Military Violates Ceasefire as Troops on the Front line Claims Ignorance of Truce, Battle Boko Haram in Damboa

It appears the Nigerian military has also violated the ceasefire agreement reached with the Boko Haram insurgents group as Nigerian troops battle insurgents in Damboa Borno State.

Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh had on Friday announced that the Nigerian military and Boko Haram sect has reached a ceasefire deal.

“Without any prejudice to the outcome of our three days interactions, and the conclusions of this forum, I wish to inform this audience that a ceasefire agreement has been concluded between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Allul Sunna Li Daawa Waj Jihad.

“I have accordingly directed the service chiefs to ensure immediate compliance with this development in the field,” Badeh said.

The announcement of the ceasefire deal was however followed by violent attacks in Borno and Adamawa States at the weekend, where no less than 30 persons have been killed and 40 women abducted in Adamawa village.

But while the Nigerian government claims the truce is real and it is keeping to its own side of the bargain, military officers on the frontline claimed that they were yet to receive operational order that they cease hostilities. As a result, the troops from the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army on Sunday fought dozens of suspected members of Boko Haram in the town of Damboa in Borno state, witnesses and security sources said.

“Honestly, we are yet to receive any operational order on the ceasefire.As such, we are battle-ready and would confront the terrorists if we see them,” a senior military officer told the AFP.

Another senior intelligence official in the region also indicated to AFP that he had not received word about the purported ceasefire.

The vigilante group who have been involved in the fight against the insurgents also engaged the sect in a battle saying the ceasefire appears to be a sham.

“We all heard of the ceasefire over the radio but it seems the insurgents are not perturbed at all,” a resident, Mallam Babagana, said on Sunday.

“To me, they (the militants) don’t even care about it because they increased their attacks from Friday, the very day the ceasefire was announced. By Saturday, they hoisted their flags.”

Babagana said local hunters on their way to recover the bodies of the eight fought battles with militants on Saturday in Azul, also in the Hawul local government area.

“The unrelenting terrorists waylaid our members at around 9:00 am and serious fighting ensued,” said Babagana, who heads a local vigilante group.

“We lost four of our members and we killed three terrorists.”

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