Boko Haram invades a Nigerian military base equipped with weapons

On 18 November, a military base in Metele, northeastern Nigeria, was allegedly invaded by Boko Haram militants. It is estimated that more than a hundred soldiers were killed and important military equipment looted. Nigerian soldiers reportedly made a video showing and telling the consequences of the attack. Much of the incident remains unclear or controversial.

The video, lasting less than five minutes, shows tanks and other destroyed military equipment, which the narrator of the video claims to be inadequate and obsolete. He says this is true of most military equipment provided to Nigerian soldiers. France Media Agency has a description of the video, Premium Time interview with an alleged survivor of the attack and Sahara TV (the TV channel of Reporters from the Sahara, a Nigerian-based New York-based media outlet) has posted what appears to be the video in question, or something similar.

In a statement, the Nigerian army headquarters refers to several videos and calls them "falsified", "false news" and fake. His spokesman threatens lawsuits against those who broadcast them and calls for public support from the army. Among other things, the military says that a much smaller number of soldiers were killed at the Metele base than the hundred reported in the video and other reports. For many Nigerians, military declarations have little credibility after years of prevarication and misrepresentation. President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his "shock" about the Metele incident and summoned his department heads to discuss the issue.

The claims that the Buhari administration and the Nigerian army do not give soldiers the equipment necessary to fight Boko Haram recall similar accusations against the presidential administration Goodluck Jonathan at most strong of the Boko Haram insurgency between 2014 and 2015. Nigeria, as now facing the upcoming presidential elections, that Buhari would win. He campaigned on a platform to fight corruption and restore security, and the defeat of Boko Haram was at the center of his campaign.

The apparent renaissance of Boko Haram therefore represents for President Buhari an electoral responsibility and an additional danger for Nigerians in the Northeast. In addition, according to Nigerian officials, the terrorist group has reportedly recently abducted some 18 girls from two villages near the border with Nigeria. The episode recalls the Boko Haram kidnapping of Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, although the large-scale kidnapping of schoolgirls has become a common feature of the insurgency from Boko Haram. The inability of the Jonathan administration to provide for the army was largely blamed on corruption. President Buhari has launched a highly publicized anti-corruption initiative, although many Nigerians consider it ineffective. Therefore, the rebirth of Boko Haram and accusations that the army is poorly supplied could recall earlier allegations of shamelessness and corruption of the Jonathan government against which Buhari had campaigned.