The families of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members who paid the supreme price and died on battlefields in the fight against the insurgency have called on the Borno State government, philanthropists and God-fearing individuals to support them by providing food and, even more importantly, education fees for their children.
The widows and children of fallen CJTF fighters made the call on the Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 15, a commemoration to honour the lives of “fallen heroes” who died in the service of the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies, such as the CJTF. It also honours veterans of the World War I and II as well as the Nigerian Civil War.
Usman Ali Marte, who lost his dad, told RNI that initially his father was a businessman and philanthropist who always helped his neighbours and poor people around him.
“He joined the CJTF at the peak of the Boko Haram [Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād – JAS] insurgency and he bravely sacrificed his life and resources in the fight to bring about peace and stability not only in Borno State and the northeast region, but also in Nigeria as a whole.
“My father attained the rank of secretary in the CJTF due to his continued efforts in the fight against the insurgency. But now he is no more. He died about seven years ago and he left behind my mother, who is a schoolteacher, me, the eldest, and my two sisters.
“We have faced so many challenges and hardships in life since his demise but still we are very grateful to Almighty Allah because I, as a professional tailor, and my mother as a schoolteacher, bring in some money to cater for the needs of the family. But it is not enough. We are always struggling to feed and educate them. The Borno State supported us by providing food and scholarships for my two sisters to study in schools. Right now, one of my sisters is about to write her final-year exam of the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).
“So, we are still calling on the Borno State government, philanthropists and God-fearing individuals not to relent in assisting and supporting the families of CJTF members who died and paid the supreme price in the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency.”
Ya Gana Ibrahim, a widow, told RNI that her husband was a member of CJTF before he was killed in a bomb blast about six years ago in Rann, the headquarters of Kala-Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.
“My husband left me with seven children and all of them are studying in public schools. I’m the one sponsoring and paying their school fees because I know the value and importance of education. And I believe in the future my children will be able to make something of their lives.
“Sometimes the family faces serious challenges because we do not have food or money to cater for their needs. As I’m speaking now, my eldest daughter is studying nursing at college and she is about to write the final-year examination which costs about ₦80,000 and I can’t afford to pay such a huge amount of money but I’m optimistic that Almighty Allah will help us through.
“Since my husband died we have had no help from the government and none of the non-governmental organisations [NGOs] has provided humanitarian assistance. I continue to struggle by selling tiger nuts, fried soya-bean cake and other little business activities to feed my children and take care of their education.
“We are struggling to survive. We are desperate for aid from the government, NGOs and wealthy people in society. We need food and my children need scholarships to further their education.”
Baba Shehu Abdulganihu, overall commander of CJTF sector 4 in Maiduguri, told RNI that Armed Forces Remembrance Day was commemorated on January 15 to honour the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice by protecting the territorial integrity of their country.
“We pray for the souls of the fallen heroes and encourage the serving military, CJTF members and other security operatives to continue their counterinsurgency operations in the northeast and other parts of the country.
“Of course, there are many orphans and widows of slain CJTF members but most of them receive humanitarian assistance from the government which has provided food, shelters, employment and education. In fact, some months ago, the Borno State government launched a ₦300 million campaign to grant scholarships to more than 300 children of slain CJTF members.
“It also recently disbursed about N60 million to the Borno State Scholarship Board [BSSB] for one year to enrol some of the children of slain CJTF members into public or private schools of their choice. I was part of the committee and monitoring team. Some of the children are already enrolled in schools.
“In about two or three months, the government will distribute food to the families of CJTF members who lost their lives in counterinsurgency operations. The families receive food and other essential items, cash and humanitarian aid from the Sword Foundation every year, especially during festive seasons, such as Sallah, Christmas and Ramadan.”
Abdulganihu said the government had allocated plots of land to more than 150 families of slain CJTF members. The plots are near Borno State University [BOSU].
“The government also distributed more than 50 commercial vehicles to some families of slain CJTF members, so that they can use the cars as taxis within towns to generate money as a sustainable means of livelihood. The government also distributed cash ₦500,000 each to the families of slain CJTF members in various local government areas in Borno State.
“Recently, Major-General Christopher Musa, the outgoing Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai of Borno State, organised a gala dinner at Maimalari Barracks for more than 300 families of slain CJTF members, distributing cash support of ₦200,000 to each family.
“So, you can see the government has been trying its best to support the families of the fallen CJTF members. I would, however, like to call on philanthropists or wealthy individuals to consolidate efforts to help these families, especially with education costs and employment.”
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
