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Introduction
The
unrelenting insecurity, terrorism/insurgency miasma in Nigeria is disturbing. Innocent
people are arbitrarily hacked to death, the issue is talked about for a few
days, a Committee/Panel is assembled and the whole episode fizzles out sooner
than later.
Terrorism/Insurgency and insecurity has taken a big toll on innocent lives,
public infrastructures and Nigeria’s economy. A recent report suggests Nigeria’s
military campaign against terrorism and insurgency may have gulped over N1 trillion. Caging Boko Haram has
hitherto proved cagey due to the unconventional (Guerrilla-war nature) of their
operation with a trend towards ‘Lone Wolf’ terrorism - maximizing the use of
surprise, terror by a loose network of
individuals or groups sympathetic to a common cause. The potency of terrorism is essentially
psychological; terrorists know they cannot win the war so they attempt to make
the price of their antagonist’s victory exorbitant.
The Boko Haram quagmire is analogous to a tse-tse fly that perched on the scrotum, utmost
application of force is detrimental and so is leaving it there. The United
States government understands these challenges hence they are advocating for a ‘’multi-faceted approach’’ to the Boko
Haram quandary. The US believes ‘Nigeria
requires strong character to overcome terrorism and that for ‘Nigeria to
successfully counter extremists within its territory, it needs to deploy all of
the strength of character it can muster against the nefarious activities of
insurgent groups’.
This
treatise is an appraisal of the underpinning causes of insecurity,
terrorism/insurgency and instability in Nigeria. The essay reviews Nigeria’s
approach so far at stemming the ugly tide and offers viable suggestions,
options that will help to curtail this festering trend.
Causes,
Factor’s Fuelling Terrorism/Insurgency and Instability in Nigeria
Contrary to widespread believe and in fairness to Boko Haram, the sect
may not after all be responsible for all the acts of terrorism and atrocities
credited to them. People settle scores somewhere and the Sect basks on it. An
example is the sporadic clashes in Plateau State (Jos) involving Fulani
herdsmen and so-called indigenes.
Beyond the guise of religion and politics, there
must be some compelling force that can galvanize an individual to waste his
life and that of others as a suicide bomber or a terrorist. Abysmal poverty, hopelessness/frustration,
and joblessness have the potency to do this. They say a hungry man is an
angry man. It will take an
amazing brain-washing dexterity to convince a gainfully employed young man or somebody
with a thriving career to abandon the frills of his endeavor and be a slavish
stooge for terrorism.
The Boko Haram miasma is the butterfly-effect
of a dysfunctional society. Urgent action must be taken to shrink unprecedented
corruption, culture of impunity/arrogance of power, acute poverty, soaring
unemployment and whittling radical religious fundamentalism by run-of-the-mill
clerics. Our extensive porous border contributes too. Efforts must be
geared towards ensuring that every Nigerian irrespective of place of birth or
the family he/she is born into has a chance to actualize his or her God-given
potentials. Skill acquisition programmes must also be put in place across Nigeria
to absorb, engage idle and frustrated youths.
The
Approach So far: Treating the Symptom, not the Causative Agent
The Boko Haram wahala did not start today; recall the
infamous dreaded Maitatsine group that reigned terror in some Northern States
of Nigeria in the 1980’s. The symptom of the disease was treated and the
disease metamorphosed again. Our bane in this
part of the world is that we are apt to postponing the evil day.
Smarting from an earlier haphazardly-packaged amnesty
largesse extended to ex-Niger Delta militants, some school of taught pummeled
the Federal government into tinkering with the possibility of granting BH
adherents amnesty only for the Sect to derisively spurn FG’s overtures.
A culture, penchant
and antecedent of a promiscuous amnesty is a subtle invitation to future
anarchy. The Igbo’s have a saying that ‘’aru gbaa afo, oburu omenala’’. In
English this roughly translates to ‘’when a crime/atrocity thrives for too
long, it becomes a culture’’.
Terrorists
and criminals are not completely faceless. No matter how reclusive they are, they
have friends, families etc. They communicate via phones and have internet
presence- email addresses, FaceBook, twitter accounts, issue Press Releases
online etc. No matter how meticulous and savvy they are, they cannot afford not
to inadvertently leave behind potential online ‘forensic fingerprint’ trails
via their call logs, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses etc. Osama Bin Laden was
larger than life and almost invincible for several years until he was
exterminated through a cobweb of American Intelligence network.
Designation of BH and Ansaru as
Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO’s)
In June
2012, the State Department slammed a bounty on Shekau and officially designated
him and two of his ilk- Abubakar Adam Ambar and Khalid al-Barnawi as
terrorists. Just recently, a powerful United States think tank, the Council on
Foreign Relations (CFR) confirmed that the leader of BH, Shekau is, indeed,
dead. The CFR asserts it is apparent that the latest video appearance of Shekau
was faked. It cuts no ice whether Shekau is dead or not. Emboldened wanton
killings by the Sect even after Shekau’s purported death lend credence to the
fact that his death holds no solution to stemming the activities of the Sect. The
State Department finally upped the ante by designating the duo of BH and Ansaru
as FTO’s. The US says this gambit will enable it to freeze assets, impose
travel bans on known members and affiliates of these groups as well as prohibit
Americans from offering material support.
It
is interesting that the Nigerian government that was once vociferous against
designating these organizations as FTO’s seem to have recanted its initial
opposition. What are the wider implications of this latest gambit by the US; are
we going to brace up for drone attacks in the hotbeds of BH insurgency as is
done in Afghanistan? Are we going to be witnessing Commando-style abduction of
suspected terrorists in Nigeria by the Americans the way they abducted Abu Anas
al-Libi in Libya?
State of Emergency Not A Lasting Solution
Deploying detachments of gung-ho
soldiers in the name of a ‘State of emergency’ in the hot-beds of Boko Haram
onslaught though a welcomed measure but not a lasting solution. The
7th Division of the Nigerian Army became operational on 22 August, 2013. With
this development, the Army is said to have wrestled full control of the fight
against terrorism/insurgency in the Northern part of Nigeria. Six months after the State of
Emergency, the BH blitz is yet to abate rather the blokes appear more daring, kamikaze.
What
happens if and when BH decides to
export their stock-in-trade to other less hostile states in the north or other
parts of the country, you also declare a state of emergency in those areas? We
suggest a critical reappraisal of the current strategy. An ongoing declaration of a state of emergency
will be self-defeating in the absence of a definite, coherent strategy that can
extinguish the wellspring terrorism/insurgency.
Nigeria’s
military high command seems to be re-thinking its strategy as the Chief of Army
Staff, Major Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, was said to have held a meeting with top
army commanders across Nigeria on the need to review strategies used in the
ongoing war against insurgency in Nigeria. Is this a subtle allusion that all
is not well with the current approach?
Fears Over Human Right Abuses
There
are widespread worries over serious human right abuses and extra-judicial
killings sequel to Nigeria’s ongoing fight against terrorism/insurgency. Both BH
and the security agencies seem to be complicit in human right abuses. A recent
Amnesty International report alleges deaths of hundreds of people in detention
facilities run by the JTF. The United Nations Human Right office warns that BH
could be liable for crimes against humanity. Another disturbing scenario is the
formation of the so-called ‘’Civilian JTF”. Host communities, civilians have a
role to play in providing nuggets of information to security agencies but
having these poorly trained and ill-equipped blokes at the forefront of the
fight against terrorists/insurgents is an anomaly, risky and has far-reaching
consequences. The
declaration of a ‘State of emergency’ is not a license for our Security Agents
to run amok. We immensely appreciate;
commend the sacrifices, unconventional and precarious nature of the onerous
task that Nigeria’s Security Agencies are encumbered with in the fight against
terrorism/insurgency. We respectfully implore them to stick to international
best practices/rules of engagement, be less pugnacious, very discerning and
surgical, more proactive and also strive to win hearts and minds. While
clarifying the United States Counter terrorism policy sometime in May 2013,
President Obama said, ‘’before any strike
is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or
injured-the highest standards we can set’’.
Concern Over ‘’incessant Committees’’
The penchant
for setting up chit chat paper-tiger committees in Nigeria is unbecoming. A few
examples will suffice: on April 17, 2013 President Jonathan set up a 26-member ‘’Presidential
Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the
North’’ headed by Mr. Kabiru Turaki. The Committee was given a 60-day time
frame to submit its report. Simultaneously, another Committee on Small arms and
light weapons was also constituted. The Turaki’s committee swung into action
with exuberance boasting that the BH imbroglio will soon be a thing of the
past. Shortly
before the commencement of the last Ramadan fasting, Mr. Turaki announced with pageantry
that his Committee had reached an ‘understanding’ for a ceasefire with Boko
Haram. This turned out to be a farce as Abubakar Shekau issued a Video Release
denying a ceasefire deal with the Turaki Committee. The Sect leader reportedly
said in Hausa language, ‘’we will not
enter into any agreement with non-believers or the Nigerian government’’.
After
all the razzmatazz and several months of dissipating tax-payers money, the
Committee managed to submit wishy-washy report calling for inter alia, ‘’the setting up of an advisory committee on
continuous dialogues that will have powers to advice the President on all
matters related to dialogue and resolution or crises’’. A committee was
also assembled to look into the indiscriminate killing of 8 people on Friday 20/09/2013
in an uncompleted building at
Bamanga Tukur Street, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, by Nigeria’s Security
Operatives. One is not sure anything has been heard of this
committee. The issue of the 60 bodies that were reportedly
sighted floating on Ezu River in Amensea, Anambra State is yet to be unraveled.
Please let us must do away with this culture of jamboree Panels, Committees and
sub-committees. There are specific agencies of government constitutionally
empowered to handle such issues rather than unnecessary duplication of roles
with its attendant fiscal profligacy.
By
Don
Okereke
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