The President, Boko Haram Phenomenon: A National Disaster For Nigeria

By Lajunwon Lasisi

When the Boko Haram lunatics started their macabre dance of death some years ago, we warned President Goodluck Jonathan to take drastic measures to nip the deadly activities of this religious sect in the bud. Otherwise it would constitute itself to an octopus of terrorism, the effect of which would be very disastrous. And that is what is happening at present.

The declaration of state of emergency in the three states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, and the formation of JTF to provide adequate security in the affected states, led to the intensification of the horrendous activities of the Boko Haram, which also led to the destruction of lives and properties, generally in the three affected states, and particularly in Borno state, which seems to be their headquarters, apart from some other northern states which have felt the inimical presence of Boko Haram in one form or the other, with unimaginable fury.

There also Fulanis’ deadly exploits in Plateau and Benue states, which also led to the destruction of lives and properties in many towns and villages in those states, and the ethnic mayhem in Nasarawa, and the Fulani cattle rustlers, causing economic and human mishaps in many northern states. Also remember the case of a suspected helicopter, which came to drop arms and ammunition in a village, in one of the northern states. All these should be described as gory occurrences thrown up as a result of Boko Haram insurgency.

In our previous articles titled The Beginning of Disintegration, Thanks to Boko Haram; and Amnesty for Boko Haram. A wrong Signal from the Northern Elites, I wrote at length on counter-terrorism, which is the only weapon left to tackle the great menace of Boko Haram. Now that over 267 female students of government high school in Chibok were forcefully abducted right before the JTF, who were supposed to provide adequate security for life and property in those three states, where the presence and deadly religious and political activities of the sect are very prominent, we believe some drastic measures, which we suggested before in the two articles, should be taken now.

Nigeria should not wait until USA and UK come before she solves her insurgency problem. Our battle cry in those articles, is that the country should study the antecedents of any country that offers help on their previous experience on the issue of terrorism. USA went to wage war against Sadam Hussein in 2003 to curb his excesses on the use of nuclear weaponry. Sadam was defeated but his defeat led to the war of attrition, where the Al-Qaeda sect turned itself into terror outfit to bomb at will many important places and commercial centres in Baghdad and some other busy city centres and towns  in Iraq, which contributed to the decimation of many peoples and properties. Some years later, American troops left, but consistent bombing of people has never abated. The interventionism of USA in Afghanistan and Pakistan, to curb the Taliban form of Al-Qaeda has little or no effect, because the terrorists could strike at will whenever they wanted to do so. Even USA’s help to curb terrorism in Somalia ended in fiasco, where some USA soldiers were exterminated.

With these experiences of USA in international fight against terrorism, the country could only help to offer insignificant assistance. USA cannot overwhelm the catastrophic menace of Boko Haram, not to talk of defeating the sect in the self destructive senseless war of attrition it continues to engage itself for the past several years.

With these analytical antecedents of USA, and her eternal ally UK, Nigeria doesn’t need a diviner to tell her to make progress, and issue a clarion call to the state of Israel, which is the mother of international counter-terrorism, and espionage. Terrorists both within and outside Israel have little or no breathing space to operate, once its shows itself in any form. Yes, we have every authority to confirm that the state of Israel has, or possesses the best intelligent service, called MOSSAD, in the whole world. It has the audacity and necessary capacity, and capability to counter any international terrorism, and flush them out, deal decisively with any terrorist organization, if invited to do so.

Nevertheless, all this sad experience would come to an end if President Jonathan is ready to solicit for the timely assistance and intervention of Israeli state, which had performed such fits before, when she was surrounded by nations that harboured terrorists. The great MOSSAD fished them out in those countries and dealt with them decisively. To the extent that the reminants of such terrorism anywhere in the world against the state of Israel, have become helpless, which could not expose themselves because of the dangers that abound in doing so.

In addition, and in order to stamp out Boko Haram terrorists, the SSS should arrest and detain that Arewa man who made the treasonable felony pronouncement in 2010, that if the north is denied the presidency in 2011, they would make the country ungovernable for Ebele Goodluck Jonathan. Therefore Boko Haram happened to be the bye-product of that man’s treasonable felony pronouncement. Also, the senator arrested from Borno the other time is due for re-arrest, if ever he has got his freedom for one  reason or the other.

All the northern elites who asked for amnesty for the Boko Haram murderous sect, should be detained.

According to Amnesty International, the military headquarters in Maiduguri, and Borno state governor were inundated with information or were aware of the abduction of those girls, and failed to do something. This is a dicey situation. The president should now realize that Boko Haram Islamic religious sect is backed by the northern elites. If sanity is to prevail in the North, in particular, and generally in Nigeria, all those suggestions should be carried out along with the invitation of the Israeli MOSSAD.

•Lasisi wrote this article from Lagos