The concern expressed by the Chief
of Army Staff (COAS) Lt-General Azuibuke Ihejirika over the unpredictable and
random nature of Boko Haram activities in the country and the challenges posed
by their modus operandi to the nation’s security forces is rather unfortunate.
Such an expression of helplessness and defeatism shouldn’t have come now; not
during an Interactive Session on Military-Media Relations in Nigeria with a
well conceived theme as, “Enhancing Military-Media Relations Towards Improved
Security”; and importantly, not from the person of the Chief of Army Staff.
Expectations of Nigerians
What Nigerians expected to hear from
the Army Chief is how the war on terrorism is being executed; the achievements
so far; what the military is doing now to defeat Boko Haram; the challenges in
terms of what they want Nigerians to do to help bring the war to an end; and
what they intend to do tomorrow to deter other arms group in the country, and
not lamentations.
Roles of the Press
The expression of hopelessness and
the call on the media to perform an undisclosed role in the fight against terrorism
in Nigeria is both disorganizing and weakening.
Are the pressmen expected to take
up arms against Boko Haram or other terrorists groups? Is the press expected not
to report when Ndigbo or Christians are slaughtered in the north? Or, publish
peace when war is ongoing?
We understand
the predicaments of the military. We are equally not ignorant of the role of
the media in Nigeria’s multi-ethnic and multi-linguist society. The media, not
the Government, has assumed the leading role of shaping public opinion, the
political agenda, and the way people differentiate between right and wrong. Regrettably,
the Nigerian media, for a variety of reasons that will not be discussed here, magnifies
the problems mentioned above. It deems sowing distrust towards the Government
as its main mission and is ready to serve as a loudspeaker of terror groups’ propaganda;
too often without employing basic criticism to judge its accuracy.
This is an
issue that demands serious attention if we must win the battle against
terrorism in Nigeria. Besides, the battle against terrorism requires more than
press censor. It calls for a wholistic approach. It is a war of ideology that
must be led by civil authority, driven by law enforcement and backed by the
military, not the other way round.
What COAS said
A deep peep into the speech by the
Army Chief during the interaction revealed the handicap and dilemma of our
military. His words, “In Nigeria, the activities of Boko Haram sect and other
terrorist groups continue to threaten peace and security while their modus
operandi poses serious challenge to security forces in the country,” Lt-General
Ihejirika lamented.
He pointed
out that, “The affiliation of the sect to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and
Al-Shabab has added an international dimension to its activities.”
The Chief
of Army Staff said it had been established that the Islamist sect’s declared
intent was to Islamize the entire Northern States of Nigeria without regards to
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, noting that any country or
community whose citizens had high level of security awareness had greater
chances of defeating terrorists.
He said
the role of the media in warfare took root in the dynamics of the global
security environment, stressing that the primary goal of terrorists was to win
the attention of the media both home and abroad, and decision makers in
government.
“It is for
this reason that terrorists carefully select the places in which they carry out
their attacks to provide the best media coverage. On the whole, terrorists rely
on the media as a tool to shrink the power asymmetry between them and the
governments they fight, create an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, legitimize
their acts, and reach greater audience.
“All these
attributes have come to play in the activities of Boko Haram here in Nigeria,
and that explains why we need to continuously partner with the media to deal
with the menace.”
This
extensive quote from the Chief of Army Staff media interactive speech or briefing
is necessary for us to imagine the predicaments of our military in the face of
rising insecurity in the country and to come to terms with Boko Haram’s
vulnerabilities and how the military can exploit these vulnerabilities to bring
Boko Haram to their knees.
Isolate and Defeat Boko Haram
Boko Haram may be affiliated to Al
Qaeda or be linked to State’s patrons or to World Terrorists Federation, our
security forces should be more concerned with how to isolate and defeat the sect and not the show of unnecessary worry
about the maneuverability of the group. Our security forces must be able to
convince terrorists that they have the capacity and the determination to exact
a price they (terrorists) will not be willing to pay.
Boko Haram’s Vulnerabilities
The most precious asset that Boko
Haram insurgents have is their credibility in the eyes of northern religion and
political leaders and the support they have gotten based on this credibility. It
is also clear that they have proved again and again that they behave as they
preach, glorifying their readiness to sacrifice and proclaim their own
achievements against the Nigeria state which they see as apparently empty and burdensome
enemy. At the same time, Boko Haram have
ensured that their supporters do not lose hope that the war will get them
closer to the set goal of Islamizing Nigeria, the immediate of which is to
humiliate Nigeria security agencies.
The greatest
worry of Boko Haram now, which the Presidency and our security apparatus should
exploit, is the fear that their supporters are beginning to question the sect’s
own commitment to the cause, or have second thoughts about the goals and the
feasibility of unseating President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and of Islamizing
Nigeria. The ongoing confrontation between the Presidency and Northern Elders
is not helping matters; rather it is acting as Boko Haram’s unifying factor and
a boost to their cause.
Another equally
important asset Boko Haram fear losing is their ability to use Maiduguri to
enjoy plausible deniability. But, having brought trouble to the area through indiscriminate
bombing of Schools, Churches, killing of Muslim leaders and innocent citizens, armed
robberies and kidnappings, Boko Haram have lost the geographical freedom it
benefits from. Like any other terrorist group, they fear being held accountable
and are trying to avoid responsibility as part of survival strategy. It is this
fear that had made it equally difficult for their leaders to come forward to
sit at a round table to dialogue or request for amnesty.
A further
important asset that Boko Haram members fear losing is their lives and their
freedoms of action. Boko Haram activists value their own lives and they try hard
to protect themselves, and when they feel that the danger is real, they spend
much time in attempts to save themselves than in contemplating martyrdom. That is
why Abubakar Shekau can escape to Mali to seek medical attention after bloody
encounter with the Military Joint Task Force in Maiduguri.
Next in
the list of important assets Boko Haram is not prepared to lose is the support
of patrons who are usually terrorist organizations or States. Boko Haram insurgents
have succeeded in making some States and foreign terrorist organizations to
continue to look at them more as assets than liabilities. And they are aware of
the fact that if they do not deliver the political and operational goods or if
the patrons begin to have doubts about their loyalties and common sense, or if
the political, military, and financial burdens for the patrons grow too much,
Boko Haram might risk losing their organizational or state support. To keep
this reciprocal trust, the war must go on, but directed towards innocent and armless
citizens.
Another very
important asset that Boko Haram will do everything to keep safe and sound is
the sources of arms supply, new recruits, and financial resources. Towards this
end, the Federal Government of Nigeria must take necessary steps to block all
sources of funds, arms and new recruits. The banks and other financial
institutions must be mobilized towards the attainment of this goal. Our borders
including airports and seaports must be adequately manned with modern
technology to control the movements of both things and people.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, it is very clear
that there are vulnerabilities that Boko Haram have. The challenge that our
security agencies have now is to hold these vulnerabilities at risk; threaten
Boko Haram where it hurts most; find what they care about and go after it. By holding
Boko Haram’s vulnerabilities at risk we can properly isolate and defeat the
group; or force them to succumb to the authority of the Federal Government of
Nigeria, value the importance of dialogue so as to enjoy the benefits of
amnesty.
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