AND A FRIEND DIES Every day the carnage in the North East appears to be a distant war fought in an unseen spectre by unknown actors. But alas when a friend you know dies in the melee of the confusion of the North one must rethink the value of life. I first knew Sani Salisu Daura as a NYSC Doctor in 2004 in the Ancient city of Kano. A young idealistic man who just graduated from Bayero University Kano. His dreams and hopes were bottled in his genuine desire to be a patriot and defend his country from both internal and external threats. The last I knew he had joined the Nigerian Army as a commissioned officer to serve and protect his nation. But as the years rolled by, the officer and gentleman that he is he withdrew him into his shell, thus he was totally unwilling to be engaged in National issues so as not to jeopardise his fellow military colleagues. In 2012 he got married I heard but now sadly leaves behind his wife and child to mourn his loss. Captain Sani was killed while on patrol near Mubi, Adamawa State in an ambush perpetuated by the Boko Haram Terrorist Network. Indeed many feel the Nigerian military is not doing enough to contain these terrorists but alas fighting an unseen enemy that has guerrilla warfare tactics up its sleeves is never easy. Every soldier that falls on the battlefield is one less gun pointed at the terrorists. It is sad and brings to the fore what kind of odds the Nigerian Military is facing in the North East. Are our soldiers well kitted in Kevlar and flak jackets? Do they have night vision capability? What kind of armament is in their armamentorium? What about military vehicles? It is indeed sad to see military patrols still being conducted in soft skinned exposed Toyota Hilux pick up trucks. This is totally madness and offers troops absolutely no protection in the advent of an ambush. True these vehicles are fast and agile but to sacrifice protection for mobility is akin to rushing our gallant troops to their death. Billions of Dollars and countless lives have been spent and lost fighting this insurgency but despite this we are no where closer to victory over them. One wish one could be a fly on the wall to eavesdrop on the Senate closed door meeting with the service chiefs two days ago. After an 8 hour session am sure the mean old soldier General David Mark the Senate President must have given those chiefs a real telling off. There is no sane Nigerian alive that can honestly feel happy at this insurgency. And to lose someone you know to such senseless carnage is even more disheartening. May God grant eternal rest to Captain Sani Salisu Daura. He was an Officer and a Gentleman. May his young wife and child be given the fortitude to bare this irreplaceable loss. I just pray that his death will not be in vain. Amen
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 05:31:30 +0000
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