Boko Haram … of ceasefire and unsung heroes

We have been told that that Chad was instrumental in brokering the deal and that the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram more than six months ago may be released today. I don’t want to remind myself that I have heard rumours of the release of the girls before. The sources of this new claim […]

We have been told that that Chad was instrumental in brokering the deal and that the Chibok girls abducted by Boko Haram more than six months ago may be released today. I don’t want to remind myself that I have heard rumours of the release of the girls before. The sources of this new claim are different: Mike Omeri, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) who speaks on behalf of the war office; and Defence Chief, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.
Oh God, let it turn out to be true for the sake of the abducted schoolgirls and our collective sanity.
But as at the time of writing this piece, we haven’t yet heard a word from the leadership of Boko Haram. There is already an established pattern to the sect’s madness. It issues statements on critical matters. It did so when it abducted the girls and even published video clips on YouTube to prove that its claim was not a fluke. The leader of the terrorist franchise, ‘Abubakar Shekau’ had often spoken derisively about the possibility of a ceasefire, insisting that he could not negotiate with infidels who, by his definition, included Christians and moderate Muslims.
If the original Shekau is dead as claimed by our military, perhaps the new Shekau has become a born again terrorist who has now seen the ultimate futility of the bloody campaign? Surely, it cannot be that somebody was just spinning a yarn? In these days of conspiracy theories, you want to be careful how you allow events and disclosures to toy with your emotion.
Just as we were expecting news of further arrangements for the girls’ reunion with their families, word came that Boko Haram had not ceased fire and had in fact just annexed another village after killing many locals.The attack reportedly happened around the hilly communities of Dzur in Hawul Local Government Area of Borno State. A quick check will show anyone interested that Dzur is a mountainous community harbouring terrorist camps along the Biu-Garkida- Gombi-Yola Road where the late Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idrissa Timta, and his entourage were killed in a Boko Haram ambush some months ago.
Could that attack be Boko Haram’s way of making a loud disclaimer on any ceasefire deal? Or are there fifth columnists at work among the terrorists? And then, considering the fact that Boko Haram has virtually become a brand name for different criminal activities (banditry, armed robbery, religious strife, mass murder with territorial ambitions etc), which franchise is stoking this new fire in Dzur?
Whatever be the case, we all want our girls back. I am hoping that by the time you would be reading this, the nation would be agog with celebrations that the Chibok girls have been released. That would rank as the greatest gift we can give ourselves in 2014. And, for once, there would be celebrations in every nook and cranny of Nigeria. Let’s keep our fingers crossed, but I can’t wait!
In the midst of all the accusations and counter-accusations by political gladiators with regard to the abduction of the Chibok girls and the devastation of the North-East of Nigeria by the terrorists, many ordinary Nigerians have been heroically fighting the terrorists from their little corners in the north and south of Nigeria. I had always maintained that the greatest beneficiary of the blame game and conspiracy theories we have been weaving since the Boko Haram campaign exhibited secessionist tendencies — is Boko Haram itself. We, the victims and our government, quarrel while Boko Haram celebrates its harvest of innocent heads.
By the time all this madness is over — every bad thing has an end — we shall come to the realisation that apart from our military, there are ordinary people who did extraordinary things to help checkmate the terrorists. The contribution of the ‘Civilian JTF’ is well known. I hope government finds a way to integrate every one of those brave lads into existing structures within the security system. There is no excuse for leaving them out of the loop.
There are many other groups that have been contributing their quota to bringing terror to its knees but the one I want to single out for mention is the Arewa community in the South-West which, according to the Sarkin Hausawa of Lagos, Alhaji Sani Kabir, had been responsible for apprehending about 1,000 Boko Haram operatives in the region before they could carry out their terrorist plans.
According to him, those arrested were Boko Haram members who fled from the Civilian JTF/military onslaught and those who were sent to the Southwest to plant bombs. “We inform our leaders that when new people come into their midst, and they observe their behaviour … There were even instances where JTF do come from Borno State to identify some of them. Those identified as Boko Haram members were immediately handed over to security agencies.
“If you can confirm with the security agencies, we have arrested more than 1000 Boko Haram members throughout the Southwest states. Any suspicious movement, we promptly report to the security agents because we believe that the problem is actually a Nigerian problem but if there is any breakdown of law and order in the Southwest, we are the prime targets irrespective of whether you are a member of Boko Haram or not. All the Arewa sarakuna in the Southwest are up and doing to make sure that we do not allow any breakdown of law and order in our communities.”
When the dust of all this strife settles, there are many unsung heroes that Nigeria owes a debt of gratitude. I cannot begin to imagine the kind of inter-communal strife that one single successful bombing attack could precipitate if the terrorists had succeeded with their plans in various parts of the country outside the North. The Southwest example commends itself to the rest of the country. Away from unfair profiling and stereotyping, there is no limit to what we can achieve working together.