The federal government may be encountering difficulties in getting assistance of foreign mercenaries to help in the war against Boko Haram.
This attitude is coming at a time of renewed calls by the North East Governors Forum on the Federal Government to engage foreign mercenaries in routing Boko Haram terrorists in Sambisa forest and other insurgents’ enclaves.
Reasons for this cold attitude it was gathered, was alleged claims by mercenaries earlier engaged for such exercise of their exposure and that of their Nigerian intelligence experts to ridicule by succeeding Nigerian governments after the expiration of their contract by the former President Good luck Jonathan’s government.
It will be recalled that in the wake of the recent attack on Zabarmari Community where at least 43 farmers were massacred by Boko Haram insurgents in Koshobe rice field, Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum called on the Federal Government to engage foreign military contractors in the fight against Boko Haram.
Zulum’s call was later backed by the North East Governors Forum while meeting with him at the council chamber of the Government House in Maiduguri during a condolence visit.
Also it will be recalled that during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria had covertly brought in ‘military-technical advisers’ suspected to be mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to take on Boko Haram ahead of the national election in 2015.
Several regional security, defence and diplomatic sources were aware of the development at the time including a tacit confirmation by President Jonathan that two companies were providing “trainers and technicians” to help Nigerian forces.
One of the facilitators of “soldiers of fortune”, speaking to PRNigeria under the condition of anonymity, bemoaned the humiliations, persecutions of foreign mercenaries along with their Nigerian counterparts who participated in the operation after the emergence of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “In fact, some of our covert operations and activities of operatives in Nigeria including incurred casualties were exposed as working for mercenaries. Imagine that even highly classified and coded transactions for operational purposes were exposed as corruption.”
While noting that some of their payments for operations executed are still outstanding, he said, “It’s easier to confirm what we did because we were able to recover dozens of towns from Boko Haram from at least three states in the North-East at the time. This is an open secret.”
He expressed regret and disappointment that some Nigerian military and intelligence officers who participated in the operation were not only retired but prosecuted and convicted.
He stated that the mercenaries find it difficult to work in a country where their operations, strategy and thinking are exposed to the media and judicial processes.
The secret agent confirmed that top government officials at federal and state levels are reaching out to them but reiterated their resolve not to come back.
Source:PR Nigeria
