IMPOSSIBILITY OF SILENCE Category: Friday column Published on Friday, 25 July 2014 05:00 Written by Adamu Adamu adamuadamu@dailytrust Hits: 1842 0 Comments An event has occurred upon it is difficult to speak and impossible to be silent, George Orwell once said; and that may describe exactly what happened in Kaduna Wednesday afternoon in the simultaneous suicide-bomb attacks targeting Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi and General Muhammadu Buhari. Although no one has claimed responsibility for this attack, it is almost certain that it will be blamed on Boko Haram, a phenomenon that is becoming more of an all-purpose vehicle on which to load every criminal outrage, and it is becoming even more misunderstood with the passage of time. And even if it claims responsibility for it, a claim is just a claim; our world here is in no position to ascertain the veracity of such matters—or even interested. So, even if it claims or a claim is made on its behalf, what will have been its motive in attacking the Sheikh and the General? If its motive is the establishment of an Islamic state as has been stated by its leadership and repeated by analysts, it is difficult to see how killing either of them can advance such a cause. If its identity is to be accepted as valid and of bona fide genuineness, the fact that it could at one time consider the General as a possible mediator in its fight against the nation and the issues it had with the government, ought to prove that it ordinarily had nothing against him. His profile did not match his becoming a target for Boko Haram; and he was not part of the book brotherhood that had stolen the nation dry and which had drawn the ire of the group. The same kind of logic ought to inform the attack on the Sheikh. He was not only considered a possible mediator at some time, but had actually begun helping to broker a ceasefire that would lead to a cessation of hostilities. And even when, as a result of factional infighting or some procedural matters, some members opposed to the settlement being arranged, moved to scuttle the effort, they asked the Sheikh to hands off because they said they respected him. This didn’t sound like someone who would soon be made their target. Now, we must ask ourselves what exactly is happening. In the recent past, attempts have been made to ignite a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims; and this largely failed due to the understanding and exemplary forbearance shown by Christians in spite of all the sabre rattling of the Christian leadership. At the time this was going on, attempts have been made to eliminate the traditional northern leadership— emirs, elders, politicians and some retired military men. It is really difficult to separate all this and look at it in isolation from the political warfare that leaders of thought from a section of the southern parts of the country have unleashed on the North. But the seriousness of the implications of the latest attacks were such that the United States has reportedly called upon the Federal Government to conduct a full inquiry into these attacks; and for a number of reasons the government would do well to listen to this wise counsel. One, while on the surface Boko Haram, as a movement with the aim of establishing a state within a state, doesn’t appear to have a motive for attacking the General, the government does. While it may not have any motive to attack the Sheikh who appears to support it, it does have one in respect of Buhari who seems to have the electoral clout to create real difficulties for the government’s hope in 2015. Desperation in this case can easily translate into action where there is the means, motive and opportunity. Two, two days before the attack on him, General Buhari had issued a statement on the national condition in which he accused the president of having declared war on Nigeria and Nigerians. “Our country has gone through several rough patches, but never before have I seen a Nigerian president declare war on his own country as we are seeing now. Never before have I seen a Nigerian president deploy federal institutions in the service of partisanship as we are witnessing now. Never before have I seen a Nigerian president utilize the common wealth to subvert the system and punish the opposition, all in the name of politics,” Buhari said. “Our nation has suffered serious consequences in the past for egregious acts that are not even close to what we are seeing now. It is time to pull the brakes.” President Jonathan found so much difficulty accepting the criticism that he found it necessary to disrobe the General of the toga of statesmanship with which he clothed him when he issued an earlier statement on security that appeared supportive. Three, former governor of Adamawa State Admiral Murtala Nyako had, at a seminar in the United States in March, and in an April 4, 2014 letter to the Northern Governors’ Forum, accused the government of genocide against the North and being behind the Boko Haram phenomenon. If the group claims, or a claim is made on its behalf for, this attack, it will appear to support the position of the former Adamawa governor. The accusation by the governor is believed to be the reason behind his impeachment last week and the declaration that he may be a wanted man. Four, in a long letter in December 2013, former president Olusegun Obasanjo, among other grave accusations, said the president was training a hit squad that would settle scores with a 1,000- long enemy hit list. The presidency will need to come clean on this if only to again give the lie to Obasanjo’s claims. Five, in view of all the above and the general feeling of strong distrust of government, especially in most of the northern parts of the country, nothing short of a full and open judicial inquiry into this affair will reassure people after our litany of failures. Clearly, as far as the scourge of Boko Haram is concerned, the nation has not yet found the best way to deter, predict and detect potential threats. The security services need to adopt the procedures of strategic counter terrorism as is being done in other parts of the world. Using accurate intelligence, which, in our circumstances, especially at the lower levels, can only be collected by the traditional setup, they should co-opt members of the public. But in order to secure our environment well and eliminate all security threats, it will be necessary to teach ordinary people aspects of security consciousness, so that, together with personnel of the security services, they can participate in effective monitoring of the situation and improved assessment of threats. Hopefully, this should lead to better incident response and efficient management of the aftermath and consequences. But all too often, we have seen vital evidence or what looked like it thrown away or simply ignored; or at least the reason why it had to be disregarded was never shared by an incredulous public. At the Kawo scene of the Buhari attack, for instance, a suspicious- looking man, disguised as a woman and frantically making phone calls, was apprehended and taken for questioning. While investigators are not under any obligation to share their procedurals with onlookers, they are expected to do all in their power to dispel all possible misgivings that are likely to arise as a result of their work, especially in a case like this in which many in the public everyday see leads un-followed and, in many cases, their suspicions confirmed. In the end, we must all give thanks to God that the attacks failed. Had they succeeded, what would have followed would probably not be imagined. In the absence of information that answers people’s legitimate queries about the security situation, given the gullibility of the Northern Mob, a seeming attack on religion or an attempt to cut down their political idol would have lit a fire that none could have controlled. In the circumstance, we must commend the intended targets for their courage and sense of responsibility. Despite the chaotic situation, Buhari braved the aftermath and stayed out there in the open so that people would see that he was unhurt. The handlers of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi at the Alkali Road scene of the attack on him did something that, while dangerous in itself, was what actually saved the day. Immediately following the blast and as the multitude was getting charged, they decided to put the Sheikh up on the vehicle for everyone to see him hale and hearty. No doubt, these two acts in no small measure doused the embers that had begun to smoulder. Without these acts, only God knows what will have happened in Kaduna that day or to the nation afterwards. We must take and learn our lessons while we can. But, unfortunately, there is only this nonchalance about what is going on even at the highest levels, where some are reported to have dismissively waved away the Boko Haram problem. “Let them kill each other,” he said; meaning, since it is Northerner killing Northerner, wetin be my concern? Perhaps the most proper concern for a government is to order an inquiry into the latest attacks as the nation expects and as the Americans have advised.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 22:37:49 +0000
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