12,000 youths+ex-service men Demand Permission to go after Boko Haram

Some of the ex-servicemen, who had served in the military, the police, and with the SSS, said today that they wished to join youths in the civilian joint task force (JTF) to stop Boko Haram’s incessant attacks and recent string of triumphs over demoralized Nigerian soldiers based in the violence-ravaged northeast of Nigeria.

With military officials and the government of Borno State quietly backing away from claims that the strategic town of Bama was still in the control of Nigerian soldiers, at least 12,000 volunteers gathered today in Maiduguri to offer their services in the war against the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. The volunteers, who gathered at the Maiduguri palace of the Shehu of Borno, Abubakar Umar Ibn- Garbai Elkanemi, urged the Nigerian government to accept their services in the war against terror.

Our correspondent reported that thousands of ex-service men, hunters, and youths said they were ready to become part of the increasingly critical war against Boko Haram, which recently has captured several towns in Borno and Yobe States and killed more than 2,000 civilians in the first half of 2014, according to Human Rights Watch.

Some of the ex-servicemen, who had served in the military, the police, and with the SSS, said today that they wished to join youths in the civilian joint task force (JTF) to stop Boko Haram’s incessant attacks and recent string of triumphs over demoralized Nigerian soldiers based in the violence-ravaged northeast of Nigeria.

The prospective volunteers trooped today to the palace of the Shehu of Borno to seek his support and cooperation in their desire to combat the seemingly energized and increasingly more brutal Islamist insurgents. Some of the vigilante volunteers vowed to enter Sambisa forest and other hideouts to hunt down Boko Haram militants and bring an end to the ongoing insurgency.

http://saharareporters.com/2014/09/04/maiduguri-12000-civilian-volunteers-demand-permission-government-go-after-boko-haram