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Friday, 06 December 2013 15:23

How Nigeria Can Overcome Terrorism, Insurgency and Instability

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Introduction

The unrelenting insecurity, terrorism/insurgency miasma in Nigeria is disturbing. Innocent people are arbitrarily hacked to death, the issue is talked about for a few days, a Committee/Panel is assembled and the whole episode fizzles out sooner than later. Terrorism/Insurgency and insecurity has taken a big toll on innocent lives, public infrastructures and Nigeria’s economy. A recent report suggests Nigeria’s military campaign against terrorism and insurgency may have gulped over N1 trillion. Caging Boko Haram has hitherto proved cagey due to the unconventional (Guerrilla-war nature) of their operation with a trend towards ‘Lone Wolf’ terrorism - maximizing the use of surprise, terror  by a loose network of individuals or groups sympathetic to a common cause. The potency of terrorism is essentially psychological; terrorists know they cannot win the war so they attempt to make the price of their antagonist’s victory exorbitant.

The Boko Haram quagmire is analogous to a tse-tse fly that perched on the scrotum, utmost application of force is detrimental and so is leaving it there. The United States government understands these challenges hence they are advocating for a ‘’multi-faceted approach’’ to the Boko Haram quandary. The US believes ‘Nigeria requires strong character to overcome terrorism and that for ‘Nigeria to successfully counter extremists within its territory, it needs to deploy all of the strength of character it can muster against the nefarious activities of insurgent groups’.

This treatise is an appraisal of the underpinning causes of insecurity, terrorism/insurgency and instability in Nigeria. The essay reviews Nigeria’s approach so far at stemming the ugly tide and offers viable suggestions, options that will help to curtail this festering trend.

Causes, Factor’s Fuelling Terrorism/Insurgency and Instability in Nigeria

Contrary to widespread believe and in fairness to Boko Haram, the sect may not after all be responsible for all the acts of terrorism and atrocities credited to them. People settle scores somewhere and the Sect basks on it. An example is the sporadic clashes in Plateau State (Jos) involving Fulani herdsmen and so-called indigenes.

Beyond the guise of religion and politics, there must be some compelling force that can galvanize an individual to waste his life and that of others as a suicide bomber or a terrorist. Abysmal poverty, hopelessness/frustration, and joblessness have the potency to do this. They say a hungry man is an angry man. It will take an amazing brain-washing dexterity to convince a gainfully employed young man or somebody with a thriving career to abandon the frills of his endeavor and be a slavish stooge for terrorism.

The Boko Haram miasma is the butterfly-effect of a dysfunctional society. Urgent action must be taken to shrink unprecedented corruption, culture of impunity/arrogance of power, acute poverty, soaring unemployment and whittling radical religious fundamentalism by run-of-the-mill clerics. Our extensive porous border contributes too. Efforts must be geared towards ensuring that every Nigerian irrespective of place of birth or the family he/she is born into has a chance to actualize his or her God-given potentials. Skill acquisition programmes must also be put in place across Nigeria to absorb, engage idle and frustrated youths.

The Approach So far: Treating the Symptom, not the Causative Agent

The Boko Haram wahala did not start today; recall the infamous dreaded Maitatsine group that reigned terror in some Northern States of Nigeria in the 1980’s. The symptom of the disease was treated and the disease metamorphosed again. Our bane in this part of the world is that we are apt to postponing the evil day.

Smarting from an earlier haphazardly-packaged amnesty largesse extended to ex-Niger Delta militants, some school of taught pummeled the Federal government into tinkering with the possibility of granting BH adherents amnesty only for the Sect to derisively spurn FG’s overtures.

A culture, penchant and antecedent of a promiscuous amnesty is a subtle invitation to future anarchy. The Igbo’s have a saying that ‘’aru gbaa afo, oburu omenala’’. In English this roughly translates to ‘’when a crime/atrocity thrives for too long, it becomes a culture’’.

Terrorists and criminals are not completely faceless. No matter how reclusive they are, they have friends, families etc. They communicate via phones and have internet presence- email addresses, FaceBook, twitter accounts, issue Press Releases online etc. No matter how meticulous and savvy they are, they cannot afford not to inadvertently leave behind potential online ‘forensic fingerprint’ trails via their call logs, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses etc. Osama Bin Laden was larger than life and almost invincible for several years until he was exterminated through a cobweb of American Intelligence network.

Designation of BH and Ansaru as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO’s)

In June 2012, the State Department slammed a bounty on Shekau and officially designated him and two of his ilk- Abubakar Adam Ambar and Khalid al-Barnawi as terrorists. Just recently, a powerful United States think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) confirmed that the leader of BH, Shekau is, indeed, dead. The CFR asserts it is apparent that the latest video appearance of Shekau was faked. It cuts no ice whether Shekau is dead or not. Emboldened wanton killings by the Sect even after Shekau’s purported death lend credence to the fact that his death holds no solution to stemming the activities of the Sect. The State Department finally upped the ante by designating the duo of BH and Ansaru as FTO’s. The US says this gambit will enable it to freeze assets, impose travel bans on known members and affiliates of these groups as well as prohibit Americans from offering material support.

It is interesting that the Nigerian government that was once vociferous against designating these organizations as FTO’s seem to have recanted its initial opposition. What are the wider implications of this latest gambit by the US; are we going to brace up for drone attacks in the hotbeds of BH insurgency as is done in Afghanistan? Are we going to be witnessing Commando-style abduction of suspected terrorists in Nigeria by the Americans the way they abducted Abu Anas al-Libi in Libya?

State of Emergency Not A Lasting Solution

Deploying detachments of gung-ho soldiers in the name of a ‘State of emergency’ in the hot-beds of Boko Haram onslaught though a welcomed measure but not a lasting solution. The 7th Division of the Nigerian Army became operational on 22 August, 2013. With this development, the Army is said to have wrestled full control of the fight against terrorism/insurgency in the Northern part of Nigeria. Six months after the State of Emergency, the BH blitz is yet to abate rather the blokes appear more daring, kamikaze. What happens if and when BH decides to export their stock-in-trade to other less hostile states in the north or other parts of the country, you also declare a state of emergency in those areas? We suggest a critical reappraisal of the current strategy. An ongoing declaration of a state of emergency will be self-defeating in the absence of a definite, coherent strategy that can extinguish the wellspring terrorism/insurgency.

Nigeria’s military high command seems to be re-thinking its strategy as the Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, was said to have held a meeting with top army commanders across Nigeria on the need to review strategies used in the ongoing war against insurgency in Nigeria. Is this a subtle allusion that all is not well with the current approach?

Fears Over Human Right Abuses

There are widespread worries over serious human right abuses and extra-judicial killings sequel to Nigeria’s ongoing fight against terrorism/insurgency. Both BH and the security agencies seem to be complicit in human right abuses. A recent Amnesty International report alleges deaths of hundreds of people in detention facilities run by the JTF. The United Nations Human Right office warns that BH could be liable for crimes against humanity. Another disturbing scenario is the formation of the so-called ‘’Civilian JTF”. Host communities, civilians have a role to play in providing nuggets of information to security agencies but having these poorly trained and ill-equipped blokes at the forefront of the fight against terrorists/insurgents is an anomaly, risky and has far-reaching consequences. The declaration of a ‘State of emergency’ is not a license for our Security Agents to run amok. We immensely appreciate; commend the sacrifices, unconventional and precarious nature of the onerous task that Nigeria’s Security Agencies are encumbered with in the fight against terrorism/insurgency. We respectfully implore them to stick to international best practices/rules of engagement, be less pugnacious, very discerning and surgical, more proactive and also strive to win hearts and minds. While clarifying the United States Counter terrorism policy sometime in May 2013, President Obama said, ‘’before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured-the highest standards we can set’’.

Concern Over ‘’incessant Committees’’

The penchant for setting up chit chat paper-tiger committees in Nigeria is unbecoming. A few examples will suffice: on April 17, 2013 President Jonathan set up a 26-member ‘’Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North’’ headed by Mr. Kabiru Turaki. The Committee was given a 60-day time frame to submit its report. Simultaneously, another Committee on Small arms and light weapons was also constituted. The Turaki’s committee swung into action with exuberance boasting that the BH imbroglio will soon be a thing of the past. Shortly before the commencement of the last Ramadan fasting, Mr. Turaki announced with pageantry that his Committee had reached an ‘understanding’ for a ceasefire with Boko Haram. This turned out to be a farce as Abubakar Shekau issued a Video Release denying a ceasefire deal with the Turaki Committee. The Sect leader reportedly said in Hausa language, ‘’we will not enter into any agreement with non-believers or the Nigerian government’’.

After all the razzmatazz and several months of dissipating tax-payers money, the Committee managed to submit wishy-washy report calling for inter alia, ‘’the setting up of an advisory committee on continuous dialogues that will have powers to advice the President on all matters related to dialogue and resolution or crises’’. A committee was also assembled to look into the indiscriminate killing of 8 people on Friday 20/09/2013 in an uncompleted building at Bamanga Tukur Street, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, by Nigeria’s Security Operatives. One is not sure anything has been heard of this committee. The issue of the 60 bodies that were reportedly sighted floating on Ezu River in Amensea, Anambra State is yet to be unraveled. Please let us must do away with this culture of jamboree Panels, Committees and sub-committees. There are specific agencies of government constitutionally empowered to handle such issues rather than unnecessary duplication of roles with its attendant fiscal profligacy.

Nigeria Urgently Needs A Coherent Counter-Terrorism Strategy/Policy

Rather than our typical haphazard approach, it is high time Nigeria articulated a coherent and unified strategy towards countering terrorism and insurgency. We cannot continue doing the same thing, the same way over and over again and expect a different result.

The United Nations Counterterrorism Committee advocates countries to have comprehensive national strategies that include countering incitement motivated by extremism and intolerance. In the same vein, the United Nations Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force (UN-CTITF) also recommends promotion of public-private partnerships. It posits that developing partnerships with the private sector especially where State resources are limited.

Sequel to the complexity of the Security situation in Nigeria with a mix of economic, political and social strife, the United Nations Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force (CTIF) accentuates the importance of strategy and a collective effort to counterterrorism.

Underscoring the importance of Strategy to America’s war on terror President Obama was quoted as saying, ‘’unless we are committed to a better strategy, America may be drawn into more wars she does not need to fight’’.

Strategy and Policy are synonymous. A Strategy or a Policy is a template that stipulates an elaborate and systematic plan of action to be adopted by an individual, group/organization or a country in an eventuality whereas a law is a collection of rules imposed by an authority or a country. A lot of people argue that Nigeria has a terrorism or anti-terrorism law already; you can see from the two basic definitions that they are two different things. A Strategy/Policy is skewed towards proactiveness and prevention while a law is mostly punitive or reactionary. A well-defined framework, policy and strategy have the potency to tilt the balance in a war situation, conflict resolution or negotiation. A Strategy/Policy and a relevant law will mesh and yield a coveted outcome. Let’s have a template-a policy/strategy that foresees and prescribes solutions to problems before they even arise. Nigeria is also in dire need of a sweeping National Security Reform that embraces and emphasizes on human capital development and state-of-the-art infrastructure. An avid global trend follower will concur that cyber warfare/terrorism is the in-thing now. Cyber warfare/terrorism transcends national borders and boundaries. Juxtaposing ourselves in the position of the bad guys, our Security Agencies and government think-tanks must brainstorm on worst-case scenarios and have answers to them. Since it has become a fad for terrorists and insurgents to target schools, churches and other public institutions, it goes without saying that security-conscious establishments, schools, places of worship etc in Nigeria must be proactive, carry out sporadic ‘’Extensive Vulnerability/Resilience Analysis and Security Audit’’ of their domain and take appropriate steps to secure themselves. Nigeria must put in place a programme for Critical infrastructure protection. Let us do away with our fire-brigade approach and mentality. Every thoughtful and security-minded country or individual, hopes for the best but prepares for the worst. A wise saying goes, after a battle, sharpen your sword.

Sequel to Nigeria’s active membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Nigeria must do everything possible to stifle terrorists of funding by vigorously carrying out inquiries, freezing assets, impeding suspicious money transfers and money laundering. A programme must also be put in place to adequately compensate victims of terrorism and their families.

Model Counter Terrorism Strategies/Policies

Though the context may be different but Nigeria can glean nuggets of information and model its counter terrorism strategy after the following countries that have a well-thought out Strategy and Policy for combating terrorism.

The United States of America: An average American will not mince words in telling you that that the US does not negotiate with terrorists. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States set up the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and embarked on wide-ranging reforms. They effectively restructured their terrorism/counter-terrorism Strategy/Policy. It is now biased towards deterrence and taking the battle to the door steps of the enemy, keeping them busy in their own soil.

The leading framework of deterrence policy of the United States is encapsulated in the Patriot Act. It specifies assignments to specific agencies- the FEMA has the responsibility of developing an overall federal response. Other sister agencies like the DCI counter-terrorist centre, the CIA and the FBI have varied roles.

The United Kingdom: The United Kingdom redoubled its domestic counterterrorism strategy after the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 by Libyan terrorists in December 1988. Recall the UK battled the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for several years. The United Kingdom also has an alert system that indicates and warns its citizens when a terrorist incident is likely, critical heightened and so on. This effectively sensitizes the citizenry and makes them conscious of goings-on around them and to report suspicious activities/individuals around them.

The United Kingdom’s Counter terrorism strategy encompasses 4P’s: (a) PURSUE, aimed at nipping terrorist attacks in the bud (b) PREVENT, aimed at stopping people becoming terrorists or aiding terrorism (c) PROTECT, aimed at strengthening protection against a terrorist attack and (d) PREPARE which aims to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack.

Israel’s Counterterrorism Policy: Israel ranks high in the ladder of countries with massive experience with counter-terrorism measures. Due to hostility from its Arab neighbors, the State of Israel enacted the ‘Prevention of terrorism Ordinance in 1948. Like the United States, Israel has a zero-tolerance Policy in negotiating with terrorists. Israel’s CT strategy also relies on extensive intelligence-gathering, technological sophistication and very swift preemptive and retaliatory strikes. They demonstrated this in June 1976 when a group of Palestinian and German terrorists abducted an Air France Plane and held its passengers hostage at Entebbe, Uganda.

Canada’s Counter terrorism strategy is tagged- ‘’Building Resilience Against Terrorism’’. It reflects the ongoing and multi-faceted activities of government department and agencies involved in Counter terrorism.

Issues the Proposed National Conference Must Resolve

Nigerians yearn for good governance and a no-holds-barred restructuring of the Nigerian State. We want a Nigeria that is SAFE, PEACEFUL and where ALL her citizens irrespective of their ethnic and religious background, have a sense of belonging. We want a Nigeria where JUSTICE and EQUITY reigns supreme; a Nigeria that has a zero-tolerance for CORRUPTION, NEPOTISM and TRIBAL JINGOISM. We want a Nigeria where merit is not sacrificed in the altar of mediocrity and godfatherism. We want a Nigeria where some privileged folks are not above the law.

The proposed National Conference/Dialogue must not be another gala affair. It is a unique opportunity for a no-holds-barred discussion, reflection on the challenges of nation-building. Salient issues that led to the 1967-1970 Civil War in Nigeria remain up in the air. The Conference must propose alternatives to the following factors considered harbingers of instability and insecurity in Nigeria: The unprecedented concentration of political power at the centre, the consequent quest for it and the unparalleled financial reward accruable to political office holders in Nigeria. State and National Assembly members and other political office holders in Nigeria should work on part-time basis.Strengthening our weak judicial system, stamping out injustice, nepotism and a culture of impunity’’, ‘’replacing State of origin syndrome with state of residence’’, the later is the root of the imbroglio in Jos and some other parts of Nigeria. For instance the Hausa/Fulani tribes in Jos are still seen as strangers even though some of them, their Parents, grand and great-grand parents were born in Jos and have no other place as home. All the aforementioned factors are intertwined; the sporadic interplay of them impinges an unpredictable butterfly effect on the Stability and Security of Nigeria.

It is my considered opinion that a political system skewed towards regionalism, true federalism will take care of the constant bickering for power shift in Nigeria. Perhaps we can borrow a leaf from the United Kingdom’s Principle/System of ‘DEVOLUTION’ which ascribes some level of autonomy to the constituent units giving rise to a Welsh Assembly, Welsh Police, Scottish Parliament, Scottish Police, Scottish Health Service etc.

Establishing an Efficient Intelligence Gathering Network

Experience shows that a potpourri of proactive intelligence surveillance/gathering is a viable tool that can forestall terrorism/insurgency. The civilian populace needs to be carried along if the terrorism/insurgency must be stemmed. An Igbo proverb opines ‘’it is of no use brining out your kegs to fetch water after the rain must have stopped’’.

It beggars belief that with the war-chest in their disposal and all the purported arrests, prosecution of suspected Boko Haram members, Nigeria’s Security Agencies seem to have failed in extracting credible information that will enable them infiltrate and decimate the ranks, chain of command of this Sect.

Encouraging Cooperation, Coordination and Inter-Agency Synergy

There is need for a coordinated response to terrorism/insurgency in Nigeria and across the West African sub-region. The recent Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya in which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility, may be a harbinger of things to come. Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the State Security Service (SSS), the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), the Police, Customs, Immigration etc must dissuade inter-agency rivalry and work together for a common good. There is need for active and seamless information sharing and harnessing the capabilities of the various security agencies in Nigeria. The statement credited to Major General Sarki Bello, the Counter Terrorism Coordinator in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the effect that, ‘’it will be an understatement to describe the previous state of relationships among our security agencies as chaotic will be an understatement’’ calls for serious soul-searching.

Novel Technologies To Combat Insecurity & Terrorism

There is no amount of money spent on Security that can be said to be too much because without adequate security, human activity-business, governance, education etc cannot thrive. However, there must be good outcomes when huge investments are expended in Security. Of particular interest is the need to adequately patrol our extensive porous land, sea borders to forestall spin-off from events in countries like Mali, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, Central African Republic, D.R Congo etc. Analysts believe the growing sophistication and audacity of Boko Haram suggests they have links with foreign terrorist networks like Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al-Shabaab. Some schools of thought strongly believe there is a nexus between insecurity, terrorism and corruption. According to Diane Kohn, the anti-crime Program Coordinator at the US Embassy in Nigeria,‘’Corruption is affecting Nigeria’s security’’. There is free-flow of arms, explosives and all manner of contraband into Nigeria due to corruption and lack of proper inspection at our Ports, land borders and airports.

A while ago, Nigeria’s Dailies reported that ‘’Immigration uncovered 1,487 illegal entry routes to Nigeria’’. This is probably a conservative guesstimate. I think we have the resources to deploy Unattended Land/Ground Sensors, a state-of-the-art gadget that provides enhanced protection for Border Security, Infrastructure and Force protection. I chuckle each time I hear that illegal immigrants from Chad, Niger etc in Nigeria have been arrested and deported. Unless the Nigerian Immigration implanted RFID Chips on deported illegal immigrants found in Nigeria otherwise deporting them is not the solution as they will swiftly return to Nigeria sooner than later if they so wish through any of the illegal entry points. Other high-tech gadgets that will also aid the fight insecurity, terrorism/insurgency include : Use of extremely selective, sensitive Explosive Detectors that must be able to sniff out trace amounts and distinguish a real explosive from the ‘’noise’’ of other compounds, Automatic Number Plate Recognition System, an encompassing National Database & Fingerprint of Convicted Criminals, Wired/Wireless and Internet Protocol Networked CCTV Cameras, Use of Satellite-Based Technology in Security-monitoring Crude Oil Pipelines, critical national infrastructures and our extensive borders.

Conclusion

It is not enough for the National Assembly to pass a law criminalizing acts of terrorism and apportioning punishments/penalties. The prospect of a punishment does not necessarily deter an individual or a group hell-bent on breaking the law.

A well-thought out Counterterrorism Strategy/Policy is a sine qua non if Nigeria must win the war on terror. Rather than an entrenched proclivity for setting up chit chat Committees/Panels, it is high time Nigeria unveiled a definite Counter terrorism Strategy/Policy which will define inter alia, whether or not Nigeria shall negotiate with terrorists/insurgents; whether or not terrorists/insurgents shall be rewarded with an amnesty. The National Counter terrorism Strategy/Policy will also appropriate clear-cut roles to the various arms of the Security agencies and response should incidents arise.

Envision the social transformation that will take place if the N6bn ‘Security Vote’ and the so-called ‘Constituency Allowance’ accruable to all 36 State governors and members of the National Assembly respectively are judiciously utilized and channeled into truly uplifting Nigerians. Deepening democracy, economic prosperity, education, research and good governance will go a long way in tackling radicalization, terrorism/insurgency and instability’’.

Peace is a sine qua non for development. No country or individual will actualize its/his potentials in a miasma of insecurity and unpredictability. Please let’s give peace a chance.Nigerians Unite Against Insecurity and Terrorism. See it, hear it, say it, stop it!!!

God bless Nigeria and Nigerians!

About the Author

Don Okereke is a Security Analyst/Consultant with over 15 years combined Military (Air force) and Industrial Security experience gleaned within and outside the shores of Nigeria. His Expertise and Interest spans Vulnerability/Risk Assessment & mitigation, Investigations, Security Awareness Workshops/Trainings, Security Survey’s, Due Diligence & Background Checks, Brand Protection & Business Continuity, Physical Security (Executive & Asset Protection, Travel Advisory/Journey Management, Emergency Planning/Response and Public Speaking. He is a Writer and a Passionate advocate of ‘Nigerians Unite Against Insecurity and Terrorism’.

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel: +2347080008285

Read 1854 times Last modified on Friday, 05 November 2021 12:13

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