For those hoping that the
amnesty committee inaugurated yesterday would bring relief to Nigeria’s
troubled north, that hope is taking a turn for the worse. There is not going to
be peace in Nigeria’s north in the immediate future at least unless something
more efficient than setting up a committee and offer of amnesty is on the
agenda.
But why is immediate peace threatened?
Why is more danger looming? Another Islamic sect, an off-shoot of the dreaded
Boko Haram has managed to gain recognition with the international media. Named
Ansaru, its spokesman and leader Abu Nasir had an interview with the New York
Times. The group however, is opposed to killing of Nigerians and prefers
kidnapping to such violence. It does not have anything against killing
foreigners and is suspected to be responsible for kidnappings of foreign
construction workers in the north.
He spoke of his training with
Al Qaeda and their convictions. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/world/africa/in-nigeria-ansaru-militant-group-poses-new-threat.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
With the Federal Government
acting like a headless chicken on the issue of insurgence and President
Jonathan’s recent pronouncement that the casualty figure from Baga were exaggerated
by the international media, it is painful to note that there just might not be
an end in sight within the short term at least.
Members of the militia group
have been arrested before. Bomb factories have been discovered. The JTF has
leads that bring them to the point where an exchange of gunfire resulted in
civilian deaths. Something is obviously wrong with the all the approach taken
thus far in ending the terrorist militancy. It is on the failure of these
approaches that probably compelled the northern leaders to pressure the federal
government to begin negotiations with the terrorists with a view to offering
them amnesty.
Time and again, criminals are
brought to book through intelligence and articulate surveillance. Guns and
jeeps, will only result in the JTF taking out their frustrations on civilians
and a few terrorists. The terrorists are happy with that arrangement. The arrested
detainees surely must have clues that can be put together. Improved surveillance
of persons in the north has to be brought to the fore. Offering amnesty to a
terrorist organization is simply put an admission that corruption and mediocrity
are not over amplified.
Ansaru may not have gained
national prominence owing to their less violent orientation but it is worrisome
to note that they have links with both Boko Haram and Al Qaeda. The inability
to stem a tide usually leads to an increase in that problem’s presence. If hawks
lose their ability to hunt snakes, the population of snakes will increase
leading to a decrease in the population of rodents and other creeping
creatures. With the inability of the federal government’s security apparatuses to
hunt down terrorists, the civilian population is threatened and that threat
just worsened.
Another way to curb growing
spate of terrorist presence is to employ a foreign security organization or
consultant with a track record of terrorist infiltration. Nigeria outsources
everything except ‘garri’. There is nothing wrong with continuing out-sourcing
to counter-terrorism.
No doubt, terrorism is a growing
global phenomenon and the world is struggling to contain its tide. It is not
peculiar to Nigeria. Yet Nigeria was not previously in the category of nations with
such extremist tendencies. How the stem was allowed to reach this extreme is
unknown. Over 3000 lives have been lost owing to the activities of the Boko
Haram. Calculating the economic loss resulting from their activities is a
burdensome task. Estimates are not good enough.
Governors in Nigeria’s north
have continued to depend solely on the federal government for a regional
challenge that has threatened the survival of its citizens. True, security is
on the exclusive list. It is not illegal if a northern security arrangement
geared towards intelligence gathering and prosecution is set up. Peculiar situations
require peculiar measures. The northern governors need to justify their
security votes.
With the president underplaying
the number of civilian casualties and making declarations bothering on
international media bias, the future of northern Nigeria is indeed bleak for
both Nigerian citizens, foreign workers and tourists alike.
Ansaru has been in existence
for over two years. How many more are out there looking to deteriorate an
already bad and deplorable situation? With such efforts as amnesty being
government’s resort, there is great reward in and prospect in setting up a new
terrorist organization. Even banks will finance such a setup for its immediate
and long term benefits.
With persons like Abu Nasir
and Ansaru out there, Nigeria is fast becoming another Afghanistan. Experts have
opined that people will develop suicide tendencies when their lives have no
worth. Improving access to quality education, diversifying an economy dependent
largely on farming among other things will help foster improved quality of life
such that natural life preservation and survival instinct is revived.
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