The Boko Haram ‘War’
By The Editor, Nigerian Guardian
16 November 2014
THE recent call by Northern governors on the Federal Government to declare total war on the rebellious Boko Haram appears to be a late acknowledgement of the grave situation unleashed on the three North Eastern States by the religious insurgents. Coming on the heels of the capture of Mubi, Adamawa State’s second largest commercial city, and neighbouring Maiha town, the governors’ alarm is certainly not an overreaction. The religious criminality has dealt a devastating blow to any claim to good governance by the government, against the constitutional duty of government to provide for the security and welfare of the people, as a primary concern.
The issue really is not whether or not to declare war on Boko Haram, which in any event, has declared war on Nigeria; and is vigorously pursuing, with remarkable success, its objective to annex parts of the country and to institute Islamic government in them. Before now, more than two dozen towns and villages, cutting across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states have fallen to Boko Haram. The states are under constant attack in a vicious onslaught to annex more territories. While the Boko Haram has since changed tactics from being a hit and run terrorist gang to a conquering army, the Federal Government is yet to change its own strategy.
The group has declared a Caliphate over the captured areas; hoisted its flag and reportedly instituted quasi-administrative structures to govern the territories under its control. Nothing can be more suggestive of the country’s threatened disintegration than those acts. And the Federal Government should make no pretence about it. The hoisting of flags over the captured areas is indicative of a calculated and deliberate move to denigrate Nigeria. That should worry any government that professes one Nigeria. The fear is already palpable that if nothing is done urgently to halt the rapid advance, Yola, the capital of Adamawa State may be the next Boko Haram target. Given government’s slow reaction so far, the question is whether it can surmount the military capacity to repel the militants. Reclaiming the captured territories is perhaps the first action required of the military to answer that question. Those territories must not be conceded to Boko Haram!
Before now, the government was asked by the National Assembly to invoke full military operation to stop the menace; and government appeared to accept but did very little, visibly, to pursue that objective. In truth, the situation in those three states is nothing short of war. If what is required to surmount it is to formally declare the war, the government already has sufficient cause to make the declaration. But is the country’s army ready for such war? Clearly, government has no choice — considering the tenacity of the rebel gang to defame its territorial integrity — but to respond accordingly, certainly beyond the state of emergency that seem to be failing.
The anxiety of the Northern governors and their promise to support the Federal Government to root out Boko Haram is heartening at this critical time. But some of the governors are guilty of playing politics at the expense of the lives of Nigerians, as they had opposed the declaration of a state of emergency in the zone. That attitude could have compounded the crisis and gave Boko Haram a leeway, in the absence of a viable alternative strategy. At the same time, the federal government needs to explain why the insurgency grew worse under the declared emergency, now well into its second year. Surely, there was no united front in the fight, and it is time to shed the undue acrimony.
To successfully prosecute the war against Boko Haram, the country’s political leadership must shed its ineptitude, corruption and the political acrimony over succession. Indeed, the president and all governors should suspend their interest in politics, and mobilise fully to repel Boko Haram before the scheduled election. There is no point in feuding over the rulership of a threatened entity.
It is doubtful, for instance, if election can hold in the occupied areas. Yet, failure to conduct election in any part of the country will call the credibility of the election and its result to question. Furthermore, the logistics of waging a successful military crusade or war, under the present circumstances, are daunting. The country is at the crossroads, which nevertheless provides opportunity for government to affirm its audacity.
While pursuing the military option, there is need to mobilise religious leaders, particularly in the north, to explore a way out. Other non-confrontational options should not be ruled out; but the nation must never again be taken for a ride as it happened following the declared ceasefire that was later denied by Boko Haram. The worst is already happening, and the Federal Government cannot continue to treat the crisis flippantly.
The level of politics being played with such a serious problem is unfortunate, as it provided advantage for the insurgents. This must stop if the country is to achieve the desired result.
A fact remains that the bulk of the people in the northeast do not support Boko Haram. But they need to be liberated from the group’s clutches. Politicians should realise that unless and until the Boko Haram is effectively checked, there may be no country to govern by 2015.
Source: http://ngrguardiannews.com/opinion/editorial/186741-the-boko-haram-war
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/the-boko-haram-‘war’/d/100138