Boko Haram: Time to declare war Concerned about the continuous killing of innocent Nigerians by the dreaded insurgents group, Boko Haram, the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum and Governor of Niger State, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu early this week urged President Goodluck Jonathan to declare a total war that would eliminate the sect in the northern region before the 2015 general elections in which the incumbent is contesting for presidency. This most recent appeal came in the aftermath of a suicide attack on the students of the Government Comprehensive Secondary School in Yobe State where about 50 students of the school were killed while about 80 others suffered various degree of injuries. BULUS GAMBO writes on the new twist of sporadic attacks by the insurgents despite the alleged ceasefire agreement entered into by both sides and its implication on the polity. LAST Monday, the students of Government Comprehensive Secondary School in Yobe State just like their other counterparts in other states of the federation were preparing to commence their academic activities of the day when the unexpected and unimaginable happened. A suicide bomber disguised like one of the school students while conducting their early morning assembly detonated explosives killing scores of these promising intellectuals and leaders of tomorrow. Most astonishing was the way and manner the bomber gained entrance into the school unnoticed. In fact, many individuals and security experts are of the opinion that the authorities concerned did not do enough to safeguard the school particularly at this crucial period of insecurity bedeviling the nation. Immediately after the attack, most of the staff and administrators of the school were unable to dictate and or really tell how the unfortunate incident took place that fateful day. It was so pathetic that none of them saw it coming. However, one of the victims of the school attack and an SS 2 student, Mohammed Isa only but gave a vivid account of the incident noting that the suicide bomber disguised as one of the students wearing a uniform and was on the queue with them before he detonated a bomb hidden in his bag. Reacting over the incident, the Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam called on the President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan to explain to the people of the North- eastern region and the entire country the modalities for the continued imposition of the emergency rule and why it had so far failed. The Governor in a statement by his spokesman, Mallam Abdullahi Bego said, “This morning, our state woke up to a very sad and heartbreaking news of a bomb attack on our young students at Government Comprehensive School, Potiskum in which no fewer than 35 students were killed and many more injured” According to him, “The Governor has noted that this is the fifth time in a little over one year when our schools in Yobe State were brutally attacked and students killed. There was Government Secondary School Damaturu, Government Secondary School Mamudo, College of Agriculture Gujba, Federal Government College Buni-Yadi and now Government Comprehensive School in Potiskum.” Just a few weeks ago, the federal government announced that it had successfully entered into a ceasefire consensus with the terrorist group which was eventually welcomed by the entirety of the citizens of the country. Many were relieved after the alleged truce considering the fact that the nation would eventually put this unabated madness behind and work towards providing its citizenry the dividends of democracy. Just as Nigerians were jubilating over the ceasefire agreement, the leader of the sect, Abubakar Shekau in a new video released obtained by AFP described the Nigerian government’s claims as a lie and apparently ruling out any possible future talks. This is not the first time that the government has announced that it has found a truce with the dreaded group. When it was announced the first time, not many Nigerians believed that a dangerous group like this could concede so easily. The hard line direction of the sect coupled with the dimensional connection to disintegrate the country is a big reason that these people are not prepared to give in so easily. This time around the citizens of this country are beginning to wonder about who is deceiving the citizens on a more agonizing and complicated matter as this? Who is taking the federal government for a ride and deceiving millions of the citizens of this country over a delicate issue such as this? How come proper contacts were not made to get to the bottom of this problem? Is the government in possession of credible individuals who can be trusted by both sides as real negotiators? In the past few days, the insurgents have also stepped up their attacks subjecting more people to untold hardship with their senseless killings of innocent citizens of the country. Days back, the insurgents attacked a bus station in Gombe State in North eastern part of the country, killing more than 30 people and injuring several others. Though three suspects connected to the attack were eventually arrested, it did not stop them from carrying out more attacks in the North eastern part of the country. As it is today, the problematic development in the region is beyond human comprehension. While the Nigerian security agents seem lost as to how to restore sanity in the region, the Boko Haram sect have continued to gain more grounds in the region. In Adamawa State alone; almost eight local government areas are presently under control of the insurgents. These include Madagali, Minchica, parts of Hong, Mubi South and Mubi North Local Government Areas. In what is presently described as the highest disgrace ever imagined aside the Nigerian civil wars the hometown of the two ministers from Adamawa State including that of the Chief of Defence Staff and the executive governor of the state have all been carved out of the nation by the sect. But again, more pathetic is the fact that these Islamic insurgents are targeting various churches and brutalizing Christians in the state with impunity. Last Sunday, scores more in predominantly Christian community of Sabon Gari were attacked and killed and property worth billions of naira destroyed. The fleeing residents of the communities disclosed that the insurgents arrived their villages Sunday morning and slaughtered several people as they were going to church. Reports indicated that some days before the most recent attacks in the area, the Nigeria troops in the area fled to Mubi, the second biggest city in Adamawa State which fell to the militants. Whether we as a nation like it or not, the activities of this sect has caused great anxiety and complete embarrassment to the once cherished integrity of this nation. More than this, hundreds of thousands of innocent lives have been killed by this group and many more will face similar situations if drastic actions and or measures are not taken to end these senseless killings in this country. As it is, no part of this country is safe from this elements. Indeed, even some states outside the North eastern states of the federation have come under serious attacks and people killed in very nasty circumstances. Just recently, the Nigeria Prisons Service released a disturbing report stating that a total of 2,327 prisoners were released following violent attacks on prisons across the country between 2009 and 2014. The spokesman of the service, Deputy Comptroller of Prisons, Ope Fatinikun in a press conference noted that about 46 prison officers were killed during these attacks. It is a known fact that the dreaded Boko Haram sect had been behind most devastating prison breaks in the nooks and crannies of the nation. In most cases during such attacks, the officers killed are dismembered just to show how callous these elements have become. For now, the Christian leaders in the North have in a consensus called for the suspension of all political activities in the North eastern region as a measure towards the total elimination of the sect. No doubt, the Christian community is apprehensive, moreso because of the fact that most of the victims of these senseless killings are Christians. Many people are also wondering whether political office holders could or can be suspended on the Plateau which experienced a far lesser crisis. What then is stopping the Presidency from doing same in the North eastern region of the nation? As it is today, no church has been left standing in this region and the homes of the faithful are ransacked on daily basis. This is happening in this contemporary era when the nation is constitutionally governed with a clear provision of liberty to religious practice. For Middle Belt region, the desire of the group is not only to Islamise the region but also to dislodge the various communities peacefully residing in the area.That is the more reason why the people of the region have been sporadically attacked and rendered homeless. Even in the midst of this hopeless situation, President Goodluck Jonathan has promised the citizens of this nation that everything humanly possible would be done to eliminate the insurgents from the country. Speaking during his declaration to recontest for the number one seat in the country in the aftermath of the Yobe school attack, the President declared that “ Many people have lost their lives and property to these mindless killings. Let me crave the indulgence of all present here to stand up and observe a minute silence in honour of these young lads who lost their lives . Clearly , this has cast a dark cloud on our nation but we will surely win the war against terror.” According to him, “A number of young men and women have been kidnapped by these criminal elements including our daughters from Chibok. We will free our daughters and defeat terrorism” Inspite of the continuous efforts by the government to put to an end these activities of insurgents, not many Nigerians have faith in these promises. So far, it is glaring that the terrorists on daily basis are gaining more grounds particularly in the North eastern region. There is great apprehension in the major cities of the country as no one any longer feels safe as the nation’s security agents are becoming more vulnerable as the days pass by. Despite the sophistication of our security agents, hunters are becoming the heroes of our time in the fight against Boko Haram. Just recently, the hunters in Adamawa State mobilized themselves and liberated or rather reclaimed Maiha after successfully killing over 80 of the militants in a single battle. For now , the feat by the hunters against the members of the sect has brought relief to the people of the community. Interestingly, this development is coming on the heels of another attempt by the military to launch an offensive and recapture Mubi amongst other villages that are at the moment under the control of the sect. The question many people in this country are asking is whether the army and other security agents in this country are well motivated to overrun these insurgents at this particular point in time. Indeed, the efforts of the security agents in eliminating these elements have not been too encouraging and that is the more reason why the nation is somehow in confusion. Infact, only a few citizens of this country are still of the opinion that the nation will still come out of this predicament unhurt. This will also depend on whether the President has the political will to end this problematic phenomenon once and for all. Till this very moment, the indicators are clear, the battle to overrun the sect is not heating up to convince all that the nation’s problems will soon be over. Perhaps, the only option left on the side of Jonathan is to step up the fight against Boko Haram in other to save many Nigerians from unwarranted death.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 12:19:40 +0000