BY: IFEANYI IZEZE
The narrative is common knowledge that ten years ago, in July 2009
precisely, Nigeria’s security forces swooped in on what was then a
relatively little-known Islamic group in the north east of the country.
At the time, that group’s focus was preaching, although it believed
al-Qaeda’s path would bring Nigerian Muslims out of their abyss by
living a Taliban lifestyle. The joint security clampdown led to the
death of scores of its members, including the leader and cleric,
Muhammed Yusuf. As a result, the man who succeeded him, Abubakar Shekau,
vowed to revenge the killing of their leader and members and a merciless
bloody campaign ensued.
As said by an analyst, Matthew Page, Associate Fellow with the
London-based international affairs group Chatham House, in his comment:
“Boko Haram is a very decentralized group, which contrasts with other
jihadist groups that are tightly organized. Boko Haram doesn’t have
much in the way of coherent strategy and focus, yet they have defied the
odds and survived.”
At times, government’s sincerity in addressing the menace of the group
looks suspicious and this has been responsible for the allegations
whether right or wrong that some politicians and top military officers
may clandestinely be fuelling the activities of the group for pecuniary
reasons.
It is on record that the Nigerian military personnel at the forefront
in the fight against this extremist group are deliberately neglected to
weaken or rather demoralise them. All these support the allegations of
complicity and the Nigerian Army High Command is not telling us
everything there is to this now cancerous Boko Haram menace in the
northern parts of the country.
Whether anybody wants to hear this or not, the recent spate of violence
visited on Nigerians in the Northwest cannot be denied of being a
metamorph of the Boko Haram menace in the Northeast. Call them
“bandits” or “cattle rustlers” from hell, we know they are a
detachment of the same people operating in the northeast but probably
dislodged by the military campaign of the “Operation Lafia Dole”.
Several observers both foreign and local have alleged that certain
Nigerian officials are profiting from the unrest via corruption and have
little interest in ending the bloodshed. Do we need an outsider to tell
us that the Nigerian government/Army has been ineffective in combating
Boko Haram, largely as a result of insincerity and corruption? Thus,
despite serial claims that the armed group has been “technically
defeated” the Nigerian Army still struggles to contain the violence.
Today, a decade since it was almost wiped out, Boko Haram has an
estimated 6,000 fighters [1] broken into two factions. The larger and
more sophisticated group claimed to be affiliated with the so-called
Islamic State and known as Islamic State in West Africa Province
(ISWAP). The smaller and cruder faction is led by the notorious Abubakar
Shekau [2] and is called _Jama’at Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-Dawah wa-l-Jihad_
(JAS).
IS BOKO HARAM’S LEADER DEAD? INSANE? NEITHER?
Why is understanding Boko Haram so hard? Because the Nigerian terrorist
group is led by a vicious, cunning enigm…
Whether our military is wining the fight against these insurgents or not
is even a lesser issue in this entire Boko Haram conspiracy. The main
cause of concern to every genuine patriotic Nigerian should actually be
the ongoing Nigerian government/Army policy of not only de-radicalising
and rehabilitating the so called repentant terrorists but automatically
re-engaging them into the Nigerian military. There is a big problem
there!
The commentary on “Roots Tv” that was widely shared on the Utube and
across several other social media platforms cannot but jolt any
concerned Nigerian into thinking deep on the way our political leaders
including the leadership of the Nigerian Army have handled this Boko
Haram issue making the insurgents now look as if they have become
“omnipotent and omnipresent.”
Agreeing with the worries expressed by the “Roots Tv” commentator,
it is very crucial we do a recap here: As said in the broadcast, “What
Nigerian army is doing is simply recycling insurgency. It is easier for
you to rehabilitate somebody who is mentally derailed either as a result
of drugs abuse or from any other factor. It is easier to rehabilitate
and redefine his mindset and make him a better person and re-engage him
into the society.
“A terrorist is an extremist; he is doing all his doing not based on
how much you are giving him or whatever he is going to gain. He is an
extremist that can sacrifice even his life and still thinks what he is
doing is to the glory of God almighty.”
Now let’s look at it from where we are coming from as a nation of
people: Once upon a time we had Odua Peoples Congress (OPC) and these
people terrorised the South-West and the government dislodged them
because of the excesses in their activities. They were never seen as
potentials to be re-engaged into the Nigerian Army.
We had Bakasi Boys in the South East, they were also pushed away by the
Nigerian security and their activities banned. They were never seen as
potentials to be re-engaged into the Nigerian military.
We also had the Niger Delta militants under different franchise- MEND,
Avengers and the rest of them. Though they were given amnesty by the
federal government but these young men who displayed the potentiality to
dislodge the Nigerian military joint taskforce and confronted them
headlong in so many instances were never seen as potentials to be
re-engaged into the Nigerian military.
MEND never killed a single innocent person, never threw bombs in
markets, churches/mosques, bus stops etc. They made their grouse clearly
known at the onset that they were protesting the marginalisation of the
region that produces the oil wealth that has been carrying the entire
nation for decades. Yet, two of their leaders are currently serving life
sentence in prison.
The recent one is IPOB whose members were dislodged and even proscribed
by the Nigerian government and most of them are still in detention. This
group of persons have never been seen as potentials that will be
rehabilitated and engaged into the Nigerian military.
“Now, here we have confirmed terrorists and unrepentant mass
murderers; people who have seen the Nigerian military to be their number
one enemies; people who have come out headlong to confront Nigerian army
killing them and other innocent people, they will just go and say they
have surrendered and the next thing Nigerian Army and the government
aside the billions of dollars being spent on security because of this
Boko Haram will go and again pay more money rehabilitating them and the
worst of it engage them into the Nigerian military.
This is the real danger: In the next 10-20 years we will have thousands
of Boko Haram terrorists in our Nigerian military and what else does
this mean if not “recycling insurgency.” So what the Military High
Command is encouraging is that if you want to join the Nigerian
military, simply go and join Boko Haram first, after one or two months
surrender yourself and the Nigerian military will carry you to do what
they call rehabilitation after which engage you straightaway, that’s
what it means.
Meanwhile, this country has more than enough vibrant and able youths who
want to join the Nigerian army but the opportunity is not given to them
but here are terrorists being given automatic ticket to join the
Nigerian Army.
What is so important that will make these terrorists officers of the
Nigerian military? There is danger that lies ahead and let Nigerians
including the docile leaders of the various ethnic groups see this and
wake up and speak up now that there’s time.
Is this not multiplying insecurity and terrorism in the land? This is
dangerous for this nation and except all Nigerians in unison speak up
against this ugly trend now, when the problem will start manifesting,
what we are seeing in the North East will be a child’s play. God Bless
Nigeria!
(IFEANYI IZEZE: IIZEZE@YAHOO.COM; 234-8033043009)
Links:
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[1] https://twitter.com/A_Salkida/
[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?