Wednesday, 3 December 2014

INSURGENCY IN NIGERIA (BOKO HARAM) HAS BECOME A GLOBAL ISSUE. DO YOU AGREE? AND GIVE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS. by DONASCO


INTRODUCTION
Boko Haram is an Islamic sect that believes politics in northern Nigeria has been seized by a group of corrupt, false Muslims. It wants to wage a war against them, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria generally, to create a “pure” Islamic state ruled by sharia law. Since August 2011 Boko Haram has planted bombs almost weekly in public or in churches in Nigeria's northeast. The group has also broadened its targets to include setting fire to schools. In March 2012, some twelve public schools in Maiduguri were burned down during the night, and as many as 10,000 pupils were forced out of education. Boko Haram is not in the same global jihadist bracket as Algeria's al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or Somalia's al Shabab. Despite its successful attack on the UN compound in Abuja in August 2011, Boko Haram is not bent on attacking Western interests. There have been no further attacks on international interests since that time. It is difficult to see how there can be meaningful dialogue between the government and the group..
Although most of Boko Haram’s terrorist activity is focused, for the moment, on Nigerian territory, this Research Note argues that it is already an important international jihadist organisation. The watershed that marks Boko Haram’s passage from a purely Nigerian phenomenon to an international jihadist actor is its attack on the United Nations Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, on August 26, 2011. The bulk of BH’s membership, the indiscriminate and cruel characteristic of its attacks, the complexity of the Nigerian religious and ethnic context, the sheer weight of the Nigerian state in an instable neighborhood - Cameroun, Niger, Chad, Mali - and its proximity to the jihadist battle front in the Sahel convert it into an immediate and infectious regional threat.
CLARIFICATION OF TERMS
The group Jama’atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’Awati Wal Jihad, known the world over as Boko Haram, is an extremist Islamic sect in Nigeria that has created havoc across the north of the country and in the capital, Abuja. Its violent attacks on government offices, the United Nations, and churches threaten to destabilize the country. A range of conflicting narratives has grown up around Boko Haram, and the group’s origins, motivations, and future plans remain a matter of debate. This report addresses the questions stemming from these narratives and suggests how the group can be contained.
BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY AS A GLOBAL ISSUE
The analysis shows that although Boko Haram’s violence remains contained within Nigeria, it also has some transnational aspects. The most prominent are related to the recruitment of mercenaries and militarized refugees, training in jihadist camps in other countries of the Sahel region, and smuggling of weapons. I argue that these transnational aspects have contributed to strengthening Boko Haram in a number of ways. For example, training abroad is likely to have provided the group with skills and knowledge that enables it to conduct more advanced and deadly attacks. Still, the transnational aspects of Boko Haram should not be exaggerated. The group has conducted only one attack outside Nigeria, and with the exception of some Boko Haram members traveling to Mali, the various forms of transnational transactions discussed in this paper do not appear to have contributed to spreading instability from Nigeria to other countries in the region. 
The transnational aspects of Boko Haram, analysing the significance for the group’s capabilities and reach. This activity of boko haram has to do mainly to the states bordering Nigeria that are threatened by the BH terrorist activities, namely Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin. As described later in this analysis, the growing regional dimension of the Boko Haram threat represents a form of internationalization which, if remained unchecked, will have dire consequences in the years to come.
In August 2009, about a week after the death of its then-leader Muhammed Yusuf, Sanni Umaru, the interim head of the organisation, published an ideological declaration regarding its goals and methods of operation. This can be seen as a milestone in the organisation's move to the second phase, evolution toward an international orientation: “In fact, we are spread across all the 36 states in Nigeria, and Boko Haram is just a version of Al-Qaeda, which we align with and respect. We support Osama bin Laden, we shall carry out his command in Nigeria until the country is completely converted to Islam, which is according to the wish of Allah.” Several years later, documents seized at Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan showed that top level BH leaders had been in touch with Al-Qaeda “within the past 18 months.”


The Regional Threat
The regional aspect of BH’s “internationalism” can be seen as the most immediate and infectious threat. It is of note that most of BH’s activities take place within the boundaries of the 19th century Bornu Empire which cover northeastern Nigeria, the northern tip of Cameroon, southwestern Chad and northeastern Niger. After the 2009 rising in Maiduguri documents found on the bodies of dead militants indicated that many of them had come from Niger and Chad.
Leaders of neighboring countries such as President Biya of Cameroon and President Debi of Chad as well as leading diplomats of Niger who are devising regional mechanisms to attack BH, recognised it has increasingly become a regional issue.
The ability of BH fighters to escape into other countries has greatly frustrated Nigeria. A Borno state official accused Cameroonian authorities of refusing to arrest or chase BH militants fleeing across the border after carrying out attacks in Nigeria. Some Nigerian security sources complain that Cameroon has shown little interest in the problem, while Niger and Chad do not have adequate resources to help.
Mali and beyond
BH fighters traveled to Mali in 2012, when the militant Salafist groups AQIM, MUJAO (Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa), and Ansar al-Dine controlled the northern part of the country and established closer relations with these groups. [32]
The pattern of attacks that has occurred since then indicates the insurgents may have to a large degree scattered into more remote areas of the region. Dumba is located near Lake Chad and close to Nigeria’s borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In August 2012 the imam of the Grand Mosque in Bignona, southern Senegal, claimed that Boko Haram was recruiting local youths. [33] There are indications that BH has recruited some militants from neighboring countries. Mamman Nur—believed to be second in command to Shekau—is from Chad, while Abubakar Kilakam and Ali Jalingo, responsible for major attacks in the northeastern Borno State, are said to be from Niger. [34] Interestingly, although there are large Nigerian communities in Europe and the United States there is no information about “foreign fighters” from Western countries traveling to Nigeria to join Boko Haram,
POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO BOKO HARAM INSURGENCE IN NIGERIA
To a greater extent, this adage goes a long way affecting the sovereignty and unity of Nigeria as an independent state, " A house divided against itself cannot stand". To start with, as a Nigerian one should take it as a responsibility to ask him/herself daily this salient question: Are we really united in Nigeria? Personally, I believe that Unity is more than a word of  mouth. Unity is loyalty and solidarity because if one does not stand for one thing one would fall for everything. Based on this, it is also pertinent to ask, how loyal are we to the unity of Nigeria and are we in total solidarity for its continuous existence? these and many other questions keep ringing bell in my ears daily.

Daily, Nigerians are being murdered in cold blood yet it seems to the leadership of our Nation that all is well but to every innocent Nigerians we know that, all is not well. Should we say our leaders have failed to stand for something or they are clueless? If I am to answer this question I will say they have refused to stand for something and that thing is "UNITY".

You will agree with me that so far so good, the leadership of this country has lost focus in standing for the unity of Nigeria because in all areas that portrays unity we have failed to be united. Most of the things that brings people together such as sport, politics and leadership, we have failed to make them stand. In sport, our people are not united due to long years of neglect. In politics, everyone is divided due to long years of greed and divided interest and in leadership, there had been across board failure in all ministries, institutions and even private institutions and religious institutions have all together failed in leadership styles. These and many more has lead to over all neglect of Nigerians leading to persistence poverty among the people, as a result, the build up of insurgence group in all regions of the country.

Lack of unity as the major problem bedevilling Nigeria and having related it to poverty, the question then is, how can the unity of Nigeria and the reduction of poverty bring an end to Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria?
First of all, the six geopolitical zones of the country must be united. The leadership of this zones must come together to harness maximally the resources at their disposal to benefit the lives of their people and also to defend their territory against external influences. If we look critically well at the boundary of Nigeria you would agree with me that the country is connected to other nations in Africa through the geopolitical zones. This is where the usefulness of the governorship forum come into play and important. It is a wrong notion for anyone to say the governorship forum is a bane to the nations development. I say, it is a welcome development and should continue to exist.

In order to achieve peace and possible stop to Boko Haram insurgence in the nation, I would suggest and advice that the entering  point to all the states of the federation and the borders connecting all the geopolitical zones should be well guarded because these are route to influx of other nationals of our nearby country who are in search of good living into Nigeria. Considering the level of poverty in Africa as a whole, you know what happen when poverty minds interact together, they emanate evil imagination.

The government should as a matter of urgency create more Job opportunity in order for the standard of living of the people to be improved upon and drastic poverty reduction, increase educational funding and invest more in agriculture in order for food supply to be increased. In addition, government should mandate banks and other private financial institutions to encourage Nigerians by giving out soft loans to people in order encourage vocational investment and training.

There is every need to overhaul the Nigerian security system, starting with the police who messed up the Boko Haram issue. They do not have the basic attitude to deal with such a sophisticated social problem. In the first instance, we need to ask: who should be in the police? This is because the character portrayed by the Nigerian police does not qualify them to be there. The basic problem with the Nigerian police goes beyond the availability of arms and ammunitions, equipment, salary etc. It is about attitude! A well disciplined, behaved and trained Nigerian police can protect lives and properties even without arms. Because of their very negative attitude to work, no matter how much they are paid, they may not be able to deliver. The entry qualification into the police should be degree certificate and those without it at the point of entry should gradually leave the system. When we have a police that understands his/her work and goes about it sincerely, respecting the public and seeing an accused as innocent until proved otherwise, the police will surely have the cooperation of the general public. Without this cooperation, the police cannot succeed.

 Nigeria needs a social revolution that will seriously address the issue of discipline. Lack of discipline or indiscipline (that is doing things that are wrong) is what is destroying Nigeria. It cuts across every strata of the Nigerian society especially among the elites. Nigeria aspires to be among the best 20 developed countries by the year 2020, but she does not have the discipline that should support, realize and sustain such an aspiration. To be there, Nigeria needs a fundamental change in behavior. That change is simply to do the right things. Bring back the war against indiscipline (WAI) in a more civil manner and Nigeria may work again. Nigeria also needs to address the issue of how they can respect one another, love themselves and live together in a true federalism. She also needs to determine what type of development she needs? Does she need to have the American or European or Asian or Arabic or African development? The issue is not about capitalism or socialism or communism: it is about any one of them or a combination within an African milieu. These determinations will help to appropriately focus Nigeria’s social, political and economic efforts.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, if unity is assured, poverty reduced to the barest minimum level, our borders secured through geopolitical and states security synergy, Agriculture and Education are well funded there will be drastic and immediate stop to Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria.














REFERENCES
Nicholas A. Heras & Jacob Zenn, "Boko Haram: Threatening West Africa," Fair Observer, 5 July 2013.
Emilie Oftedal, “Boko Haram: A Transnational Phenomenon?” Master’s Thesis, The Department of Political Science, University of Oslo, Spring 2013.
Cited in David Doukhan, "Who Are You, Boko Haram?" International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) website, December 12, 2012, at http://www.ict.org.il/Articles/tabid/66/Articlsid/1136/Default.aspx]
Jason Burke, “Bin Laden files show al-Qaida and Taliban leaders in close contact,” The Guardian, 29 April 2012.
Statement of Lauren Ploch, Specialist in African Affairs, Congressional Research Service Before the Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Hearing: “Boko Haram: Emerging Threat to the U.S. Homeland,” November 30, 2011.
Profile: Boko Haram, Al Jazeera English, December 31, 2010, at http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2010/12/2010123115425609851.html
.Jacob Zenn and Atta Barkindo, “Religious Roots of Boko Haram," Guest Blogger for John Campbell, Africa in Transition blog, Council on Foreign Relations, May 9, 2013, at http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2013/05/09/religious-roots-of-boko-haram/.
"UN bombing: SSS declares al-Qaeda associate wanted," Gbooza! The African Social News Network, September 1, 2011, at http://www.gbooza.com/group/crime/forum/topics/un-bombing-sss-declares-al-queda-associate-wanted#axzz2qjiBFKy5 .
 Cited in Oftedal, Boko Haram – an overview, from Vanguard, June 17, 2011.
"Nigeria: Boko Haram unveils suicide bomber, " Joy Online, August 19, 2011, at http://world.myjoyonline.com/pages/nigeria/201109/73161.php .

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