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
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.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/.
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declares al-Qaeda associate wanted," Gbooza! The African Social News
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http://www.gbooza.com/group/crime/forum/topics/un-bombing-sss-declares-al-queda-associate-wanted#axzz2qjiBFKy5
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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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