Boko Haram: The Government, The Politics, The security and The Causalties

Happenings within Nigeria in recent days have fuel the hunger for truth in me and the need to write this was born.

I will like to make some clarity to my readers about what I am writing. All am writing are based on what I have heard, see and read about the insurgency in my beloved country Nigeria.

1. This write up is not a political write up and should not be regard as one.
2. This write up is not a religious write up and should not be regard as one.
3. This write up is not a target on an individual or group of people.
4. This write up is not to undermine the leadership and follower-ship of this Nation.
5. I use the term government in this write up and what I mean by the term government include:
   1. All political parties (APC, APGA, PDP etc.).
   2. All Nigerians (regardless of region or state)
   3. All religious organization (Christians, Muslims, African traditional religious practitioners, Atheist)  
   4. The three arms of Government.
   5. The leaders and lead.

Prologue

Boko Haram as a group come into existence in 2002 and I quote from the book POWER, POLITICS and DEATH by Olusegun Adeniyi “The history of the sect can easily be traced to 2002 with Muhammad Yusuf, a native of Jakusko in Yobe State, as its spiritual leader and founder. His rise from relative obscurity to prominence in the Salafi Islamic religious circle (Wahabites) derived from the fact that he was a close disciple of the late Sheikh Jaafar Adam”. The violence of the group come to prominence on the night of 26 September, 2009 when many churches, police stations, prisons and houses where attacked in Maiduguri, Bauchi and kano where attacked. In Maiduguri a four day battle with the sect went until the capture of the sect leader Mohammed Yusuf by the army and he was then handed over to the Police who letter killed him and the police reported on a breaking news on NTA around 6:30 to 7:00pm that he was killed in an exchange of gun fire. Pictures of the late Mohammed Yusuf with hand cuffs and bandages make waves in Maiduguri as well as the videos of his interrogation which rises question as to how can someone who have hands bandaged from gunshot and still in handcuff be killed in an exchange of gunshot? Investigation into the extrajudicial killings in Maiduguri of Mohammed Yusuf and other who are believed to be members of the sect and were killed extra judicially by some human right group went on.

Note: What I write here are my views opinion.

 BOKO HARAM

This is a sect of individual who are against western education under the leadership of Mohammed Yusuf. The group are known to the people of Maiduguri and it is no hidden secret about their belief that western education is sin. The leader of this group late Mohammed Yusuf was in 2009 killed by the Nigerian police force and said he was killed in exchange of gun fire. The sect went silent and when the people of Borno state are forgetting about the sect a rumor that boko haram are coming to avenge the killing of Mohammed Yusuf under the leadership of his assistant Abubakar Shekau and a question strike me “where was Shakau all this while?”. Then on the set day some police stations where attacked and since then the insurgency in this nation have taken a new look and dimension. Nigerians never for one day thought that such will happen. Killing people without objectives, attacking schools and killing and abduction of secondary school girls, attacking security structures, motor parks, churches, mosques. Now the question is the Boko haram under Mohammed Yusuf was not faces and this present boko haram is faceless now the question is are they the same group? All Nigerians have distance themselves from the group then big question WHO ARE THOSE ASSOCIATING WITH THEM??????

THE GOVERNMENT

The government (i.e as I have outline them above what made up the government) of this nation has failed itself in many areas. We have fail in the area of being our brothers keepers, we have fail in looking out for one another. We as a nation always admire other nations outside Africa, yet they never think of it this way, it is the people that makes a nation and not the nation that make the people. England, USA, Spain, Germany etc all this nation are what they are because the people make the nation what it is. This nation right from independence have being fighting itself from within and the civil war for example. We always talk in the and view our problems in the following ways: Christian, Muslim, North, South and East so also it has the basis of our elections our appointments into key offices. When the boko haram started many said is a North thing, some an Islam thing yet we did not sit as a nation to tackle the issues as one Nigerian and now it has become a national problem. We as a nation have to be united and stand strong. We need to know that we are having an internal battle and we need to stop fighting this internal battle from outside. Just few selfish one should not hold our nation to ransom. Why has the Government not being able to prosecute those suspected to be behind? Why do we always have crises(either as bomb blast or gun attack or communal clashes) in the nation when our FEC approve large sum of money?

THE POLITICS

Since the vicious attack by the boko haram sect our political parties politicised the issue it is either PDP or APC behind boko haram, it is either the present leaders or the past leaders or even those planning campaign that are the sponsors of Boko haram. For how long as a nation are we going to continue pointing accusing fingers at one another when we know the truth (my choice of the word truth instead of fact is deliberate because a fact might not be true) on ground as to the who, why, where, when and how of boko haram. We should put politics, religion, region aside and fight the insurgence as nation, let all those accused of being the sponsors of boko haram be handed over to an international criminal court for investigation not having them giver of press conferences. It is time we stop this PDP APC politics with the lives of Nigerians all in the name of power struggle.

THE SECURITY

The security of the nation is a failure (in respect to boko haram insurgence) because this is a nation known for its landmark mark achievements in military infantry with the ECOMOG peace keeping in various African countries yet in can tackle boko haram. Why did the security force of this nation arrested Mohammed Yusuf and his followers when they sent an open letter about their plans to attack Borno State? It is so surprising to me that with all the news in the Nigerian mass media about the arrest of top boko haram commanders (e.g Kabiru Sokoto, Abu Dada) and member yet none of them have an idea as to who are sponsoring them, what happen to intelligent gathering, what happen to the security monitoring the activities of suspected individuals as regard to boko haram. Yes gruella warfare is the most difficult because your fighting an unknown enemy. The present boko haram use to be faceless but since the kidnapping of the chibok girls. They are no more faceless because the set a camp in sambisa forest and with this they are no more faceless and can be isolated and arrested (yes the forest can be surrounded). They are not faceless any more so why is our security apparatus not prosecuting anyone?

THE CASUALTY

Who are the casualties of the insurgence and I can emphatically say the poor innocent masses. Since 2009 thousands of people have died from gunshot, planted bombs, suicide bombers and trauma. Many died at religious gathering, some motor parks, some in security structures, some on the way. The sponsors and sympathizers of boko haram have not yet felt the pain being inflicted on the poor masses. For those that have lost their loved once, family and friends, business and many that have survive the attacks are but not without scares some are crippled and handicapped because of the insurgence. Those abducted by the sect are force to start a new life they are not accustomed to the pain those kidnapped girls are passing through, the indoctrination and brainwashing. The casualties are people like me and you who are courageous to speak about the unsaid truth about the sect and thereby became open target (who knows if a bomb will explode around me because of this write up) the casualties are the Nigerian masses who find themselves attacked as they go about their daily activities.

 

This are some question I will like you to ponder upon.

1. Where was Abubakar Shakau after the death of Mohammed Yusuf?
2. Why did the police lie about the death of Mohammed Yusuf?
3. Why do those in leadership always want us to fight one another (either in the name of religion, ethnicity, belief and region)?
4. Why do bomb always blast or any insurgency when government have approved or loan millions to billions of dollar (eg when the Government approve money for National identity card some years back there was a major bomb blast and when the world bank loan money to make water accessible to all the chibok girls got kidnapped) are this event diversion/distraction of attention?
5. How do boko haram fuel their cars, get supply of food and ammunition?
6. Why are those suspected to be sponsors not being handed over to international court?
7. When will our nation be united?