Boko Haram: fighting for our future

These second-tier engagements are vital complements of any successful counterinsurgency strategy, because these rebels seek to discredit existing political institutions, challenge prevailing values, and delegitimize political authority. Strengthening and re-enforcing policies and programmes that undermine popular grievances would help to deny the insurgents popular sympathy.As ordinary citizens we should, on our part, strengthen our resolve […]

These second-tier engagements are vital complements of any successful counterinsurgency strategy, because these rebels seek to discredit existing political institutions, challenge prevailing values, and delegitimize political authority. Strengthening and re-enforcing policies and programmes that undermine popular grievances would help to deny the insurgents popular sympathy.
As ordinary citizens we should, on our part, strengthen our resolve to live by our democratic values as enshrined in our laws and the Constitution. We must be committed to tolerance, democratic ethos and peaceful resolution of conflicts. This unity of resolve does not go along with divisive politics, insinuations and hate as we continue to see in the press and social media.
However, because the Boko Haram terrorists justify their atrocities on a false claim to Islam, our imams, teachers and religious leaders must seize every opportunity to dispel the lies behind such claims. Islam does not support these destructions, maiming, killings and kidnappings. There is no doubt that standing up to Boko Haram portends danger to the individuals as has been shown by the targeting of such Islamic scholars and leaders by Abubakar Shekau and his gang. Security must be provided for such courageous religious leaders, even though real security may lie in numbers. Our sermons and radio programmes must be coordinated such that all are speaking with one voice. The insurgents cannot target everybody simultaneously.
If all places of worship, schools, radio and TV stations are united in pointing out that there is no place in Islam for suicide bombings, killing of people without their being convicted by a legally established court, or bombing of individuals who know nothing about why they are being targeted, then at least we can start undermining the very ideology these terrorists are hiding behind.
In addition, the Ulema have the responsibility of focusing on the recent declaration of fake caliphates by both the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, and Boko Haram. Just because some armed gang kills others to grab some territory and declare an Islamic state does not confer on it the status of caliphate. Luckily for all of us, the viciousness and brutality of the Boko Haram have helped to deny it serious following, and even for this small mercy we must be grateful.
For the media, the responsibilities are more complex. On the one hand, we have a duty to report as accurately and as fairly as possible. This is not easy. The government would prefer propaganda while the military just wants us to keep quiet. Both responses would be counterproductive. Left to itself, the government has shown tendencies to play politics with this insurgency. On their part, the fighting officers and men have shown commendable valour and sacrifice in their fight against the insurgents, just as the military top brass have given us ample reason to suspect that the counterinsurgency measure has become another “business”. They have also misled their Commander-in-Chief by not telling him the truth for some time. There are indications that things are improving, but we must not be complacent. Boko Haram insurgency is one which requires propaganda to survive and expand. We must not lend it a helping hand by emotional or uncritical reporting. In particular, we must report its brutality and excesses along with all the other threats it poses. We must deny it potential support and sympathies, just as vigorously as we expose political complacencies and opportunism. Constant insinuations and even outright allegations that Northern Muslims support, or are all, Boko Haram, have the potential of diminishing, if not undermining, our unity in the fight against this monster.
Ultimately, however, it is the local and traditional administrative structures that we strengthen (or put in place) that would determine success. Wars, like politics, in the final analysis are all about local spaces. The insurgents need to sleep, eat, and assemble (or recruit) their men.  They need to buy and store arms and ammunitions. They must hide their equipment and vehicles. We must therefore monitor our towns, villages and hamlets. We must put in place systems that ensure these insurgents are denied local spaces; that all strangers are monitored, strange movements are reported and potential trouble makers get apprehended on time. Our local government officials and politicians are generally more concerned with monthly allocations and internal revenue. We may have to revert to our traditional institutions and town unions for these functions. That a convoluted version of Islam could even take hold of so many reflects the abandonment of the old, time-tested practice of prior vetting of imams for our Friday mosque prayers such that anybody can just appear from nowhere and be allowed to spread any strange version of Islam to please his rich patrons.
For now, the battle is more immediately conventional because Boko Haram seems to have busted out of Sambisa Forest, blown up some bridges and major link roads to block or slow down reinforcement as they carve out a portion of the North –East as their purported caliphate. We continue to pray for the safety of our compatriots, the efforts of our soldiers and for wisdom and guidance for our political and military leaders. It is time to unite and fight this menace as one, indivisible and formidable nation.
May God help us in this fight, as He continues to guide and protect all our people.