Baga Massacre: Too Little, Too Late

Editorial

The media was awashed this week with news of a mass murder, arson and outright brigandage perpetrated in the fishing village of Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Bornu State, Northeast Nigeria. The Military Task Force, JTF, an outfit drafted to restore peace in some parts of the country plagued by Boko Haram carried out the massacre, whose exact casualty figure, like many others in the past remains shrouded in controversy. Most of the victims, according to reports are women, children and the physically challenged.

The pictures emerging from the scene of JTF’s counter-attack on Boko Haram, the Jihadist insurgents currently nibbling on the fabric of the country’s national security are very grim. And to avoid this dreary situation from descending into total anarchy, we must, as a country devise measures to stem the Boko Haram tide. Of course, it is needless stating that our security challenge got to this state due to the collapse of our security structure, especially the intelligence outfits. Apart from the manner in which Boko Haram has hit some fortified military and police formations in the country so far, there is a reported proof that the security apparatus went to sleep while the insurgents strategized on how to unleash terror on Nigerians.

In early 2008 or so, the Nigeria intelligence agencies reportedly received reports that young able-bodied men migrated from Kano, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, Katsina , Bauchi, Gombe and other neighbouring states and congregated in Borno, now the epicenter of Boko Haram attacks. Despite the fact that this alleged gathering of the migrants had no valid explanation, those in leadership positions looked the other way, paving way for the formation and maturation of a deathly virus that Boko Haram has become.

Not prepared to nip the insurgence in the bud, the security agencies in tandem with the leadership of the country at various levels, took very little action to contend the group. This explains why, after the extra-judicial execution of Yusuf Mohammed, the theocratic head of the devilish outfit, we simply went to sleep, believing that having taken out the cancerous lump, the cells will wither away. They did not.

Away from counter-insurgence solutions of forceful nature, we still have not taken up the task of addressing those issues that make foot-soldiers available to Boko Haram commanders. Education is still a problem, schools are scarcely available. Social amenities are mirages seen only on the pages of newspapers. The age-old Almajiri menace still flourishes, serving as a steady supply of personnel to the religious infidels.

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When the havoc wreaked on the nation so far is summed up, and given the scales of coordinated attacks that the group has acquired a knack for, it crystallizes that our period of sitting on the keg of gunpowder is nearing an end. The keg could explode soon. At least the palpable fears gripping Lagos, Asaba, Port Harcourt and other parts of the country confirm this.

We do not subscribe to a wanton sacking of villages as was the case in Baga. Rather, politics apart, there should be a state of emergency, with a tested and trusted humane military personnel drafted to help restore peace and order in the beleaguered state. It is clear that the civil administration in Borno can’t safeguard the lives and property of its citizens, a fundamental purpose of state policy.

We understand that the security system is rusty, as a result of long-term neglect resulting from corruption. While addressing this on the long term basis, our best spooks that have been schooled in anti-terrorism must be drafted in to help find a solution to this problem. Security has moved beyond guns and armour showcase as the JTF always does with Boko Haram. With effective sniffing skills in a proactive style, most of those ordering the activities of the sect can be picked up silently. These officers should be people who understand the importance of omerta, the law of secrecy in their jobs.

As part of efforts to securing the nation, we must begin to develop a comprehensive security master plan. This must make for effective border patrols to curb the rate at which nationals of other countries troop into Nigeria illegally. A country without borders is at the mercy of bandits and terrorists. Unless we pursue the proposed border post reforms as mooted by the federal government, people from other places who find Nigeria a fertile ground for fomenting trouble will always come here to carry out their evil machinations.

Security is the business of every citizen. Those charged with coordinating it must wake up form this long slumber before the ruins of Borno spread to other parts of Nigeria.

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