Insurgency: Nigeria’s festering scourge

[SunNews]

By Olakunle Olafioye

Three of Nigeria's hotbeds of Boko Haram insurgents now writhe under the heavy yoke of state of emergency. President Goodluck Jonathan, in exercising the powers conferred on him by section 305 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, had on Tuesday, May 14, announced the much dreaded emergency rule in the three northern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa.

"Following recent developments in the affected states," the President said during the live broadcast, "it has become necessary for government to take extraordinary measures to restore normalcy. After wide consultations, and in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of Section 305, sub-section 1 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I hereby declare a State of Emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.

"Accordingly, the Chief of Defence Staff has been directed to immediately deploy more troops to these states for more effective internal security operations. The troops and other security agencies involved in these operations have orders to take all necessary action, within the ambit of their rules of engagement, to put an end to the impunity of insurgents and terrorists."

Nigeria has, in the last few weeks, witnessed upsurge in terrorist activities with the killing of security operatives by a cult group in Nasarawa State. Security agencies, penultimate Tuesday, confirmed that 46 police officers and men as well as 10 operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) were killed in the May 7 attack in the state by members of the Ombatse cult.

The incident, coming at a time when the federal government is working on the proposed amnesty for the Boko Haram, whose activities has been threatening to bring the nation to its knees in the last few years, no doubt requires a drastic response from the government. "We have taken robust steps to unravel and address the root causes of these crises," Jonathan further said in the broadcast, "but it would appear that there is a systematic effort by insurgents and terrorists to destabilize the Nigerian state and test our collective resolve."

However, in a clear departure from what obtained previously, the President left the political structures, including the governors and legislature, of the affected states untouched. But, he was unequivocal in his call for the political leadership in the affected states to give maximum cooperation to the security agencies to ensure the success of the exercise.

"These terrorists and insurgents seem determined to establish control and authority over parts of our beloved nation and to progressively overwhelm the rest of the country. In many places, they have destroyed the Nigerian flag and other symbols of state authority and in their place, hoisted strange flags suggesting the exercise of alternative sovereignty. President Jonathan had taken a similar step in some local government areas in Borno and Plateaus States in 2011 before last Tuesday's full declaration in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States.

Expectedly, reactions have continued to trail the decision, which many believe was long overdue. Lagos-based lawyer, Festus Keyamo, in a statement, commended the Federal Government for the move, which, according to him, was the last resort. "The declaration of a State of Emergency by President Goodluck Jonathan in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States as a result of months of ceaseless bloodshed and carnage by insurgents is a step that has long been overdue. The bloodletting in these states left the President with no other option than to take this extraordinary step. This step must be appreciated in the light of the refusal of the insurgents to even dialogue with the Federal Government."

Keyamo noted that since it is the primary duty of government to protect lives and property, it is right for it to dig deep with a view to finding lasting solution to the ceaseless carnage, stressing, "We owe it a duty to assist government to restore law and order in the country. It is for our overall benefit."

Human Rights Writers' Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, toes a similar path with Keyamo. In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and National Director of Media Affairs, Zainab Yusuf, the group commended the move. "HURIWA has unreservedly backed President Goodluck Jonathan's declaration of partial state of emergency in the terrorism-afflicted North Eastern States of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States." The group urged all democrats, including leading political opposition figures to rally round the President in an attempt to clinically tackle and frontally confront the hydra-headed monster of terrorism anywhere in Nigeria.

HURIWA added, "We have reviewed the contents of the national media broadcast made by Mr. President ...and we have decided to throw our total and unconditional support to the declaration of the state of emergency on those states whereby terrorists have taken over and have constituted themselves into alternative government which are clear and present danger to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which jealously guides against any outrageous criminal act that will undermine the territorial integrity of Nigeria as a sovereign entity."

But the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, holds a contrary view on the move. The party had maintained a similar stance against the proposed amnesty for Boko Haram. In a statement, ACN described the decision of the government to impose state of emergency on the three northern states as "lacking in original thinking." The statement, which was signed by the party's National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, reads in part, "There is nothing new in the President's action.

It is more of the same: deployment of more troops to the affected states and the use of tougher, scorched-earth tactics against the insurgents. In the first instance, this stepped-up militarization of the states amounts to an asymmetric use of force in an environment where the insurgents operate within a civilian population, hence it will ultimately be counterproductive as the death toll will continue to mount while the civilian population – who will be caught in the crossfire – will be alienated."

History of insurgence in Nigeria dates back to early 1980s, when Maitasine, a religious sect founded by late Malam Muhammadu Marwa, popularly known as Allah Ta-Tsine or Maitatsine, unleashed violence in Kano State. The sect, which formed on an ideology that was opposed to most aspects of modernization and all Western influence, let loose acts of terrorism against the state. Its first attack in Kano shocked many Nigerians to their marrow with the killing of 4,177 people. The Kano massacre remains the most deadly violent crime in the history of the country till date.  The sect shot its way to notoriety when, seven months after a similar crisis in Zaria left several people dead and property worth billions of Naira destroyed. The Maitasine sect would later go into history following the death of its leader

Three decades after the Maitasine revolt, Nigeria was thrown into another major security challenge following the emergence of Boko Haram also from north with almost a similar ideology. Boko Haram is believed to have been founded in 2002 in Maiduguri by Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf. The group subsequently extended its base to some other northern states. In 2004, it moved to Kanamma, Yobe State, where it set up a base called "Afghanistan" from where it attacked nearby police outposts, killing police officers.

Like its forebear, Boko Haram did not leave any one in doubt that it was poised to enlist Nigeria on the list of terrorist nations. In July 2009, the Nigerian police started investigating the group following reports that it was arming itself. Several suspected leaders of the sect were arrested in Bauchi, sparking deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. But some analysts have argued that precedent of Maitatsine and the government's handling of it suggest that government incapacity and lack of political will have served to encourage recurrence and question the state's capacity to tackle the challenge headlong.

Yet, not a few would blame the perennial threats posed by insurgent groups on bad leadership. Godwin Ezeemo, ACN gubernatorial aspirant in Anambra State falls into the latter group. Ezeemo, who described the state of emergency declared in the three northern states as a cosmetic approach, said similar move made in the past did not produce desirable results. "The present declaration which will now lead to the militarization of the three states will not produce any result other than an increase in the number of civilian causalities as we have witnessed in the past," he opined, adding that, "Bad leadership is one of the factors that have brought us to this state." The only solution to the challenge, according to him, lies in the conscious effort on the part of the government to ensure good governance which he believes will go a long way in reducing the number of young men being recruited by the militant sects.

Leadership failure, in the opinion of Fred Agbaje, a constitutional lawyer, remains the root cause of the perennial threats by insurgent groups in Nigeria. And to him, the solution lies with the Nigerian electorate. "The final solution to this crisis still lies with the citizen of Nigeria," Agbaje said. " Under the constitution, sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria, and it is now left to Nigerians to take their fate in their own hands by voting out these pretenders parading themselves as our political leaders."

Sunday Al-Hassan, National President, National Union of Post and Telecommunication Workers Union, NUPTE, views the problem differently. According to him, government's failure to give prompt attention to agitations of disgruntled interests is a major factor responsible for the country's ceaseless battle against armed groups. "Whenever any group starts agitation, no matter what rubbish they say, government should listen to them first." Al-Hassan, who described the federal government's decision to impose state of emergency on the three troubled northern states, said the preservation of democratic apparatus in the affected states is a confirmation that the president is a true democrat. "I will like to advise here quickly that federal government should listen to agitations and protests from these ethnic groups and organizations like MASSOB, which has not resorted to violence," he offered.

But Col. Gabriel Ajayi attributed the problem to the defective structural setting of the country. "The way Nigeria is structured is a recipe for insecurity and this is why people have been calling for convocation of Sovereign National Conference," Ajayi said. He also opined that religious hypocrisy contributes in no small way to the problem. "Another factor is due to the mismanagement of religion in Nigeria. Religion is about autocracy, and not democracy.

So, if we want to run government, it must be strictly secular, but our leaders will always pander to religion. Once government is not functioning the way it should be, people take shelter in religion. People have no hope, majority are suffering, and once there is no hope, anything can happen," he said, adding, "the major solution to tackle insurgency is for us to immediately convene a Sovereign National Conference where all ethnic nationalities can sit and iron out their differences."

Via: Sun News Online