Digging trenches here and there really doesn't end the bombings. It merely suspends it. It just makes Boko Haram look for alternatives. When you enclose a section of a town it's only a matter of time before they look for another route... So why don't we cover all possible angles, without giving them an option? Why is it so difficult to end this mayhem?

The trenches are being dug in the bush on the eastern side of the University of Maiduguri (Photo by Observer Adam Bulama)

Boko Haram was first formed in Maiduguri in 2002 and the city has been a frequent target of the group’s attacks. Trenches are already used in Maiduguri as one type of barrier against Boko Haram, but haven’t been built at the university, which has a perimeter wall instead. The western side of the campus, which faces towards the centre of town, is well guarded by security, but the eastern side has traditionally been easier to breach. The trench is meant to provide one more layer of protection for an institution that has been repeatedly targeted by the jihadist group.One of our Observers in Maiduguri, who did not want to be named, is not convinced that this measure will be truly efficient:At least 20,000 people have been killed by the group since it began its full-on insurgency against the Nigerian government in 2009. Many more have been displaced. In April 2014, about 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a girls secondary school in Chibok, which is south of Maiduguri. This one incident drew international attention, but the insurgency marches on.