The Digest:
Former Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor has disclosed the profound human cost of Nigeria's long-standing conflict. According to his new book, reported by Leadership, the 12-year war against Boko Haram claimed the lives of at least 2,700 officers and soldiers, a toll he describes as vast enough to be "equated to a pandemic," challenging the nation's memory and unity.
Key Points:
- Former Defence Chief Lucky Irabor revealed 2,700 military personnel were killed between 2009 and 2021.
- The figures were disclosed in his new book, "SCARS: Nigeria’s Journey and the Boko Haram Conundrum."
- Irabor strongly denied claims that soldiers from a particular faith or ethnicity were disproportionately deployed and killed.
- He cited a UNDP report estimating nearly 350,000 total deaths from the conflict by 2020.
- The retired general criticized international sanctions against Nigerian officers, which he called devastating and unjust.
- He analyzed how Boko Haram's tactics have inspired separatist violence in the South-East and South-West.
- Irabor framed the deaths as an "eternal scar" and a critical lesson for building a virile nation.
Sources: Leadership
