Boko haram: Govt opens a window into the deadly, secretive terror sectTHE Nigerian security community early this month had a rare glimpse into the world of currently most feared terror group in the country with the arrest, prosecution and conviction of a spokesman of the Boko haram.But the security agencies are not celebrating despite this major break since about 2009 when the group launched itself into the consciousness of the nation with its clinical execution of bombing runs, first in the two states of Borno and Yobo states, later into far-flung states such as Kaduna, Kano, Benue, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory.If the nation thought that militancy in the Niger Delta from 2005 that almost cut the nation's crude oil exploitation to about 45 per cent was fearsome with its acts of kidnapping and bombings and killings, before the main militant groups were de-robed late last year, the Boko haram, founded Imam Abu Muhammad Abubakar Bin Muhammad Shekau has surpassed all expectations.They seem more advanced in their tactics. Their main weapons ' bombs and sometimes sophisticated guns ' have wrecked greater havoc than the actions of the militants in those days.Worse of all is the issue of religion that group espouses. Religious wars, all know, are fierce, unending and sometimes, waged without reason. The Boko haram sect want Sharia, pure Sharia way of life and worship, not only in their enclave, but over large portions of secular Nigeria.The activities of the sect is putting the country in the bad light in the comity of nations. Nigeria is being classified as a 'terrorist haven' which comes with many negative consequences.The bombing of the Police Headquarters, Abuja, early this year followed by another successful bombing of the United Nations House also in Abuja, have shown that the group are no kids in the act of guerilla warfare. The group has threatened southern cities with bombings thus escalating the psychological warfare beyond the confines of the North-East.The sect has also not limited its attacks to Christians, a pastime of previous religious attacks in the North. Many Moslems have also been killed by the sect.Most worrisome is the freedom with which the sect members kill policemen and other security agencies. No group seemed beyond their reach. Yet, the group members are largely unknown.They have only disdain for their religious leaders in the North. They do not want negotiations either with the Federal Government or the states where they largely operate.Until an alleged sponsor was charged to the law court by the State Security Service (SSS) during the week, not much was known of the sect's source of financing.The convicted alleged spokesman of the group, whom the judge is delaying the sentencing until the case of the implicated senator is disposed off, has been denied by the Boko haram as their member.When a few months ago, an in-law to the founder of the sect was visited by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in Borno State for discussion on how the group can be dealt with, the man was summarily executed, mafia style, by the sect two days later.Even a media man whom the group accused of spying on them for the security agencies was recently shot dead. The military deployed by President Goodluck Jonathan to the axis has not recorded much success, as disclosed so far. A gigantic weapons mop-up operation by the military task force in the two most volatile states recently was said to have achieve some success by security watchers say that the proverbial tail of the Boko haram has not been cut, talkless of the head as was done recently by the United States to al-Qaeda.Government has continued to assure all Nigerians and the international community that it would soon checkmate the terror group and restore normalcy to all parts of the country.Presidennt Jonathan, the National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Oweye Azazi, the Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim and other senior government officials have said that the Federal Government is equal to the task of securing the nation.They have also appealed to residents to avail security agencies with information on the activities and key people in the sect so that they could do their job. It is not certain if the recent arrest of the spokesman was aided by such seamless alliance.The international community, worried that Nigeria is too strategic to be allowed to fall into the hands of terrorists such as some Middle East and African countries, have offered to help. The U.S. even promised to come in with their precision-guided drone strikers while Israel has even reportedly been approached by Nigeria to come in with their reputed security intelligence gathering gadgets.Yet, anxiety and fear among residents of Maiduguri metropolis in Borno State continue to rise, over the unending serial attacks and killings by suspected Boko haram gunmen and bombers, socio-economic activities and commuting to schools and markets by students andtraders are still being affected, since the reprisals of the sect in July, 2010 and second anniversary of alleged killing of Imam Shekau also called Mohammed Yusuf by the Police.Despite the deployment of troops under the Joint Task Force (JTF) on June 12, 2011, by the Federal Government, the several attacks and assassinations by the suspected Muslim sect in Maiduguri, Damaturu andPotiskum in Borno and Yobe states, were unabated, as the bombings and killings continued on almost at daily basis, including the various clashes between soldiers and armed sect in the nine affected wards.Consequently, some markets, shops, automobile workshops and drinking joints at the outskirts of the Maiduguri metropolis, continue to record low turnout of customers, while the sales of traders in the Maiduguri Monday Market (MAMM) for example, had equally fell by over 45 per cent.The prevention of traders and fear to commute to the various markets and shops, was not only caused by the expected low sales from customers, but the serial attacks and killings by the rampaging sect's gunmen and bombers, that daily send more fears of being shot and killed by the sect's members.In most of the affected wards of Bulunkutu, Gomari, Kaleri, Abaganaram, London Chiki, Budum, in Maiduguri metropolis, including some of the military and police formations, are deserted as from the sun set down till about 6.00 a.m.The targeting of policemen, soldiers, religious and traditional rulers by the gunmen, has forced many residents to disassociate with the security agents that are mandated to protect the same residents' lives and property.Even the over 65 checkpoints mounted by the Joint Task Force OperationRestore Order (JTORO), and led by the Commander, Maj.-Gen. Jack Okechukwu Nwaogbo, has not helped matters in both protecting people's lives and allowing them move freely to their work places and schools; and return to their respective residences without being killed or attackedby the gunmen and bombers.People from all walks of life, taxi and bus drivers, school children, teachers, market women, tea and water vendors are forced to remain indoors, because any one of them could be shot and killed at any of the targeted areas and checkpoints that dot the major roads and highways of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.Ibrahim Musa, 42, a vulcaniser on the very busy Kashim Ibrahim Way said: 'Since the reprisals of the sect in last July, the number of customers at this shed continues to fall on a daily basis. Besides the falling rate of business activities on this road, people are no longer coming here to patch their tyre tubes or increase their car tyre pressure anymore.'He lamented that because of the insecurity of lives and property, coupled with the dwindling sales revenue, three of his children have been withdrawn from school, as he could not pay their school fees for six months.The story of continued rising fears, anxiety and disaffection among the Maiduguri residents, is not quite different on how the people worship in churches and mosques. At the Living Faith Church and Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN) in Bulunkuttu annd Gomari wards, the rate of attendance last Sunday, November 20, 2011 continued to fall.When the St. Patrick's Catholic Church was attacked and bombed recently, attendance at the two churches however fell from 2,250 and 500 congregation to only 759 and 240 worshippers.Since the Gomari Islamic cleric, Ahmed Ibrahim Abdullahi, was killed on March 13, 2011 at his mosque, some Muslims continue to opt to pray in their houses, fearing that the sect may launch attacks and kill some of the people praying in the mosques as according to one cleric who craved for anonymity, because 'the Boko haram allegdly killed Shiekh Jafar Adam in one of the Kano mosques,' adding that despite the security measures adopted by the JTORO in this city, there is no guarantee that the mosques are not prone to the activities of the sect to shot and kill.Could the JTF bring an end to the serial attacks and killings, so that the rising fears, anxieties and distrusts among the 3.5 million residents of the state and traders from neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroun'These are some of the security issues raised and how it could be overcome in protecting lives and property.A retired soldier, Mallam Abba Kolo (65), said that dialogue with the sect to end the ongoing serial killings, is possible and effective in restoring peace in the North, provided that a seven-point peace implementation agenda is adopted between government and the Boko haram sect.He said if peace is to be restored, there must be a sense of belonging, by instilling what he described as 'confidence, and notto wage war against the residents and their houses by the soldiers,' adding that in achieving these objectives, plainclothes detectives be deployed to the various communities where the sect members live among other residents of the metropolis.In getting to the roots and understanding the modus operandi of the sect, rewards are to be made to individuals or groups of people that provide information to the plainclothes policemen. While searching for such information on the activities of the sect, traditional rulers are to be fully involved in the intelligencegathering processes, so that the information collated by the SSS is enriched end the serial bombings and killings in the North.The involvement of traditional rulers, he however said, will create more awareness on the ills and dangers of confrontation between the police and sect members.Kolo further disclosed that, 'preaching on the advantages of peace and development in all the mosques and churches, could further douse tension, fears and mistrust among the various communities in the state,' adding that more jobs be created so that youths are prevented from being lured to join the sect, because an idle mind usually creates a devil's workshop to attack and kill without cause.These, he said, are the seven-point military strategies on how to end the serial attacks, killings and bombings in Maiduguri and five other towns in the Borno State.The dialogue between the Federal Government and the Boko haram sect,as suggested in the Amabassador Gaji Galtimari report to President Goodluck Jonathan, can only be feasible if the conditions of the set are fully met, he reasoned.The conditions, as contained in the recent press statement of sect's spokesman, Abu Qaqa reads in part: 'As we stated earlier, we would be willing to go into dialogue with the government for a temporary ceasefire when all, I mean all, our members who have been incarcerated in various prisons are set free.'Even then, we would set our conditions for the dialogue and we want to tell the government that we have the record of all our members that have been arrested,' Quqa, who responded in Hausa language said.He said members of the group have nothing to lose in the ensuing imbroglio. 'We have been saying it again and again. I swear to Almighty Allah that we don't have any personal demand. Our clamour isfundamentally on how to safeguard our religion and that is why we resolved to sacrifice all what we have, including our lives for the sake of protecting Islam.'On how the release of sect members guarantee peace in Nigeria. The statement said: 'I wish to tell you that peace will never reign, until when Sharia as a complete way of life is restored 100 per cent; just like the way it was practiced during the period of Usman Danfodio.'Qaqa also responded to some of the issues raised by the Galtimari committee.'It is not true that the committee had consulted us. We believe they said what they said in order to justify the huge resources given to them by the government.'On why the sect rejected the idea of Sultan of Sokoto to lead others on the suggested dialogue, Qaqa said: 'We have no business with the Sultan of Sokoto or the Emir of Bauchi or Sheikh Abubakar Giro. As far as we are concerned, everybody knows the status of the Sultan'our position is that the Sultan is just a traditional ruler who revolted against the teachings of his ancestors and put the Nigerian Constitution ahead of the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and thetraditions of the prophet,' he said.And on the Emir of Bauchi, Qaqa said, 'he is also on the same ladder with the Sultan because it was in his town (Bauchi) that the security agencies clamped down on us and killed our brethren (in 2009) and we would never forget the experience.He added that Giro is also not competent to speak on their behalf.'The fact is that we don't have any business with him because it is still fresh in our memories that some years back, he sabotaged us while we were moving from place to place for the purpose of propagation.'When we went to Argungu (in Kebbi State) he (Giro) colluded with his followers and traditional rulers, including the Sarkin Kabin Argungu and directed the people not to listen to our teachings,' Qaqa said.He said the sect was against traditional institutions and the posture of some clerics because of what he described as their nonchalant attitude about religion. 'They are only clamouring for peace becausethey want to have the enabling environment that will guarantee them unfettered access to politicians,' he said.The indictment of a sitting senator, coincidentally a member of the Senate Committee saddled with state security, apparently brought a fresh twist to the threat of national security and unity by Boko haram Islamist militants.The SSS said it made a breakthrough in uncovering support for the extremist group when it arrested Ali Sanda Umar Konduga, who the agency said was one of several spokesmen for Boko haram. The secret police agency described Konduga as a 'political thug' who received orders from a member of Nigeria's parliament.'His arrest further confirms the service position that some of the sect's members have political patronage and sponsorship,' SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said.Konduga, who purportedly used the nom de guerre al-Zawahiri when speaking on Boko haram's behalf, allegedly implicated Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume of Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the group's activities.Following his alleged complicity in sponsorship of the Boko haram sect, the SSS, on Tuesday, arraigned Ndume (Borno South Senatorial District), before an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court even as his colleagues in the Senate resolved to stand by him until investigations into the case have been concluded.The lawmaker who was docked alongside Konduga, pleaded not guilty to a two-count criminal charge that was preferred against them.According to the First Information Report (FIR), entered before the trial court, SSS, particularly accused Ndume of breaching public trust by disclosing several classified information to the sect, an action it said was punishable under section 99(b) and 398 of the Penal Code.Specifically, the security agency alleged that, 'on diverse dates between September 15 and November 3, at Abuja and Maiduguri in Borno State, you, Mohammed Ali Ndume and Ali Sanda Umar Konduga (a.ka Al-Zawahiri) spokesman of the Boko haram sect, did conspire to commit felony to wit: breach of official trust in that Mohammed Ali Ndume disclosed classified information to persons to whom he ought not in the public interest to so disclose.'The SSS further alleged that the accused persons, 'did intimidate by anonymous communication, some senior public officials including the Attorney General of the Federation, and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 79, 98 and 398 of the Penal Code and punishable under section 99(b) and 398 of the same code.'Whereas Ndume blatantly denied his alleged conviviality with the sect and pleaded not guilty to the charge against him, Konduga, on the other hand, admitted guilt, even as he pleaded for leniency, saying he has repented of his past evil deeds.Speaking through an interpreter, he told the court that whilst he acted as spokesman of the sect, the first accused not only furnished them with classified information, but also gave them the phone numbers of highly placed persons who he said they often called or sometimes sent threat text messages to.He confessed to the court that the last batch of text messages he sent to government officials in his capacity as the Boko haram spokesman before he was subsequently stripped of the rank over suspicion that he was double-crossing the sect, included threat message to the Governors of Niger and Nasarawa states; to former Minister of Works, Sanusi Daggash, to the chairman of the Borno State election tribunal, Justice Sabo and to Ambassador Dalhatu Tafida.Following his confession, presiding Magistrate Oyebola Oyewumi, convicted him on the two-count charge against him, though she deferred his sentence until the final determination of the charge against the Ndume. The matter was adjourned to December 6.
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