What started around 2006 in the far-flung North East zone of the country as a child’s play, has become a national disgrace and of international concern.
The emergence of a deadly group, whose activities assumed a worrisome dimension in 2009, has continued a reign of terror in parts of the country. The inhuman activities of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, have unsettled the Nigerian nation. Ample time that ought to be channelled to meaningful efforts at moving the country forward is being wasted on charting a way out of the menace.
Its pattern of operation has continued to confuse many people who mistakenly see the group as purely pursuing a religious agenda.
Whatever is the motivation behind the cocktail of human and material destructions being served the country, critics say, is condemnable.
The group, it is alleged, is hiding under the blanket of its claim of hatred of western education to commit straight treason against the government of Nigeria.
More worrisome is the political angle to the Boko Haram phenomenon. Despite the scandalous reason for their operations which is to end the spread of Western education they consider sinful, the menace of the destructive sect has reached an intolerable height.
For several months now, their targets have been retired military and other security personnel, perhaps to avenge the blood of Mohammed Yusuf, their leader, who was allegedly killed in 2009 by some policemen.
Since they began their operations three years ago, members of the sect have assassinated a number of high-profile Islamic scholars in Maiduguri, and like the Afghanistan Talibans, the group have also attacked many drinking and eating joints where they dispatched hundreds of souls to their early graves.
Besides, some of their dastardly acts have confirmed that they are being used by some powerful people in the country to score some political goals. For instance, during the last elections, members of the sect effectively took control of Borno State, which has largely become their operational base by assassinating Modu Fannami Gubio, who was gubernatorial candidate of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and an anointed successor to the then sitting governor.
Before then, they had murdered one Awana Ali Ngala, the then ANPP national vice chairman, North East. Moreover, in the build up to the elections, the group had also killed a younger brother to Ali Modu-Sheriff, immediate past governor of Borno State, threatening also to get to the former governor in no time at all.
BusinessDay recalls that the group had also turned their arsenal of death on Abba Anas El-Kanemi, younger brother of the Shehu of Borno. Mustapha Ba’ale, the acting chairman of Jere Local Government Area was also murdered.
Alluding to the political angle of the Boko Haram menace, Saidu Pindar, a former ambassador and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) top shot in Borno, said: “To an extent, yes, because in Borno State, they were accommodated and supported by the government of Ali Modu-Sheriff. This is the political angle, I can see to it. The political linkage could be seen in the kind of relationship they had with Ali Modu-Sheriff.”
Recall that the former Borno State governor was recently invited in Abuja to explain his connection with the deadly sect, but later sent home freely.
However, Pandar insisted that Modu-Sheriff indeed has a case to answer.
“Everybody knows that there has been a relationship between Ali Sheriff and the leadership of this group for a very long time. Ali Sheriff is somebody who believes in using people and dumping them; he has stepped on so many toes, used people, thrown them and never looked back. It is not only this group that is angry with him, there are lots of politicians, youths; that is ‘ECOMOG’, they call them, that he created, funded, supported, and used them for whatever purpose and dumped them,” he said.
BusinessDay recalls that Jeremiah Useni, a retired lieutenant-general and chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), had recently said that the sect originated as a group of political thugs during a gubernatorial election in Borno State.
“I remember when I was the deputy national chairman of the ANPP, I went to the state to commission some projects and when we were driving along one of the major streets, I saw young boys selling petrol in jerry cans and I asked him (governor) why he allowed them to be selling on a major road like that, and he said, ‘no, no, leave them they are very useful, general elections, we can use them to turn everywhere. So, it means they were used during the elections. So, that was how it all started.
“And if you remember, we had the same problem again in Rivers State where one of the former governors used thugs and at the end of it, they became militants. So, there is always a reason for something.”
Expressing similar sentiment, Birmah Dauda, former Education minister and presidential aspirant on the ANPP platform, told BusinessDay that Boko Haram was a monster created by Modu-Sheriff. “This was the handiwork of Ali Modu-Sheriff; he created what has become a monster for political reasons. He must be arrested and tried by a competent law court for the activities of this group,” Dauda, who hails from Adamawa, said.
In his opinion, Boniface Aniebonam, chairman, Board of Trustees, New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) said the sect’s onslaughts could have explanation in the level of disappointment they may have had over the outcome of the last general elections.
“You see, some of the violent manifestations could be as a result of failed expectations from leaders. Some people must have expected that their candidates would have won the last election to provide their basic needs, but when those aspirations could not materialise, they became demoralised and began to go violent. I think the solution to the Boko Haram menace and other related agitations is for elected leaders to provide the dividends of democracy to the masses of this country. A country where leaders do not bother about the welfare of the electorate, you must expect anger and discontent,” Aniebonam said.
Some observers have also attributed the menace to political reasons. An analyst said: “This is why the group appears to be getting stronger by the day. It is being suspected that some northern interests suspicious of, and opposed to, Jonathan’s presidency are leveraging on Boko Haram to challenge Aso Rock and make the country ungovernable for him. It is alleged that their aim is either to instigate a military takeover because of widespread insecurity, or at least, make the presidency so hot for Jonathan that he will be very grateful to go in 2015.”
What seems to have confounded the nation’s security establishment is the seeming invincible manner the sect adopts and the sophisticated intelligence and technical capabilities.
Recently, Azubuike Ihejirika, a general and chief of Army Staff, publicly declared that the tactics of Boko Haram are strange to the Nigerian military. It is the belief of many people that the terror group cannot be fighting without some strong backing from somewhere. Unlike the militants of the Niger Delta before the Amnesty programme, who were financially empowered through their oil bunkering activities and outside sponsors in exchange of oil; where do the Boko Haram members draw their funding.
A policy analyst, who craved anonymity, said members of the Boko Haram sect, like the Niger Delta youths, were armed by politicians to play thuggery roles during elections, but began to use such deadly equipment to terrorise innocent citizens.
“It may not have been directly targeted at distracting Jonathan’s administration, but as a means of fending for themselves. I can tell you that despite the terror they unleash on society, they may also be using the arms and ammunition to carry out robbery operations. That is one; two, members of the group, having seen the hypocrisy of the so-called leaders who used them for their selfish interests, decided to take the laws in their hands. Remember that it was after the 2million man march in Abuja in 1998 for the late Sani Abacha that the Niger Delta youths who attended the jamboree began the militancy. They saw Abuja and what the oil money has done there and they became very angry and decided to move against constituted authorities.”
Analysts, who spoke with BusinessDay were vehement against any plan to negotiate with the group. According to them, it is not appropriate for government to grant audience to a terrorist group. “It is our opinion that the main concern of government at this time should be to smoke out the brains behind the dastardly acts and deal with them in line with the provision of the law.
However, Useni, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, said good governance at all levels would go a long way in checking the growing menace bud.
“No matter how good a government at the top is, some politicians at the state and local government levels will renege on their duties and divert public funds meant for infrastructure development to fund their political ambition,” he said.