According to Alex Badeh, the immediate past commander of the Nigerian military, fifth columnists within the military leaked sensitive information and operational plans to the Boko Haram terrorist sect.

“The activities of fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies who leaked operational plans and other sensitive military information to the terrorist, combined to make the fight against the insurgents particularly difficult,” he said.

“The activities of these unpatriotic members of the military not only blunted the effectiveness of the fight, but also led to the needless deaths of numerous officers and men who unwittingly fell into ambushes prepared by terrorists who had advance warnings of the approach of such troops.”

He described his task of coordinating the war against the insurgents as the “most complex and challenging assignment” of his 38-year-long career, he said he was saddled with the task of leading a military which lacked the “relevant equipment and motivation to fight an enemy that was invisible and embedded with the local populace”

Mr. Badeh, whose hometown, Mubi, was briefly captured by Boko Haram in 2014, was speaking on Thursday during his valedictory ceremony from the Nigerian Armed Forces.


Premium Times