In our series of letters from African journalists, Mannir Dan Ali looks at the excuses made for the escalating insurgency in northern Nigeria.

As the relentless violence ascribed to militant Islamist group Boko Haram continues to claim lives and destroy livelihoods, the blame game as to who is responsible for the failure to stop the bloodbath has gone into higher gear.

Over the past week more than 200 people have died in bombings and gun attacks in the northern cities of Kano, Maiduguri, Damaturu and Mubi while Damasak town, near Niger's border, is reported to have been captured by the insurgents.

Initially, the authorities blamed communities for harbouring the insurgents and not supporting the security services enough.

When many young men and some women volunteered to put themselves in harm's way in order to help the security forces apprehend Boko Haram operatives, Nigerians began hearing strange claims by low-level soldiers that they did not have adequate arms and ammunition to face the insurgents.

'Unpatriotic' The military high command dismissed such accusations and blamed their lack of success against the insurgents on their unconventional method of warfare, involving bombings, assassinations, and raids on towns and villages.

However, for nearly a year before the Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped in April, the militants were camped out in the Sambisa forest, which straddles some states in the north-east, and no attempt was made to tackle them - the military could not use the excuse then that the militants were using the girls as human shields.

A 60 second guide to the militant group Founded in 2002 Initially focused on opposing Western education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria - also attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja Some three million people affected Declared terrorist group by US in 2013