by Wale Atanda

Less than 48 hours after President Buhari announced that Boko Haram had been defeated and driven out of its stronghold in the infamous Sambisa Forest, two suicide bombers attacked a busy market in Maiduguri, Borno State. While one successfully detonated his suicide vest, the other was apprehended before he could do the same. As at the time of this report, the number of casualties were reported to be at least 2 dead and 5 injured.

While Boko Haram’s defeat will be a most gratifying piece of news, the exaggeration of its defeat is doing no one any good. If at all, it only makes the military and the civilian populace laidback – and that can be a dangerous thing. We understand that Boko Haram is very dangerous terrorist group and it might take a while before they are eventually and conclusively defeated. What we do not understand is the need for the government to feed us half-truths and inconsistent news that are far from reality.

This would not be the first time that the government will exaggerate its wins against Boko Haram and this would not be the first time Boko Haram will prove them wrong. In December 2015, President Buhari averred that Boko Haram had been ‘technically defeated’ but in the following month, the terrorists attacked Dalori in Maiduguri, Borno State killing as many as 65 people and injuring many more. Residents however said the death toll was actually double the reported number.

In his 2016 Democracy Day speech, he also repeated this fallacy in the face of the various attacks mounted by Boko Haram between December 2015 and May 2016. Former VP, Atiku Abubakar, in November, warned that it was premature to claim victory over Boko Haram at the moment. He said that it is not over until every displaced person is able to return home, to the office, to the market, to the farm, and resume normal activities. How can Boko Haram be defeated when people can still get killed going to the market just like what happened on the 26^th of December when suicide bombers attacked a cow market barely 2 days after their defeat was announced?

The misrepresentation of the truth regarding the war against Boko Haram was something the previous government was known for – and disliked for. It seems this present government has picked up from where they left off and that is most unfortunate. A case in point are the numerous deaths of Abubakar Shekau, the Boko Haram leader, and his subsequent resurfacing in propaganda videos. Between 2013 and 2014, the Jonathan government announced on two different occasions, his death but the veracity of it was thrown into question when he appeared in videos debunking the government’s claim. The announcement by the military in August 2016 of the death of Shekau will be the 5^th time his death would have been announced. In September, he appeared in yet another video refuting the military’s claim.

We cannot go back to the era where we were fed false-truths regarding the war against Boko Haram. However, the statements emanating from the presidency seem to prove we are heading right back to where we started. This would be most unfortunate. This government needs to understand that there can be no victory until lives and properties are safe from Boko Haram. Until that happens, Boko Haram cannot be said to be defeated.

Isime Esene