NIGERIANS and the whole world were again shocked by the recent activities of Boko Haram. Between Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, and Damaturu, capital of Yobe State, the group carried out coordinated attacks lasting nearly two hours on churches, mosques, individual houses, banks, military locations and the headquarters of the Yobe state police during which about 150 people were killed. Commercial activities in the affected states were severely disrupted and thousands of people fled the area. The attacks, which occurred on the weekend preceding the Eid-el-Kabir festival is particularly deplorable given the peaceful message of the celebration.The activities of Boko Haram are giving Nigeria a bad name, and creating 'no go' areas for many citizens in their own country. The United States has warned its citizens to restrict visits and to avoid patronising top hotels in Abuja, although that warning was modified following deployment of security personnel around the acclaimed targets. The Nigerian state is already suffering from reduced foreign investments over fears of terrorism.The Boko Haram seems to thrive on mass poverty and hopelessness of millions of youths in the North. These disaffected youths are a product of neglect by the northern elite. Elsewhere children are being sent to school but it is the elite who send their children to proper schools in the North. The ostentation among the ruling elite, from Arabian-type weddings to mansions and exotic cars is sickening. Clearly, failure of governance and the utter neglect of the people are fuelling popular anger in the North, and indeed in other parts of the country. Moreover, politicians in Borno and Yobe states who encouraged Boko Haram to fight their political wars before dumping them should be held partially responsible for this novel form of terrorism.Founded in 2002, the Boko Haram was an inconspicuous band of itinerant religious preachers. Following affiliations to politicians, they waxed strong and soon became killing machines. In 2009, they killed hundreds of persons when they stormed Maiduguri police station. In the same year their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was captured by the army following an uprising, handed to police, and was later found dead. In continuing reprisals, the Boko Haram freed hundreds of prisoners from Maiduguri jail. The following year, 2010, they attacked persons and facilities in Jos and in Abuja military barracks.But nothing can be compared to the carnage that the group have unleashed this year. Maiduguri witnessed dozens of attacks and dislocations culminating in the closure of a university. In May, Boko Haram bombed several states after President Goodluck Jonathan's inauguration. In June, the police headquarters in Abuja was bombed despite notification from the group of their intent. Then in August, the United Nations building in Abuja was bombed with many Nigerians and international staff killed. Nigerians were to fully digest the import of these killings when the latest horrendous onslaught occurred in Damaturu and Maiduguri.Nigerians need to know what the Boko Haram is all about. From their activities we can infer that they are dissatisfied with the Nigerian state in all its ramifications. They appear to be particularly hostile to the police perhaps because their leader died in police custody. But they are equally hostile to those who do not subscribe to their brand of radical belief about everything western being evil. They are targeting churches perhaps for the same reason. When they attack banks, they seem to be targeting the economy. Their assault on the United Nations has bewildered many Nigerians who fear the beginning of anarchy. In the far North, the traditional rulers and emirs have been relied upon to keep the peace among their people, but the Boko Haram does not appear to respect the authority of these rulers.With vague rumours of their affiliations to al-Qaeda and recent migrations from the Libyan war, there is need for the Nigerian government to feel concerned. Some people have suggested that dialogue is the best tool for Boko Haram, although others with equal vehemence have opposed that option. Perhaps a combination of the carrot and the stick may well be in order.It is worth emphasising that there are many disgruntled Nigerians like the Boko Haram who however do not go about killing innocent people. Many youths across the country not just in Yobe and Borno states face a life of unemployment and somehow are managing to survive in it whilst calling for a policy of full employment from our various governments. It certainly would be dangerous to give room for other organised groups like the Movement for the Actualization of the State of Biafra (MASSOB), the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) to imitate or even collaborate with them. This is why the Nigerian government should be resolute in handling Boko Haram.Nigerians are not impressed with the all-motion-but-no-movement that has characterised official reaction to the Boko Haram scourge. The authorities should avail themselves of all the foreign expertise that they can muster. But more than this, they should immediately revamp the Nigerian security system. Our security agencies have constantly been outwitted by Boko Haram. If persons repeatedly show inability to carry out their duties, they should be removed. There should be no room for complacency in security matters. If it would be helpful, retired security personnel who understand the security terrain should be drafted to bring order to a troubled region. All resources, covert and overt, must be deployed to contain a very serious situation that is unfolding.Above all, government, whether at the state, federal or local level, must urgently initiate measures to correct the serious socio-economic dislocation in the country. In particular, they must provide jobs for the teeming idle populace, reduce the yawning gap between the rich and the poor, restore basic infrastructure and facilities that make life meaningful, and thereby attempt to calm frayed nerves of the average Nigerians. Only then can government succeed in rehabilitating the Boko Haram and their likes across the country.
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