Post on 27-Feb-2023
Nigeria and the Emergence of Terrorism: A Study of Causes and
Effective Strategies in Combating Terrorism by the Government
By
Uwaegbute Kingsley
Ikechukwu
Uwaegbute Kingsley holds a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours)
in
Religion and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies; all from the
prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Abstract
This work studied both the variables that led to the emergence of
terrorism in Nigeria and some strategies to be used in combating
it. It adopted phenomenography as a research methodology in its
approach to discussing its subject matter. The work defined
terrorism from the perspective of use of organized violent acts
targeted against both the state and non-combatants which are
designed to achieve political, religious, social or ideological
goals. In the context of Nigeria, the work pointed out some
variables that led to the emergence of terrorism. These
variables include abysmal poverty religious fanaticism, ethnic
and religious politics, unemployment and inability of the
government to stop various recurring violence in Nigeria. In the
same vein, the work advocated for solid intelligence gathering
among security operatives in Nigeria, tightening security in
Nigeria’s borders, use of novel technologies and equipment and
cutting off the sources of finance of terrorists in Nigeria as
some strategies that will be helpful in combating terrorism.
Key Words: terrorism, Boko Haram, Nigeria, poverty, religious
fanaticism, corruption, strategies
Introduction
Terrorism is a complex global phenomenon. It is known to have
been part of human civilization. This is because as researches
have shown, human civilization has been replete with terrorist
acts no matter how unsophisticated (Gerard, 2007; Laqueir, 2000).
Terrorism, in its simplest definition, refers to violent acts
that are intended to create fear and, perpetrated for a wide
range of reasons. These reasons may be for achievement of
political, ideological or religious goals (Ruby 2002). These
violent acts are perpetrated by people commonly called
terrorists; these terrorists usually direct their violent acts
against non-combatants which may include neutral military
personnel and civilians. However this is not to say that national
symbols and institutions are not targeted by terrorists. Equally
worthy to say is that terrorist acts may be perpetrated by
individuals, groups or even states. Presently, terrorism has
become a global phenomenon which poses a threat to world peace
and human development especially in the Middle East and parts of
Africa. This becomes evident in the face of human and material
resources which terrorism has claimed over the years globally
(Kugel 2011).
In Nigerian context, terrorism is fairly a new phenomenon.
Admittedly, Nigeria is a country with huge history of both
secular and religious violence (Karuiki 2010; Lynch 2010;
Uwaegbute 2014). This violence has been perpetrated by different
ethnic and religious groups. And as it turned out, this violence
has taken a huge toll on Nigeria as a country. But as devastating
as this violence may have been, they not qualify as terrorist
acts. Even the Maitatsine disturbances of 1980s which had aspect
of terrorism cannot be categorized as such (terrorism). Rather,
these Maitatsine disturbances were religiously induced violence
(Uwaegbute 2014; Imo 1995). These all justify the thesis here
that terrorism is fairly new in Nigeria. However, there is no
denial that these violent disturbances over the years in Nigeria
mixed with abysmal poverty, corruption, religious fanaticism etc,
culminated in the emergence of terrorism in Nigeria today (Achebe
2012; Okereke 2013).
Arguably, terrorism arose in Nigeria with the emergence of
the Islamist sect called Boko Haram. With Boko Haram’s breathe of
violence which began in July 2009 in parts of North -Eastern
Nigeria, the stage became set for the rise of terrorism in
Nigeria (Agbiboa 2013). Beginning from 2010 when it has been
suggested Boko Haram galvanized itself into a terrorist group,
terrorism became a phenomenon in Nigeria. In contemporary
Nigeria, Boko Haram’s terrorism has spread like savannah bush
fire resulting in heavy loss of lives and wanton destruction of
property.
In reaction to these, the federal government has responded
to combating the terrorist activities of Boko Haram. One of the
strategies of the federal government is the militarization of
states designated as terrorist haven. Hence the declarations of
state of emergency in states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in May
2013 (Agbiboa 2013). However, the ineffectiveness of this
militarization strategy has left much to be desired. This becomes
evident in the fact that since the declaration of state of
emergency in 2013 in these states mentioned, terrorist activities
of Boko Haram seem to have exacerbated in Borno, Yobe, and
Adamawa. This has even led Boko Haram to declare some parts of
these states Islamic caliphates (BBC News August 25,
2014;Adepegba, Soriwei and Muhammed 2014). Equally, Boko
Haram’s terrorist acts have made inroads into Abuja the nation’s
capital. This culminated to both Nyanya, and Wuse II bombings in
April and June 2014 respectively. This has led a scholar like
Kukah (2014) to criticize the militarization strategy of the
federal government in combating terrorism.
In view of these, this work seeks to critically study
some variables that led to the emergence of terrorism in Nigeria
and also proffer some effective strategies that will help curb
the menace of terrorism in Nigeria today. Since this is a
descriptive qualitative study, the researcher adopted
phenomenography as its methodology. Phenomenography seeks to
describe the effect of people’s experiences on phenomena
(Hitchcock,2006;Bowden, 2005;Norton,1989). In other words,
phenomenography studies phenomena as products of human
experiences. This methodology is very suitable in the context of
this research because, as shall later be discussed, the rise of
terrorism in Nigeria has been described as the product of
impoverishment and corruption which have plagued the country for
so long especially in northern Nigeria. Hence, these harsh
experiences culminated to the rise of terrorism in Nigeria.
Conceptualizing Terrorism
Here the paper considers:
Origin of the term terrorism
According to Online Etymology Dictionary (2010), terrorism
comes from the French word terrorisme. Originally, this referred
specifically to state terrorism as practised by the French
government during its reign of terror from 1793 – 1794. Terrorisme
as a French word is in itself a derivation of the Latin word
terreō which translates as “I frighten” (Campbell, 2001). Terreō is
a Latin word used in reference to terror cimbricus which was a
state of emergency in Rome in response to the approach of
warriors of the Cimbri tribe in 105BC. This was the model adopted
by the Jacobins when imposing the reign of terror during the
famous French revolution (Numberg, 2001). However, it seemed
that when the Jacobins’ imposition of reign of terror failed, the
word terrorism became a pejorative and abusive word (Numberg,
2001). This was the metamorphosis of the French word terrorisme
into modern English Lexicon which became known as terrorism.
Lexically, in modern English, terrorism is a noun. In the same
vein, the word terrorist (someone who commits terrorist acts) is
also a noun (Dictionary.com 2014).
History of Terrorism
It is pointed out in the introductory part of the paper that
human history has known terrorism no matter how unsophisticated.
Here, the paper traces the earliest known terrorist acts in human
history. The history of terrorism dates back to the 1st century
AD in Judea during Roman rule in Palestine. It started with the
Sicarii Zealots, a Jewish extremist group active in Judean province
then. The Sicarii Zealots were an extremist offshoot of the
Zealots. The Zealots themselves were extremists who opposed
Roman domination of Jewish nation (Josephus Antiquities; Ellison,
1988). The Zealots’ opposition to Roman rule led to an uprising
in the 1st century AD in which prominent collaborators with Roman
rule were killed (Josephus Antiquities). In AD 6, one Judas of
Galilee formed an extremist offshoot of the Zealots which he
called the Sicarii (Gerard 2007). The Sicarii Zealots directed their
terrorist activities against Jewish collaborators including
temple priests, Sadducees, Herodians and other wealthy elites
(Gerard, 2007; Ellison, 1988). These Sicarii Zealots even had
sponsors just like today’s terrorists (Ellison, 1988).
In modern history, which is after the industrial revolution
in Europe, modern acts of terrorism started. It has been pointed
out here in this paper about the coinage of the word terrorism
from the Jacobins activities during the French revolution from
1793-1794. This having been said, it is worthy of being pointed
out that the development of modern warfare has a huge tie with
the development of modern terrorist tactics. For example,
Crenshaw (1995) writes that the first act of terrorism involving
the use of bombs was in 1858. This was when Felice Orsini threw
three bombs in an attempt to assassinate French emperor Napoleon
III. It was reported that eight bystanders were killed and 142
injured. This incident, believes Crenshaw (1995), was a huge
inspiration for the development of other terrorist groups.
Among the earliest terrorist groups was the Irish Republican
Army (IRA) which was credited to have used the most modern
terrorist tactics (English, 2007). The Irish Republican Army
(IRA) initiated the Fenian dynamite campaign in 1881 which were
set off in the heart of Britain. This was a ploy to create fear
among British people and therefore achieve political gains
(English, 2007).
The same is said of Narodnaya Volya, an anarchist group turned
into revolutionaries in Russia in 1878. This was the brain child
of Sergey Nechayev. This group targeted killing leaders of
oppression using dynamite indiscriminately as an effective
terrorist tactic (Hoffman, 1998). During the 20th century, more
terrorist groups sprang up owing to various political, social and
religious dominations by various colonizing nations of the world.
Definition of Terrorism
One factual agreement among researchers in the field of
terrorism is that it (terrorism) lacks a universally accepted
definition. A whole lot of reasons have been given for this.
The first is that the term terrorism is used pejoratively either
by the state or, by those opposing terrorism. In other words,
terrorism is a pejorative and abusive word used by political
leaders against perceived opponents of the state (Hoffman, 1998).
This may be why terrorists do not see themselves as terrorists.
Rather, most terrorists point out that being labeled terrorists
is a political term of discredit used by political leaders
against them (terrorists) who are considered enemies of the
state. Hence, researchers in the field point out the pejorative
connotations of the term terrorism (Thomspon, 2005).
In alignment with the above, there is disputation as to
which acts are actually terrorist acts. This becomes inevitable
since the state itself may adopt terrorism as a part of foreign
policy or, a tactic used in face of domestic opposition.
Equally, there are strong indications among some philosophers
that terrorism is permissible in some situations. These
situations, these philosophers say, may arise when the intension
is outweighed by the violence involved or, when the very life of
a people is threatened (Rodin, 2006; Steinfels, 2003).
This, equally, leads to the argument among some schools of
thought that there is a thin line separating terrorism and
liberation struggle. In other words, most notable freedom
fighters have employed terrorist tactics as an effective way of
fighting oppression. This is exemplified in the case of anti-
apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela who was branded a terrorist
by both apartheid regime in South Africa and some western
countries because of his support for the use of violence against
apartheid regime in South Africa from 1961 – 1993 (Mandela,
1994).
The same is said of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) which
the British branded terrorists because of their use of violence
in fighting against British domination of Irish people. This is
aligned with the first point raised here that terrorists do not
see themselves as terrorists. Rather, most terrorist groups call
themselves freedom fighters, liberators, separatists,
revolutionaries, militants, paramilitary, rebels, guerrillas,
patriots etc. In contemporary times, especially in the Arab
world, most terrorist groups have described themselves as
Jihadists, Mujahideen, Fedayeen etc. These Arabic words have
connotations akin to liberation and political struggle.
This has been the case recently in Afghanistan, (Taliban)
Israel/ Gaza/Palestine (HAMAS), Iraq/Syria (Islamic State of Iraq
and the Levent, otherwise called IS), Ukraine (Russian
separatists), Nigeria (Boko Haram), Somali (Al Shabab) Mali
(Azawad separatists), Egypt (Muslim Brotherhood), Central African
Republic ( Anti-Balaka and Seleka rebels) etc. Most of these
groups, in one way or the other, have been categorized as
terrorists. But in truth, some of these groups are more of
liberation strugglers than terrorists. Their fight is for
political independence; be their motivation, political, religious
or ideological. This therefore culminated in the saying that
“one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” This
also points to the fact that the definition of terrorism is a
matter of researcher’s point of view.
In furtherance of the discussion here, the paper gives a
definition/description of terrorism. Admittedly, terrorism
involves the use of violence to achieve an end. These violent
acts are meant to create fear among people thereby giving
terrorists leverage in their cause. These violent acts could be
committed by individuals, groups and even the state itself and
are done for a wide range of reasons. Equally, a wide range of
tactics may be used in terrorism which includes bombing (suicide
bombing), assassinations and use of cohesive force on civilians.
This is why terrorism is a type of warfare called guerrilla
(Green, 2006). It is therefore a strategy and tactic used by
weaker sides in conflicts. On a whole, terrorism is seen here as
organized violent acts committed by groups which are targeted
against perceived enemies (the secular state, religious groups,
secular groups, or civilians) as a means of achieving goals which
may be political, religious, social, economic, or ethnical in
nature.
Types of Terrorism
This depends heavily on country, political system and time
in history. However, terrorism can be categorized into:
Civil Disorder
In modern age, some philosophers and freedom fighters have
taught that people have the right to civil disobedience.
Prominent freedom fighters like Mandela (South Africa) Gandhi
(India) and Biko (South Africa) have used civil disobedience as
an effective tool of freedom fighting. But when a form of
collective violence interfering with peace, security and normal
functioning of the community is embarked upon by people, this
becomes a form of terrorism. This is civil disorder and some
researchers have called it a form of terrorism (Cooper, 1976).
State Terrorism
In human history, especially in the 20th century, many
terrorist states have existed. The examples of Stalin (Russia),
Mussolini (Italy) and Hitler (Germany) reflect this fact. These
states qualify as terrorist states because they employed fear and
oppression as effective tools of governance. Hence, when states
rule based on fear and oppression, this qualifies as state
terrorism. State terrorism may be also directed towards other
foreign nations. Modern theorists also talk about structural
state terrorism which happens when terrorist acts are carried out
by governments in pursuit of their foreign policy (Cooper, 1976).
Religious Terrorism
Religious teachings have always been a huge source of
violence in human societies. Some people use religious teaching
to perpetrate violence against people of other religions or the
secular state. From 20th century upwards, religious motivations
have been a huge source of terrorism all over the world
especially in Muslim countries. As most researches have shown,
religion is a huge source of violence which leads to
irrationality, unreasonability and extremism (Hitchens, 2007;
Uwaegbute, 2014; Harris, 2004).
In contemporary times, religious terrorism is associated
with Islamic religion (Qamar, 2010; Hitchens, 2007; Harris,
2004). Most western societies associate terrorism with Islamist
Jihadists and their extremist intolerant behaviours against non-
Muslims. In all, when a particular religious group direct
violent acts against people of other religion or the secular
state, based on their religious teachings, this qualifies as
religious terrorism.
Political Terrorism
This refers to violent criminal behaviours designed
primarily to create fear in the community or substantially
segment it for political purposes. Political terrorism is
usually characterized by a revolutionary approach in which
revolutionaries seek to seize power or control of the state.
When this is not directed for the purpose of capturing the state,
this becomes limited political terrorism (Cooper, 1976).
Causes of terrorism: Some Variables that led to Emergence of
Terrorism in Nigeria
A whole lot has been blamed by researchers as being
responsible for the rise of terrorism in Nigeria. Some of these
variables are hereby discussed.
Abysmal Poverty and Corruption
These two variables have been part of the Nigerian society
since independence in 1960. However, the expected reduction in
both poverty and corruption in Nigeria by successive governments
have been a woeful failure. In other words, 54 years of
independent rule in Nigeria have failed to tackle the problem of
poverty and corruption (Uwaegbute, 2013). This is evidenced in
the fact that as of April 2014, the World Bank estimates that
Nigeria accounts for 33% of the world’s poor (Omoh, 2014).
Invariably, this led the World Bank to rank Nigeria third on
world poverty index. This is a pointer to how poverty has become
a phenomenal problem in Nigeria.
This situation is made worse by high unemployment rate in
Nigeria today (World Bank, 2013). Presently, Nigeria is ranked
153 out of 188 countries as long as human development is
concerned (Ebhomole and Ateba, 2013). Though Nigeria is a poor
country, the problems of poverty seem to be higher in the
northern part of the country. This northern part equally lack
basic infrastructures that aid human development (Maku, 2012).
Equally, many researchers have blamed corruption as the cause of
rise of terrorism in Nigeria (Achebe, 2012; Karuiki, 2010).
Corruption is an endemic problem which has eaten deep into the
fabric of Nigeria.
These situations described here have actually created
favourable conditions that led to emergence of terrorism in
Nigeria. This is why Achebe (2012) wrote that:
Economic deprivation and corruption produce and
exacerbate financial and social
inequalities in a population, which in turn fuel
political instability .Within this environment,
extremists of all kinds- particularly religious zealots
and other political mischief makers- find a foothold to
recruit supporters and sympathizers to help launch
terrorist attacks…(p.250).
Of course, it is a fact that poverty, corruption and religious
indoctrination go hand in glove. In the case of Nigeria this is
a fact as seen in the words of Karuiki (2010):
Corruption and poverty are so embedded that it even
disturbs those few Nigerians who can avoid these
problems. Faith thus becomes the fix for many
Nigerians. When people do not have much, religion
becomes more important (p.1).
This is absolutely true in Nigeria especially in the northern
part of the country. This is exemplified in the case of Boko
Haram whose original members consisted mostly of impoverished
women and children, unemployed polytechnic graduates, drug
addicts and almajiris. These people formed the original
communities of Boko Haram who according to Isa (2010) were
wrecked by:
Poverty, deteriorating social services and
infrastructure, educational backwardness, rising
numbers of unemployed youths, dwindling fortunes in
agriculture … and the weak dwindling productive base of
northern economy (p.329).
Thus Boko Haram was the product of impoverishment and ineffective
social services and infrastructures in the north. When this is
mixed with radical Islam and its promise of better life for
Jihadists, it becomes quite obvious why terrorism has a huge
attraction for youths in northern Nigeria.
Religious Fanaticism
Religious fanaticism bothers on irrational and extremist
approach to the practise of religion (Uwaegbute, 2014).
Religious fanaticism therefore places some religious adherents
beyond every reasonable approach to the practise of religion
(Harris, 2004). Nigeria is a country where religious fanatics of
all kinds exist (Achebe, 2012, Onunwa, 2012). To be fair, both
Christianity and Islam have fanatical worshippers but it seems
that Islam produces more fanatics especially in northern Nigeria.
Since Islam is the predominant religion in northern Nigeria,
this part of the country has been a safe haven for Islamic
fanatics of all kinds. The history of northern Nigeria is always
mixed with that of religious fanaticism (Agbiboa, 2013). Right
from the Jihad of Uthman Danfodio, northern Nigeria has been
replete with religious fanaticism. From the time of Maitatsine
uprising in the 1980s to present Boko Haram insurgency, northern
Nigeria has witnessed huge religious violence which has claimed a
lot of lives. This is linked to continued radicalization of many
Muslims in the north. This is not helped either by the promise
of better life for Jihadists who die fighting as thought by hard-
line Muslim mullahs /mallams. In northern Nigeria of today,
religious fanaticism has led to the current insurgency of Boko
Haram in which both human and material resources are heavily lost
daily.
Negligence on the part of the Government and Nigerian Citizens
Like most things in Nigeria, the Nigerian government and her
citizens have not actually taken proper notice of how inimical
religious violence can be to a nation. In other words, the
government in particular, has never been able properly tackle the
problem of recurring violence over the years in the country.
This violence has therefore culminated to rise of terrorism in
Nigeria today. This is why Achebe (2012) wrote that:
In many respects, Nigeria’s federal government has
always tolerated terrorism. For over a century, the
federal government has turned a blind eye to waves of
ferocious and savage massacres of its citizens- mainly
Christian southerners; mostly Igbos or indigenes of the
Middle Belt; and others- with impunity (p.251).
If one considers various recurring violence in Nigeria in which
both human and material resources are lost, one cannot help but
agree with Achebe’s position.
On the other hand, Kukah (2012) has raised the point that
most Nigerians adopt a non-chalant attitude to both religious
violence and sects that perpetrate it. Kukah argues that had
Nigerians been more sensitive to security threats in their
environments, terror group like Boko Haram would have been
earlier detected before its transformation into a terror group.
In other words, Kukah argues that the environment that nurtured
Boko Haram considered them illiterate and ignorant people not
knowing that they had other ulterior political motives. This
negligence therefore has led to the problem of Boko Haram
insurgency today.
Ethnic and Religious Politics
Ethnicity and religion have always played a huge role in the
politics of Nigeria (Ngele, 2008; Kukah1993).Right from Nigeria’s
independence in 1960, affiliation to an ethnic or religious group
has been a deciding factor in who rules Nigeria. Even in present
times this still happens. This has led Babatunde Fashola, the
present governor of Lagos state, to point out that Nigerians
should not use religion as a criterion of choosing their leaders
(Farotimi2014).Imo (1995) and Uwaegbute (2014) have all shown how
politicians in Nigeria use religious sentiment to incite violence
among the populace. David Mark, the current senate president of
Nigeria, corroborated this fact when he said that politicians in
Nigeria practise religious politics (Ogunmade,2014).This is why
Mark cautions Nigerians to separate religious issues from those
of politics. Presently, the exacerbation of terrorism in Nigeria
has partly been attributed to the support some disgruntled
religious, political and ethnic groups give terrorists as a
reprisal for their not staying in power (Jasser, 2014). All this
relate to the fact that ethnic and religious politics fan the
embers of terrorism in Nigeria today.
Strategies in Combating Terrorism in Nigeria
Mention has been made in this paper about the military
strategy adopted by the federal government in its fight against
terrorism in Nigeria. However, the effectiveness of this
strategy has been questioned by a lot of people (Kukah, 2014;
Zayyana, 2014). This is made evident in the fact that since the
declaration of state of emergency by the federal government in
2013 in states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, terrorist activities
of Boko Haram have exacerbated in northern Nigeria. It has even
spilled over to other states like Kano, Kaduna and Gombe. Hence
there is need to adopt other strategies in addition to the
military solution. This is because as Green (2006) warned:
Because of the asymmetry of forces at play in the
terrorist strategy, military solution is often the
least effective. Terrorist are very vaporous, spread
out, linked not physically but by some radical and
fanatical idea (p.193).
In view of this, the work proffers these strategies which will be
effective in combating terrorism in Nigeria. They include:
Identifying and drying up the financial sources of
terrorists in Nigeria
Globally, terrorists have sponsors (Green 2006). This is
because terrorism is an asymmetric warfare which pits terrorists
against larger armies. In this regards, terrorists need
financial backup to withstand the pressures of these armies.
Hence, terrorists reach out to people or organizations
sympathetic to their cause for financial support. These may be
individual, secular or religious groups or even the state in some
cases.
This is applicable to Boko Haram terrorists operating in
Nigeria. Admittedly, there are indications that bank robbery and
kidnapping are sources of funds for Boko Haram (Onu 2011;
Ibrahim, 2011) but the sophistication of Boko Haram’s
technologies and war equipment presently tells the fact that they
have huger sources of funds. The Nigerian government and its
security operatives have been blamed for their inefficiency in
tracking the sponsors of Boko Haram.
There are also indications, as Agbiboa (2013) points out,
that with Boko Haram’s link to al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb
(AQIM), the group began to have sponsors from groups in Saudi
Arabia and United Kingdom. This also applies to strong
indications raised about the possibilities that Al Mutanda Trust
Fund and Islamic World Society sponsor Boko Haram. This, of
course, was revelation made by Boko Haram officials captured in
2012 (Agbiboa, 2013). However, who these sponsors in Saudi
Arabia and United Kingdom are remains to be pointed out by
security operatives in Nigeria. Equally the means through which
these financial aids are given to Boko Haram remains to be
uncovered.
Moreover, there are strong indications that Boko Haram has
financial backers in Nigeria. For example, Aziken (2012) points
out that the revelation of captured former Boko Haram spokesman
Konduga alleged that Shekarau, former Kano state governor and
Aliyu Babangida, present Niger state governor, placed members of
Boko Haram on monthly salary. Also Senator Ali Ndume from Borno
state has been accused of sponsoring Boko Haram. This allegation
has continued in present times with accusing finger being pointed
at senator Ndume as a sponsor of Boko Haram (Ekpeyong Ita
2014).Also the role played by Ali Modu Sheriff, former governor
of Borno state, in the formation of Boko Haram is still
questionable. Though Sheriff still denies being a Boko Haram
sponsor (TVC News, September 6,2014),allegations are still rife
over his involvement in Boko Haram activities. The same goes to
the revelation made be a Nigerian soldier fighting Boko Haram in
Borno which show that some notable Borno politicians sponsor Boko
Haram (Ikeke, 2014). There are no indications that any of these
allegations were properly investigated by security operatives in
Nigeria. None of these people (with the exception of Ndume) were
either prosecuted or convicted, an indication that these
allegation were dispelled as usual political smears.
It is therefore in line with all these that the work
believes that if efforts are made by security operatives in
Nigeria to identify the sources of fund of Boko Haram, this will
enable them cut off this line of financial support of Boko
Haram. This, in turn, will weaken Boko Haram’s terrorist
activities in Nigeria.
Solid intelligence gathering and sharing among security
operatives in Nigeria
Terrorism is a game of intelligence. This is because
terrorists rely heavily on intelligence gathering from vast array
of networks which aid them carry out their terrorist activities
(Green 2006). In order to counter terrorism, solid intelligence
gathering about the plans and activities of terrorists is highly
important. This is where security operatives in Nigeria have
been accused of failure. Critics like Kukah (2014), Okereke
(2014) and Zayyana (2014) have heavily stressed the need for
solid intelligence gathering and sharing among security
operatives in Nigeria as a huge way of countering terrorism.
In addition, this is to be backedup by infiltration of
terrorists ranks in Nigeria. However, it seems that terrorists
in Nigeria have been the ones who have actively utilized this
strategy to their advantage. There are strong indications that
Boko Haram terrorists have infiltrated the ranks of security
operatives in Nigeria. Some high ranking security personnel in
Nigeria have been found culpable of aiding Boko Haram’s cause.
This even includes some high powered military personnel in the
Nigerian army (Leadership Newspaper June 3, 2014).
In the above regard, the suspicious role played by Zakari
Biu the commissioner of police in charge of criminal
investigations Abuja in 2012 over the escape of Kabiru Sokoto, a
Boko Haram suspect is still fresh in the mind of many Nigerians.
Sokoto, of course, was the mastermind of St. Theresa Madalla
Catholic Church bombing in December 2011. This bombing claimed
44 lives. More recently, the court marshalling of some high
powered military personnel and other soldiers in Nigeria over
alleged role in aiding Boko Haram’s cause reflect how sympathetic
some security operatives in Nigeria have become to Boko Haram
(Leadership Newspaper June 3, 2014; Daily Sun Newspaper,
September 29, 2014). The United States government even
corroborates the above said by pointing out that part of her
reason for refusing to sell the Nigerian army arms and ammunition
stems from her findings that some Generals in Nigerian army
collaborate army with Boko Haram terrorists by revealing
important military tactics and strategies to be used in fighting
Boko Haram (Naij.com 2014; BBC News November 10, 2014).
This equally goes to president Good luck Jonathan who admits
that terrorists have infiltrated his government (Punch Newspaper
January 9, 2012; The Guardian, January 9, 2012). These all show
how Boko Haram terrorists have utilized infiltration as a huge
strategy favourable to their cause.
In furtherance of the discussion here, the individual
Nigerian has a role to play in this intelligence gathering and
sharing. The ordinary Nigerian citizen should help to give
security operatives accurate and related information about
activities of terrorists provided such informants are hugely
protected to avoid reprisal attacks from terrorists as have been
seen in Borno state where informants have been killed by Boko
Haram for disclosing information about them(Boko Haram). This,
will in turn, make the work of security operatives easier. It
will also help reduce terrorist activities in Nigeria.
Tightening Security along Nigeria’s Border
Nigeria’s borders, especially the land borders in northern
Nigeria, are very porous (Okereke, 2014). In other words, there
is a huge security problem along the land borders of Nigeria. In
states like Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Jigawa bordering countries
like Cameroon, Chad and Niger, border security in these places is
very porous. Besides, there are illegal crossing points in these
states. It has been reported in 2013 that Nigeria Immigration
Services uncovered 1,487 illegal entry routes to Nigeria (Okereke
2013). Most of these illegal entry routes in Nigeria are found
in northern Nigeria. Musa (2013) points out that between Damaturu
and Maidugri axis, there are about 250 footpaths that link
Cameroon, Chad or Niger. These footpaths are relatively unknown
to security operatives.
These strongly support the fact that security is very
porous in these borders. With the uprising in Libya (2011), Mali
(2012), Central African Republic (2013-present), arms and weapons
proliferation has been done through these porous northern
borders. This porous nature of Nigerian borders has also been
blamed for the arms that al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)
supplies to Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria (Musa, 2013). These
porous borders which aid trafficking in arms admits Musa (2013),
has been a major challenge to the fight against terrorists in
Nigeria. Hence, there is urgent need for the government to secure
its borders to forestall these illegal trafficking in arms by
Boko Haram insurgents. If this is done, then the routes through
which these terrorists get their guns have been cut off. It will
add hugely to the reduction of terrorist activities in Nigeria.
The use of novel and state-of-the-art technologies
To combat terrorism, the government needs to embark on use of
state-of-the-art technologies. These include using sophisticated
gadgetry like mounting Close-Circuit Television cameras (CCTV)
and explosive dictators in strategic places in Nigeria including
Nigeria’s land borders. These should be used for surveillance
purposes since they can produce images, record and also detect
explosives devices. This method has proved effective in
combating terrorism in western societies (Okereke, 2013). The
case of Boston marathon bombing in the United States in 2013
reflects how useful Closed-Circuit cameras are. The
perpetrators of these bombings were caught on camera dropping off
bombs in their choice places which later exploded during the
Boston marathon. This led to the apprehension of these
terrorists.
Some of these novel technologies have not actually been
installed in Nigeria nor made appropriate use of as a counter
terrorism tactic. This has really given terrorists edge over
security operatives in Nigeria. These novel technologies should
help in combating terrorism instead of incessant setting up of
road blocks by the Nigerian army which inconvenience Nigerian
public.
Fixing Nigeria’s domestic problems; tackling poverty, corruption
and unemployment
These variables have been shown as push factors of terrorism in
Nigeria (Agbiboa, 2013; Kukah, 2012). Since some of these
variables are more perverse in northern Nigeria, youths in the
north have been drawn to terrorism. Achebe (2012) has clearly
pointed out that the vicious circles of poverty and corruption in
Nigeria which are indices of a failed state have really led to
rise in terrorism. This of course is a huge fact. As Okereke
(2013) argues, it takes amazing brain washing for a gainfully
employed Nigerian to become a stooge in the hand of terrorists.
Conversely, this is an indication that a hungry man is always an
angry man. And an angry man with heavy grudges against the
government is despondent to terrorism. Hence, to forestall
further springing up of other terrorist groups in Nigeria, the
government must find ways of tackling high rate of poverty,
corruption and unemployment seen in Nigeria today. When and if
this is done, then further formation of terrorist groups in
Nigeria would have been averted.
Recommendations
i) The government needs to throw in everything it has in its war
against terrorism in Nigeria.
ii) A tighter border control is very much imperative in Nigeria
to forestall the movement of arms and ammunition by terrorists.
iii) Tracking and prosecuting sponsors of terrorists in Nigeria
equally imperative.
iv) There is need for Nigeria government to look inwards and
tackle some root causes of terrorism which include extreme
poverty, recurring ethnic violence, corruption etc.
v) Huge intelligence gathering on the activities of terrorists by
security operatives will help curb terrorism in Nigeria.
Vi) Every Nigerian should be security conscious as regards
possible activities of terrorists in their communities.
Conclusion
Terrorism has become a part of Nigeria. In fact, presently
terrorism is on the increase as Boko Haram activities have all
affected Nigerians negatively. Its roots are traceable to
problems of poverty, corruption, religious fanaticism, ethnic and
religious politics etc which have, for a long time, plagued
Nigeria. There is therefore urgent need to adopt viable counter-
terrorism strategies that will ensure the curtailing of terrorist
activities. The discussions in this work were geared towards
achieving this. The strategies discussed in this work are not
only viable but practical. It is also believed that these
strategies will be very useful in countering terrorism in Nigeria
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