A research paper prepared for the European peace facility (EPF), an European Union project for peace support operations across the globe, has revealed that terrorists groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP), had launched 500 attacks on military base and formations of the Multi-national Joint Task Force (MNJTF) BETWEEN 2015 and 2020.
The paper presented by a researcher and director, S4 Initiatives (Safeguarding security sector stockpiles) based in Borex, Switzerland, Mr. Eric Bernan, titled: “The Management of lethal material in conflict settings: existing challenges and opportunities for European peace facility”, said lethal weapons including small and light arms seized from the military bases during attacks by terrorists, sustained the 12 years insurgency in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region.
While the report cited corruption and diminished morale as being largely responsible for loss of equipment, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has however said the Armed Forces of Nigeria were winning the war against insurgency in all the theatres of operations, including the north east and the north west regions of the country.
Defence Spokesman, Maj. Gen. Olufemi Sawyerr, said the fact that thousands of insurgents were surrendering with their families and laying down arms, was an indication that government was winning the war against insurgency, adding that the fact of surrender was also a sign of victory for the nation.
But the research paper claimed that between 2015 and 2020, some 2,368 “uniformed personnel fatalities were recorded”, stressing also that the insurgents launched 500 attacks on MNJTF bases within a six- year period, where no fewer than2,368 military personnel were killed.
A breakdown of the figure showed that Nigeria recorded 1952 fatalities while Chad recorded 217, Niger 132 and Cameroun 67.
Furthermore, the figures showed that Nigeria lost134 personnel in 2015, 157 in 2016, 171 in 2017, 425 in 2018, 642 in 2019, and 423 in 2020. The report said Chad recorded loss of one soldier in2015, four in 2016, nine in 2017, zero in 2018, 34 in 2019 and 169 in 2020.
Niger, however, recorded 14 in 2015, 57 in 2016, zero in 2017, 19 in 2018,22 in 2019 and 20 in 2020. Cameroun on the other hand recorded 36 in 2015, nine in 20116, one in 2017, zero in 2018, 21 in 2019 and zero in 2020.
