko Haram militants. "These insurgents
come armed with thousands of bullets, and we carry only 30," said Malo, a
14-year veteran officer who asked to be identified only by his first name to
avoid retribution from his superiors.
"You cannot get 60 bullets until you pay a bribe.
How in the world can you fight someone who attacks you with thousands of
bullets while you have only 30?" he asked.
In the convoy used by the attackers, Malo told VOA,
were two armored vehicles mounted with high-caliber guns that had Nigerian army
emblems on them - an indication they had been stolen or seized from a federal
arsenal somewhere. The other vehicles were Toyota pickup trucks.
Some of the attackers also wore army-issue camouflage.
Malo said his unit, which is analogous to a rapid
response tactical police team — has often gone hungry since being deployed five
months ago to the northeastern state of Borno, whose capital is Maiduguri.
He said his police colleagues’ bodies rotted in the
sun for three days because the state government refused to pay the required
embalming fees to the local hospital.
Among rank-and-file officers, many feel that senior
officers are purposely avoiding confronting Boko Haram militants head-on so
they can skim off the increasing funding, and supplies, for their own purposes.
Malo said he gets paid the equivalent of about $200
a month, a minuscule sum given rising prices and the fact that he’s working to
battle a violent insurgency.
"It is a big joke to invite the world to come and
fight for us. We have the necessary gear to fight this battle, but we are not
being given the tools," he said. ”How do you want us to fight them? With our
bare hands?
"For goodness sake, how can a hungry policeman
arrest anyone, I ask you?" he added.
"My suggestion is to find intermediaries whom
would facilitate negotiations between the government and the opposition, and
any other resource that would help to bring an end to this problem," he told
VOA.
But Malo said more help is needed on the front line.
"The dead have no problem," he said."”It is the
living who are suffering. Let them give us sufficient weapons and they would
see what would happen."
16 Comments
Dis story is fearful
ReplyDeleteFot who cre8ed d world, watz our govt doing?
ReplyDeleteU can now imagine y dat mutiny occured in Borno
ReplyDeleteTz heartbreaking
ReplyDeleteEwoooooo...meanin dey set dem to their deathz2
ReplyDeleteGod forbid bad tinz
ReplyDeleteJesus!!
ReplyDeleteSo Police bribe to get 30 bullets & u call ds a country
ReplyDeleteThere's a heavy sabotage n going on
ReplyDeleteVery sad post
ReplyDeleteOw can boko haram steal or capture such weapon from d army witout being announced..demos were gotten 2 rou saboteurs
ReplyDeleteSo shameful &! Sad dat officers guarding d illegal borders even haf to go hungry
ReplyDeleteThey've sabotaged GEJ's govt hands down
ReplyDeleteChoi! Ds is pure nonsense
ReplyDeleteWe all need to pray honestly
ReplyDeleteSeriously, we all need 2 pray cos no 1 is saved, God save us, GEJ has failed nigeria
ReplyDelete