23 Jun 2014 10:00 Written by Okafor C. Udoka
Category: Monday Column
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Over the last two months, I have had cause to dedicate two articles on this platform in discussing and magnifying the challenges and war we face as a country in the face of renewed attacks and crass destruction of human lives and properties by Boko haram terrorists who, I understand, are eternally opposed to Western education in the old northern region of Nigeria.
In the course of writing those articles, finer points which fuel the Boko haram terrorism as well as ways of finding a lasting solution to the security challenges of Nigeria were listed and advanced; in fact, I even had cause to posit that the Boko haram phenomenon, as we presently urge, is as a result of our collective failure as a people and nation.
In all these, I have always held and still hold that we must put aside all regional, ethnic, and religious differences and work as a people under the threat of extermination and war if we must win the war against the Boko haram terrorist group which is fighting with all weapons in its arsenal to establish its roots in our shores.
But as we are tirelessly working as a people in association with the federal government and our foreign partners to rescue the school girls of Chibok who are still held against their wishes in an undisclosed deadly forest by Boko haram operatives and ultimately end terrorism in Nigeria, it appears that the Boko haram adherents and their sponsors have an overriding objectives which are to engender a break down of law and order, enforce ethno-religious strife as well as plunge the nation into another round of civil war before the disintegration of the country comes.
If not, how would you explain the recent arrest of over 400 Boko haram suspects in Abia State? Just five months ago, the Rivers State Command of the Nigerian Police also made a similar arrest of 320 Boko haram suspects who had tried to enter the state with the possible aim of unleashing mayhem and bloodshed and terror. The arrest of the Boko haram suspects in Abia State is also coming on the heels of the discovery of an IED at the Living Faith Church, Winners Chapel, in Owerri on a Sunday when Christians go to churches for worship.
Luckily, through the vigilance of the people and prompt response of security agencies led by the Department of State Security, aka SSS, the explosive planted at the Winners Chapel in Owerri did not go off. If it did, we would have had a lot on our hands by now because the coincidence of the arrest of Boko haram suspects in Abia state and the Owerri explosion on the same day-Sunday, June 15, 2014-would have been interpreted as a Boko haram attack in the heartland of Ndigbo which must be seen as the urge for official declaration of Nigerian Civil War II.
In a way, we have had cause to tolerate Boko haram attacks against the Nigerian military; we have also forgiven their senseless attack at the UN office in Abuja including ceaseless killings of Nigerians in the north and lately the selective bombings in Sabon Gari axis of Kano State just to stoke ethno-religious war but all these would pale into insignificance in terms of symbolism and meaning should any bomb, under whatever guise, go off in the southern part of Nigeria, most especially in Igboland.
The reasons are not far fetched. The people of southern Nigeria have always stated that Boko haram apostles do not represent them nor advance any cause which is beneficial to them. And there are different but silent separatist movements in the south which need only an urge as in Boko haram bombing of any place in the south to seek the disintegration of Nigeria with or without firing a gunshot.
Frankly, we cannot pretend to be unaware that there are numerous rascals and misfits in the south who would relish a bombing in the south so that they would be justified to carry out reprisal attacks in the north which would ultimately herald another round of Civil War in our country.
Similarly, the Igbo nation, smarting from a Civil War in which it lost over two million lives and yet to experience full re-integration in the Nigerian federation, would feel impelled to urge that the Civil War has now be re-opened by any explosion in Igboland as such the Igbo people would have no option than to seek protection in an independent state where their rights, welfare and security would be guaranteed.
For me, we must be thankful to the God of Nigeria who saved us from trouble last two Sunday but there is no apposite time to seek and push for a total disarmament and disbanding of the Boko haram terrorist group in Nigeria than now.
Indeed we must face the reality of our day now- the Boko haram terrorist drive is the greatest challenge of Nigeria's continuous unity, peace, progress and prosperity. And through all means legally and morally possible, we must give the federal government and military and security agencies all the needed support to crush this monster called Boko haram in Nigeria now before it will be too late to cry.
As we do that, we must also realize that there are key supporters of Boko haram who make the Boko haram phenomenon an incurable plague in Nigeria today. These supporters are the local financiers of Boko haram as well as those who provide intellectual and intelligence cover to the terrorist group by defending its criminal actions.
Thus, security and intelligence agencies must beam their satellites on these individuals; round them off and prosecute them simultaneously as they take the war to the doorsteps of the Boko haram fighters in the field.
Most importantly, we must not forget that we are all key players in the security of life and properties. So, we must be active and vigilant and report all suspicious movements in our neighbourhood to appropriate security agencies.
However, all those seeking to politicize or "ethnicize" the arrest of the suspected Boko haram members by the Nigerian Army in Abia State two weeks ago must hit the reverse gear now because nobody has actually convicted them neither were they arrested by Igbo/Abia State army but they were arrested by the Nigerian army on a FG road too!
In fact, in actual sense all of us should be thankful to God that the arrest was made in Abia State as it offered the army the latitude to nail a wanted terror kingpin who would have been on a possible mission to bomb a national strategic site such as Port Harcourt refinery
So, it is incumbent on us to allow the security, intelligence and defence agencies to do their job professionally before jumping into hasty conclusions that might exert heavy prejudices on the nation. And it is in our best interest that these agencies work with our support to rid this country of terrorism.
For me, every war on terror must be won and if it comes with some detentions and arrest cases just to save the majority of our citizens from getting killed, it is indeed a welcome development.
But Nigerians must be active in the war against terror; our support, vigilance and valuable information to the security and intelligence agencies of government would go a long way in ending the reign of terror in Nigeria.
It is also important that government renew and improve its commitment in this war against terror by doing all that is within the boundary of the law to make Nigeria a peaceful, progressive and prosperous state.
Indeed, the SSS saved us from what could have possibly led to an era of blood bazaar and eventual disintegration in Owerri two Sundays ago but a clear warning must be sent to Boko haram and their supporters now: down your tools and ask for government forgiveness. And most importantly, they should never contemplate exporting terror to other parts of Nigeria because such thought would be a clear call for "Somalization" of Nigeria for which we shall all be the end losers....
