Borno: Rise and rise of Boko Haram attacks
Since the resurgence of the sect members, serial killings with concomitant effect on social and economic development has continued unabated while mutual suspicion among politicians has become the order of the day. Virtually all the security outfits including the Army, Police and Civil Defense, State Security Service, Immigration and even the Prisons have deployed various […]
Since the resurgence of the sect members, serial killings with concomitant effect on social and economic development has continued unabated while mutual suspicion among politicians has become the order of the day. Virtually all the security outfits including the Army, Police and Civil Defense, State Security Service, Immigration and even the Prisons have deployed various measures to contain the threat but the challenges are becoming more daunting every day.
“We are under siege because everybody is vulnerable now. If you are not one of the targets of the gunmen, you may be the guinea pig that the security forces would vent their anger on or at times you will simply be a victim of stray bullet,” Hajiya Falmata Shehu, a civil servant said.
The way things are unfolding in Maiduguri, it appears members of the Boko Haram sect are waxing stronger.
After last year’s resurgence of the members from the much acclaimed “shelling” of their headquarters in Maiduguri which included the house of the leader and his mosque, a development which left more than 900 people dead, they deployed a sort of a guerilla warfare which entails approaching and shooting their targets with precision with little or no knowledge of security forces.
Gradually, the use of bombs was added to the warfare which has so far claimed the lives of countless people. Many others who survived some of the attacks are now in various hospital nursing injuries, some with permanent deformities. In real terms, no one can tell the exact number of people that died since the resurgence of the Yusufiyya members as many have gone through targeted and careful execution while others were simply victims of circumstances.
More pronounced and frightening is the fact that people have lost record of the number of explosives that have been detonated in the last few weeks. On their part, the federal and Borno State government have been investing heavily to contain the onslaught but to the chagrin of all, the situation is deteriorating every day. Unconfirmed sources say over 20 billion naira have been expended so far by governments in the areas of intelligence gathering, logistics and allowances for security operatives.
Hundreds of policemen and the Army have been deployed to Borno State to quell the crises. In addition, security patrol vehicles are literally more in number than private vehicles on highways in Maiduguri metropolis and the development has sent jitters down the nerves of the residents. But the way the gunmen are coming out to confront security agents this days shows that there is a long way to go. In addition to the guerilla warfare, they are now coming out practically with sophisticated weapons to confront the Joint Task Force members.
Harrowing experiences
The episode of penultimate Sunday remains fresh in the memories of Maiduguri people when the gunmen practically engaged the army in a gun battle which lasted for almost an hour in Gwange area of Maiduguri. It was gathered that the gunmen ambushed the military patrol team of the soldiers who were said to be on routine surveillance around 8pm. A gun battle surreptitiously erupted and at the end of the day, scores of people died even though up till now, there is no official confirmation of the casualty figure.
“Yes, the gunmen had actually ambushed a convoy of our operatives which resulted in exchange of gunshots. We have arrested many people who are being investigated now,” Lieutenant Abdullahi Muhammad, the spokesman of the military in the state said. The experience of Wednesday, 18th May is better imagined because what transpired at Baga Road was akin to what people see in war movies. There were endless gunshots for almost an hour close to the Ibrahim Taiwo Division of the Nigerian Police Force.
The multiple sounds of highly sophisticated weapons including revolvers and machine guns raged during a confrontation between the suspected members of the Boko Haram and members of the Joint Task Force (JTF). Audaciously, witnesses said the gunmen approached the JTF in three Golf salon cars and the battle ensued and because the encounter was at night, it became difficult to ascertain the number of victims as both the military and the police have recently developed cold feet in releasing information to newsmen even though there is increasing pressure from the public to know what is happening.
One of the witnesses, Mr. Nneka who escaped by the whiskers said he counted many dead bodies shortly after the Wednesday attack. “I swear to God, the man sitting close to me in a restaurant was killed by stray bullet and when I managed to come out on my way home, I saw more than 20 dead bodies, mostly adults and children who were scampering for safety from the Baga Market,” he said.
Yusuf, another witness said, “It was a serious war. The gunmen waylaid the JTF men who were on stop and search operation and from all indications, they (gunmen) wanted to attack the nearby police station because they came with all sort of high profile weapons. I am afraid the gunmen would soon overwhelm our security forces.”
On Thursday, 19th May, there was a morning blast which injured three policemen and two soldiers when a planted bomb detonated at the popular Lagos Street in Maiduguri. Later in the day, another one went off at Kwanar Yobe in London Ciki which killed a policeman. Around 2pm, the third bomb exploded at Pompomari area of the metropolis. Bomb blast is now a recurrent decimal in Maiduguri.
Residents-in-fear
Clearly, innocent residents of Maiduguri are now at the receiving end anytime there is confrontation between the military and the gunmen. In November, after a gun battle between the JTF and some suspected gunmen in Zannari area of the metropolis, many residents of the area were arrested for allegedly harboring the gunmen. Some had to flee their homes for days for fear of being arrested.
Residents say the new security measures introduced by the JTF which entails ransacking houses and arresting the occupants without warrant as well as directing people including women and the elderly to raise their hands up for thorough search on main roads need serious appraisal.
Goni Mustapha observed that “people are made to lie down only for the security forces to be clamping on them. It is very unfortunate that this problem cannot be solved after strenuous effort. The way things are going, it seems the trend require renewed approach,” he said.
In most areas in the metropolis, residents now sleep with one eye closed for fear of the unknown. The insecurity problem is also having adverse effect on economic activities in the state as all banks now close their gates to customers once it is 3 o’ clock. About three month ago, the Igbo Traders Association closed their businesses for three days in protest over the prevailing situation in the state.
Night activities in the city are also at a low ebb as people rush home once it is 5pm for fear of being caught in the maelstrom. Though there is a curfew on movement of motorcycles from 6pm to 6am, residents have evolved what observers call “self-imposed restriction” because most streets naturally get empty as soon as the evening approaches. Modu Mohammed, an Okada rider said: “We want to know when this problem will end because it seems the security situation has gone out of hand.”
Counter-accusations galore!
Politicians especially those in the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state are now pointing accusing fingers on one another by setting aside the Boko Haram theory or at least downplaying its influence in the scheme of things. The state governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff had shortly after the killing of Modu Fannami Gubio, the erstwhile gubernatorial candidate of the ANPP made a state broadcast and accused opposition party (s) of being behind the serial killings in the state. According to him “the attacks are handy work of detractors and not Boko Haram.” However, the sect members have since debunked the governor’s postulation and claimed responsibility.
About ten days ago, the Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Baba Ahmed Jidda had at a press conference accused opposition politicians of being behind the killings. “The pattern of killings which only targets ANPP members has strengthened our belief that the perpetrators are sponsored by some people and not Boko Haram as widely believed. This is because Boko Haram members have severally said that they are opposed to all manners of secular authority whether ANPP, PDP or for that matter any political party,” Jidda said.
In his response, Ambassador Sa’idu Pindar said the ruling government should search itself. “They are making double speak. How can they propose amnesty if really they believe that what is happening is politically motivated?” he asked. “It is better for the government to admit that a mistake was made,” he added.
What does the sect really want?
A three-page letter from the Yusufiyya movement, which was distributed to newsmen in Maiduguri about two months ago, reflected an unambiguous demand from the members. “We would not respect the Nigerian government because it is illegal. We would continue to fight its military and police because they are not protecting Islam. We do not believe in the Nigeria judicial system and we would fight anybody who assists the government in perpetrating illegalities.” The letter said.
They also said “All the people that we are killing, including ward heads, politicians, the police and the armies have erred because they are associating themselves with the government in its effort to arrest the Muslim brothers and sabotage Islam.
“We want to make it clear that we are fighting not just because our mosques and centre of learning were destroyed or because our wealth has been seized or because we are chased out of our houses. No, that is not the reason. The reason why we are fighting is because our freedom was curtailed. For a long time, we have been advocating for freedom of worship and assembly and the need for everybody to believe in Allah,” the letter said.
“It was while we are propagating Islam that the federal government and state government connived with imams and wards heads and attacked us in many states,” they added.
A governor-elect’s olive branch
The Borno State governor-elect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima had shortly after winning election said he will negotiate with the sect members and work out amnesty programme for them if they are ready to lay down their arms. “They are not outcast. They are human beings like us and we would be glad to see them reunite with their families and live a normal life,” Shettima said. But Abu Dardam, one of the spokesmen of the sect members rejected the offer saying they did not recognize the offer of the new governor because he is a product of an illegal constitution.
“We are strongly against the Nigerian Constitution. We are also against the democracy being practiced in Nigeria. This is the reason why we are fighting. It is irrational for us to accept the proposal of the new governor who was elected under the provision of the so-called constitution,” Dardam said. “As we have said repeatedly, what we want is strict adherence to the provisions of the Islamic Sharia which is the only vibrant option that will guarantee peace, justice and equality. We would continue fighting until we achieve a virile society,” he said.
Living by the sword?
Some observers believe that peace will continue to elude various stakeholders because the way the Borno State and the federal government handled the Boko Haram imbroglio in 2009 leaves much to be desired. “Unless the killers of the leader of the sect, Sheik Mohammed Yusuf are unraveled, and the illegalities perpetrated are probed, it will be difficult to bring an end to the problem. “The truth is that if he (Yusuf) were alive or he was charged to court to face the law, at least there would have been a concrete channel to resolve the impasse,” an analyst on an internet social network said.
Observers believe that the Boko Haram debacle far outweigh the current security measures in the state; or the amnesty programme of the new governor. “I believe what is needed to address the problem is Truth and Reconciliation Commission because a lot of atrocities have been committed,” a senior lecturer at the University of Maiduguri, who craved for anonymity said. “Many children have been orphaned and hundreds of wives widowed in Borno State. An amnesty alone is a misnomer…there is the need to have a credible team to sit with the sect members and address all contentious issues that have been buried under the carpet,” he said.