Date Published: 11/09/09

Boko Haram; We are still waiting for Umaru's Commission of Enquiry. By Ndiameeh Babrik

Any moment from Monday next week, the Emmanuel Abisoye commission of enquiry constituted by President Umaru Yar'adua to ascertain and enquire as to how religious fundamentalists acquired the sophisticated arms they used to kill and miame innocent Nigerians including four National Youth Corps members will beginning sitting in NIPSS Kuru Jos Plateau state. In that crisis, about 500 persons were said to have been killed at least by official version.

In the same vein but separate crisis called “Boko Haram Crisis” which engulfed the whole of the North East sub region and the states of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa in the North West, over 1000 Nigerians were murdered in cold-blooded anarchy with the highest toll of 800 recorded in Borno state. 25 policemen were killed by official version. 43 Churches were burnt in Maiduguri metropolitan city.

The Boko haram Islamic militia resisted the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force for five days and was returning stream of steady fire to the fire power of the Nigerian military as per the words of Colonel Ben Ahanotu the commander who led the operation to crush the insurgence. The Nigerian Army had to eventually fly some armoured cars from Jos to fight the fundamentalists before they could be subdued. They so much networked that they stroke simultaneously in Bauchi, Yobe , Borno, Gombe and Kano state. If the pictures we so on the internet is anything to go by, they had the best of military fatigue uniforms and later on we were told that most of them were trained in Algeria, while their arms came from Libya and Algeria and passed through the Nigerian border post at Jibiya, Katsina state on camels.

I decided to re-coup the above stories so that my readers will know and decide which of the crises deserves a presidential commission of enquiry as it relates to security implication for the Nigerian state.

I want us to have a serious debate on this issue, The Nigeria Village Square, let us have this in the square even if it is for academic purposes. These are the facts again. Jos crisis -500 killed, Boko Haram- over1000 people killed plus 25 policemen killed. Jos crisis, subdued by the Army in one day. Boko Haram, took the Army five days and have to use armoured cars

Jos crisis, involved only Jos metropolis in Jos North LGA Plateau state. Boko Haram, involved seven states of Bauchi, Gombe, Borno,Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, and Katsina.

Jos crisis, there was never an organised base or office, Boko Haram had a definitive leader with headquarters and base.

Based on the summary of these information given above and the security implication it has on Nigeria, wouldn't it be necessary for President Umaru Yar'adua to commission a high-powered board of enquiry or even a judicial commission of enquiry to go to the root of how Boko Haram got those their sophisticated arms and ammunition? More so that Mohammed Yusuf the Boko Haram leader and the alleged financier Buji Foi were summarily executed extra-judicially in police custody.

While Mr president it is time you show us that the Abisoye panel on the Plateau is not prejudicially formed with a Hausa/Fulani agenda as is being insinuated in the press. The Boko Haram crisis by all standard had more serious security implication for Nigeria then the Jos crisis considering the magnitude of arms used and the number of innocent people killed. In this view I urge Mr President to immediately commission a judicial commission of enquiry with full powers to determine how Boko Haram got their arms and ammunition and to ascertain their sponsored both locally and abroad.

Certainly Mr President, he who wants equity must do equity. What is applicable on the plateau should be applicable in Bauchi, Kano and Borno states.

Thanks for reading,

Ndiameeh Babrik

ndiame_2005@yahoo.co.uk