Baneful Boko Haram

With Boko Haram's increased guerilla attacks on some north-east cities in the last few days, Adeola Akinremi writes that the sect remains a threat to Nigeria’s future and there’s need to act fast
The recent operation in the Sambisa forest, a place thought to be the Boko Haram militants' last stronghold in Nigeria gave hope to many in the country that the insurgents’ activities will soon be out of their daily life.


True, with several women and girls rescued by the military and footage of aerial bombardment of members of the Boko Haram sect seen by Nigerians, they indeed heaved a sigh of relief. But it was fleeting.  The campaign of terror on Nigeria in the last five years has not gone down with the inauguration of a new President.

Recent attacks have left nearly 150 people dead within days of President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration as Nigeria new leader.

The attacks have also left many bewildered as to the plan of the new leader to tackle insurgency in the country.

Though, President Buhari’s visit to Chad’s President, Idriss Deby on a recent Wednesday was seen as one of many important steps to be taken for a strong collaboration to tackle Boko Haram militancy in Nigeria’s north-east and Lake Chad area, analysts said they expected more pragmatic approach from a President that promised to hit the ground running.

And with frequent attacks launched by the insurgents in the last few days, many Nigerians are concerned that President Buhari has spent more than a week in the office without serious plan to fight the Islamists group.

In recent days, newspapers headlines appear to have somewhat changed, revealing that the militants have staged a comeback. For instance, one headline reads: ‘Boko Haram is Back’. Another one said: ‘Boko Haram Dares Buhari’

To be sure, hours before his inauguration a double-explosion blamed on insurgents in the Borno village of Tashan-Alede killed seven people and injured several others. And while Buhari was holding meetings on security and the war against terrorism with the Chadian and Nigerian authorities last week, Maiduguri and Yola were under attacks.

So far, no less than 100 people have been reportedly killed with several others injured during attacks by the Boko Haram militants since May 29, when President Buhari was inaugurated as Nigeria’s new leader.

Interestingly, the Council on Foreign Relations’ National Security Tracker, a data visualisation mapping Boko Haram killings in Nigeria, managed by experts, including, one time United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, recorded a decline in deaths mirroring the general hopes of Nigerians that the insurgents were slowing down.

But that has been reversed with the new trend of attacks.

Experts are worried that Boko Haram is building back up to full scale regular attacks as once experienced under the past administration.

In a recent BBC report analysing why Boko Haram remains a threat, Chief Africa Analyst for the risk management firm Red24, Ryan Cummings, said it's not clear if any senior Boko Haram figures have been captured during the recent operations.

“With the leadership of the group still intact, Boko Haram may continue to possess the acumen to replenish, regroup, and rearm both within and outside of Nigeria's borders," Cummings told BBC.

And evidence that Boko Haram has been splinted emerged on Tuesday June 2, in 10-minute message released on YouTube , the first video from the Islamist militants since February in which the leader Abubakar Shekau was completely absent.

In the past, Shekau, who has ransom placed on his head by the Nigerian and United States Governments for war crimes had appeared in most of the insurgents' videos, except the current.

The new video didn’t make any reference to Shekau thus confirming reports about Boko Haram having splinter groups.

The video bore the logo "Islamic State in West Africa"  with an unidentified man pictured in front of two-pick up trucks speaking with his face obscured by a headscarf and with an AK-47 rifle resting on his chest.

"Most of our territory is still under our control.  The armies claim through the media that they captured our towns and that they assaulted Sambisa (forest) and defeated us. I swear by Allah that I am talking right now from Sambisa. Here in Sambisa you can travel more than four to five hours under the black flag of Islam by car or by motorbike...

"We are uncountable in Sambisa," he added, dismissing reports of the insurgents' defeat as "false propaganda,” the new leader said in fluent Hausa language in a Yutube video with English and Arabic subtitles.

Revealingly, Boko Haram’s stronghold in Nigeria may be beyond Sambisa forest that has been the focus of the military in recent months. There have been calls by the locals to Nigerian army to extend its dragnet to other areas where the group is also known to operate, such as the Mandara Mountains, a reserve near the poorly-manned Cameroun-Nigeria border.

And while fighting the group in such place would require greater cooperation between both countries, Nigeria and Cameroun have not had a robust relationship to be able to make progress unlike what has been seen among Nigeria, Chad and Nigeria.

In his inaugural speech, Buhari who had in the past criticised the Goodluck Jonathan administration for not taking advantage of regional cooperation to fight Boko Haram insurgency promised to tackle myriad problems facing Nigeria including Boko  Haram and the rescue of the Chibok girls, but he failed to give a timeline to demonstrate his commitment.

“We cannot claim to have defeated Boko Haram without rescuing the Chibok girls and all other innocent persons held hostage by insurgents," he said. "This government will do all it can to rescue them alive."

But a human rights lawyer and public analyst, Ebun-Olu  Adegboruwa, Buhari will need to act to convince Nigerians that he’s truly willing to tackle Boko Haram insurgency “head on” as promised in his inaugural speech.

“Since the inauguration of this new administration on May 29, it has been a gale of attacks by Boko Haram, especially in the north-east region, as if it is a baptism of fire for the Buhari administration.

“From the inaugural address of the President, there is no doubt that there is a resolve on the part of the new administration to quell Boko Haram.

“Indeed, the President described the organisation as evil and ungodly. But that is just at the level of statements and rhetorics, which we have heard very often, from the past regime of former President Jonathan,” Adegboruwa said.

And for failing to give a timeline to end insurgency during the lifetime of his administration, Adegboruwa questioned Buhari’s sincerity of purpose saying, “the real issue is how and when will Boko Haram be dealt with and contained, once and for all.”

He added: “In furtherance of his resolve, the President announced the relocation of the command headquarters to Maiduguri, vowing to subdue Boko Haram. First, it is commendable that there is a resolve to tackle the organisation head on, as will power is necessary to win this battle.

“However, the President would seem to have falling into the same errors of his predecessor. In his inaugural address, General Buhari stated that after the terrorists have been subdued, then there will be an investigation of its philosophy, strategy and motivation. This can hardly solve any problem, when the strategy is that of killing before knowledge and intelligence. I believe that the President has underrated the strength and effectiveness of Boko Haram.

“Relocating the command headquarters to the battle front is of little or no effect or relevance to the success of the war against terror. The important thing needs to be done first, which is to equip the armed forces, encourage military men and fight the corruption that has eaten so deep into the military high command. Even if the entire Presidency is relocated to the north-east, as long as we have the same demoralised soldiers, the same outdated weaponry and polluted armed forces, nothing will change.

“Presently, hundreds of soldiers are facing court martial for refusing to be mobilised to fight Boko Haram. And their wives have since protested that their husbands should not be deployed to the war front without adequate weapons, otherwise they are just to be exposed to danger of untimely death.”

Adegboruwa listed the option before for a success of his adventure in tackling Boko Haram. “It is good that the President is already collaborating with our neighbours in Niger and Chad, as that will help to limit the expansionist agenda of Boko Haram.

“The other option is to strengthen our legal system to ensure that those who have been arrested are prosecuted promptly, to examine the allegations of human rights violations against the military, in the course of the war against terror and to ensure that these issues are properly addressed, especially the recent report of Amnesty International.

“It is thus important for the President to hold a conference with all stakeholders in the security agencies and to chart a plan of action. Almost one week after his inauguration, the President has kept the nation and indeed the world waiting on his choice of those to work with him, whether specifically in the war against terror, or generally in running a smooth administration that will help deliver on his campaign promises, whereas time is fast running out on this administration.”

According to Amnesty International, thousands have been killed and millions displaced during Boko Haram’s six-year-old campaign of terror on Nigeria.

Is Boko Haram Really Back?
On Friday, May 29, the day Mr. Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated as Nigeria’s new President, a double-explosion blamed on the insurgents’ activities hit the Borno village of Tashan-Alede where seven people were killed and several others injured.

On Saturday, May 30, Hours after President Buhari ordered the relocation of Nigeria’s military command to Maiduguri, Borno State capital, until Boko Haram militants are completely flushed out, the insurgents attacked a mosque, where no fewer than 26 people were killed. Also, insurgents fired dozens of rocket propelled grenades into residential areas in the night, killing at least seven people and injuring nearly 20 others.

On Tuesday, June 2, A bomb blast occurred at a busy meat market in Maiduguri, killing at least 50 people, though conflicting. The bomb, said to have been concealed under a butcher’s table in the market, went off around 1pm local time, killing shoppers and travellers, a military source said. The same day, Boko Haram also released a new video rejecting claims they have been routed by the Joint multinational Taskforce.

On Wednesday, June 3, Bomb exploded late night at a military check-point near a mechanic workshop, opposite sector one Military Base and NNPC mega station, Baga road in Maiduguri.

On Thursday, June 4, A suicide bomber struck in Jimeta market in Yola, capital of Adamawa State, and in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, where more than 45 people were reportedly killed in both attacks.

A security expert, who was speaking during a breakfast show on a national TV recently, Oladehinde Ariyo, said “We now have to deal with the pocket of IEDs going off here and there and that is why we need a different security administration entirely.”

Of course, Buhari knows that his agenda for security of the country can no longer wait. Will he give a timeline?