Forty Million Naira! That is a lot of money. It can make
a man untrained in acrobatics learn the skill in an instant. That sum though
has not been won by a responsible organization or person but by the radical
terrorist organization Boko Haram. An unnamed Algerian counterpart has made a
donation of the sum to our Nigerian terror group to help it improve in its
activities.
According to a report made available to news site http://premiumtimesng.com/news/5079-boko_haram_gets_n40million_donation_from_algeria.html,
the terrorist organization has been receiving some support from Al Qaida. The
report, a product of a joint police and military investigations and raids,
carried out in Kano and Sokoto in December 2011 indicates that the Algerian
sect gave out the funds as its first installment in a planned long term
partnership with Boko Haram. The donation is to be used to train the Boko Haram
trainees in the art of kidnapping foreigners for ransom.
This report was recovered in 2011 but has since been
doing nothing on the President’s desk. It raises a lot of questions: how did
the Algerian sect transfer the funds? Who were the recipients in Nigeria? Did the
money cross electronically or did it come in cash? What has the Nigerian
government and its security operatives done since December to identify the
Algerian sponsors so as to determine the authenticity of this report? What is
the name of this Algerian Father Christmas that has so much funds to throw
around? Have the Algerian authorities been alerted such that a partnership
similar to the one between the terrorist organizations can be formed between
ours and theirs?
Boko Haram poses a question that we have very little
answer and in most cases no answer to at all. By the day we lose more and more
faith in our PDP led federal government. Gen. Azazi had claimed the sect is
driven by dissident members of the party who are against Jonathan’s presidency.
This report just proves we cannot trust our government when it says “everyone
should remain calm.” How long do we remain calm when our oppressors are getting
richer and getting trained to do better what they are already good at doing?
Boko Haram is already well motivated and resourceful. Why
should anyone be kind enough to offer them yet another N40million to improve? What
is the government doing about it? The ugly truth everyone is that we are about
to get overwhelmed by this group. Rumours
already making the rounds have it that the sect intends to hit the south. While
this remains unconfirmed, we are not confident our security is doing anything
other than fight suspects and kill innocent people in the process.
Suleiman Mohammed an alleged Boko Haram field commander was
arrested on Friday 11th May and there have been several confrontations and
shootouts with the sect here and there. But these are not comforting enough to
make Nigerians in the volatile north calm down.
Religious leaders in the north have not helped matters. While
many Muslims and indeed the Boko Haram see terrorism as a form of jihad, it is
necessary for Islamic clerics to sue for reasonable compromise in this pursuit
that has claimed many lives. Better intelligence and surveillance of suspects
is a better tactic to employ as against stationing a contingent of soldiers to
scare civilians away from their work places will be more desirable.
General Azazi’s claim should not be dismissed as another
excuse for indolence. Politicians from the north should be put through
surveillance especially financial to determine who could probably by sponsoring
deaths through an act of religious kindness. Many cannot be safe where a few
are emboldened by the act of their wickedness. This gift of N40million is proof
that someone is enjoying Boko Haram and perhaps looking to profit by their
activities. The failure of our government and security agencies to identify
these people is reason the appeal to remain calm will soon sound like take up
arms and shoot anyone whose face is not liked. When something goes wrong, it is
responsibility of those who can to act.
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