Trinity of Terrorism

Trinity of Terrorism

The recent bombing of Police Headquarters in Abuja by the Boko Haram terrorist group was like carrying the war into the very bedroom of the nation security apparatus. The Police Headquarters, a stone throw from the presidency and the National Assembly complex and it is like striking the very heart of the nation administration and symbols of governance. The logic is that if it could happen in the Police Headquarters, it then stands to reason that it can happen in any part of the country. The impunity of the terrorist group in attacking the Police Headquarters showed how weak and porous is our security system. It staggers one`s imagination to know that the suicide bomber car was in the convoy of the Inspector General of the police and the target was actually the IG. There are many questions the police hierarchy must answer and the finger pointing and blame game would not take the nation anywhere. The visit of the president to the scene of the bomb blast that claimed about eight people and destroyed 77 cars is to reassure Nigerians that as the commander-in-chief, he cares about their security and welfare. This is a trait of responsible and responsive leadership. It is only hoped that the same spirit of pragmatic leadership shall be carried into the forte of reorganising the security services so that the terrorists are kept at bay. It does the nation or anybody no good to compare it to terrorism in other parts of the world. What the majority of Nigerians demand of government is that the plague of terrorism and its sponsors should be subjected to the wrath of justice.

Last week bombing is coming on the heels of the May 29 bomb blast in Abuja and last year October bombing of Eagle Square during the Independence celebration. It is now very clear that the terrorists are very daring and scout ready to wreck havoc on the corporate existence of the country. This is the challenge before the security forces and the presidency to have the political will to use the big stick. That is why the insane option of negotiation with the Boko Haram group should be rejected all in all. It is wrong and highly illogical to compare the Boko Haram activities to the activities of the former militants of Niger Delta. The Boko Haram group is fed with toxic and poisonous ideology of religion and hate and its motive is to establish sharia system in the parts of the north nay the whole country. The Niger Delta militants were fighting for social and economic justice so that the benefits of crude oil resources can be used to develop the land whose bowels gush out the oil wealth. Therefore any talk of amnesty to the Boko Haram group should be rejected off hand and strong arm tactics should be used against them. The constitution invests the president with the power to protect lives and property of all Nigerians.

But the trinity of terrorism is fuelled by politics, religion and poverty. Was it not in this country before the conduct of the PDP presidential primaries that some prominent politicians boasted that the nation shall be made ungovernable? This was clearly a treasonable statement but Jonathan preferred to treat the matter with kid gloves. Even before the presidential election, a presidential candidate advised his followers to kill those who want to manipulate the electoral process. And the result is the post election violence in some parts of the country that claimed the lives of some youth corps members. The truth of the matter is that the president has been very mild with those threatening the peace and unity of the nation. It is this gentlemanly approach to security issues that has been giving these terrorists enough encouragement to carry out their dastardly acts. Anybody standing on the shoulder of ethnic politics to cause mayhem should be dealt with as constitutionally provided. Politics must be seen as an avenue of developing the nation and not to cause hate and destruction. It is only hoped that the president shall use last Thursday bombing as a platform to establish an effective and efficient security system. These bombings are becoming too many and frequent and they are capable of scaring investors away.

Religion unfortunately is being injected into politics and until that is divorced of politics, the bombing and crises are most unlikely to stop. The Boko Haram group is calling for the institutionalization of sharia in the north and stoppage of western education and influence. You do not blame the group for taking that stance because some politicians during the presidency of Obasanjo used the sharia issue to score cheap political point. These are the things haunting the nation today. The sharia argument is not an afterthought political sentiment, its roots are deep. In a nation where the sponsorship of pilgrimage is a state matter, these are the likely outcome. Take a look at the Naira notes and you hang your head in sorrow about the presence of Islamic motif and Arabic signs for a country that prides itself as a secular state. What are such signs and Arabic language doing on the currency where the lingua franca of the country is English? In fact there is too much pretence in the nation and until such fundamental flaws are removed, Boko Haram and other religious extremists shall continue to circulate like bad coins in the political currency of the nation. Government is duty bound to look at such issues and proffer the necessary solutions.

Poverty and illiteracy are some of the causes of this trinity of terrorism. A World Bank report says that the northern part of the country remains one of the least developed parts of the world with illiteracy and poverty as common companions. It is now clear that despite the north long years of domination of the national political scene, the elites had really disappointed their own people. The plea by a northern governor before the Universal Basic Education Board in Abuja to address the prevalence of illiteracy in the north is simply blowing the wind. The truth of the matter is that the northern political elites had failed their own people and that is why the toxic ideology of Boko Haram sits well with the illiterate and poor children. Now that the problems had been identified, it is left for the federal government to address them and find solutions.

The terrorists are enemies of the nation and should be so treated. President Goodluck Jonathan should provide effective leadership and give marching orders to the security forces especially the police. The Thursday attack is the low, doom and darkest point in policing the nation. But the IG should not give up. The onus is on him and his men to map out strategic and scientific ways of combating the terrorists. They cannot afford to fail the nation and that this trinity of terrorism should be approached in a holistic manner so that peace and progress shall once more reign in the nation.