Rescue of Cameroon Minister's wife: Nigerian military has proved impotent

Only recently over 200 members of Boko Haram sect were alleged to have
moved to one of the nation's neighbouring countries, Cameroon and
kidnapped the wife of the Deputy Prime Minister, Amadou Ali.

Few days after the abduction, the Cameroonian Army in a successful
operation, rescued the abducted deputy Prime Minister's wife. The
quick rescue came on the heels of over 200 Female students of
Government Secondary Schoool, Chibok, Borno that have been held
captive for 110 days now.

With no arrest of those behind the kidnap of Chibok girls and no
rescue of the girls by our security agencies, Saturday Vanguard sought
to know what the action in Cameroun tells of our security agencies.

Prof Itse Sagay, SAN

I really do not want to draw conclusions on the rescue of wife of
Cameroon's Vice Prime Minister that was kidnapped by the Islamic
militant group Boko Haram because we do not know what was involved.

However, my view has always been that this country has not done the
very best it can do about the Chibok girls, regardless of what has
happened in Cameroon.

Our military has proved impotent, very impotent, regardless of what
happened in Cameroon. Because Boko Haram can move anywhere and attack
Chibok 20 times in one month and not one military confrontation with
them. So, it is as if the military has given up as far as Boko Haram I
am concerned.

Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh and President Jonathan

And they are more interested in attacking civilians, who are unarmed
rather than going to Sambisa forest. Regardless of what happened in
Cameroon, I think our military so far has failed. What they have done
is far from the standard of their training and expenses that we have
invested in them.

Former Nigerian Bar Association, NBA President, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba SAN

It means that the Cameroonians have a clear strategy that is working;
and that we should emulate what they are doing. It is quite a while
that we have been expecting something to come out of the Chibok issue
and nothing has happened.

So, if the Cameroonians can do it, I am sure that we can do it. So,
the lesson to we Nigerians is that a small country like Cameroon can
deal with the Boko Haram problem. We have always said that Nigeria is
the giant of Africa, so there is no reason why we cannot do it.

It is just for us to really determine, with a very clear strategy, on
how to deal with this Boko Haram issue without looking at it from
religion, ethnic and political point of view.. We just have to agree
that we have to do it because we are all Nigerians and we are fighting
for our kidnapped kids.

Chief Morah Ekwunoh
No doubt, the cheery news of the Cameroonian military's storming of
Boko Haram's den, and the prompt, precise, highly successful,
commendable and exemplary rescue of their Prime Minister's wife
sends loud, clear and unmistakable message to their Nigeria military
counterparts. Compare that with the kidnap and detention by the same
sect of our school girls from Chibok and you will feel for Nigeria..
No wonder we didn't go to war over Bakassi.

The loud, clear and unmistakable message sent to our military is in
clearly multidimensional and multifaceted terms of teaching, if not
mocking us about their superior military suzette over and above us;

I am shocked as to the overall messages sent to us by that singular
display of their military prowess.

Mr Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa

I am concerned that Nigeria has no will or intention to prosecute the
war against Boko Haram or rescue our Chibok girls from the grip of the
Islamic sect group. When you compare Nigerian Armed Forces with those
of Cameroon in terms of resources and equipment available to Nigerian
soldiers, there is no reason why Cameroon will overpower Boko Haram
better than Nigeria can do.

"I believe that our leaders are just playing politics with the fate
and destiny of our girls. As it is now, we need international help
from the United States, European Union and United Nations to rescue
the Chibok girls."

Chief Uwazuruike,

The situation here is not the same thing with that of the Cameroonian
woman. In the process of rescuing her, 16 people were killed. The
Chibok girls' situation is different from hers. Do we start shooting?
We are talking about over 200 girls here and if anything is going to
be done, the girls have to come out live. They did not rescue her in
Nigeria; she was rescued in Cameroon, if our Federal Government should
use force, a lot of lives would be lost, it's a gradual process.

From Vanguard