Howwe readily assume we know who the attackers are, the infamous Boko Haram. While this aggrieved sect claims responsibility to most of the attacks, it could be a ploy to distract the government from keeping an open mind on all possible tracks. What the intelligence of the bombers wants is to keep us narrow-minded and second-guessing. No one launches such a series of attacks that keep clouding the memory of one bomb blast with the smoke of the next if not in order to come clear on a demand or does so without back-up plans. So whatever name these perpetrators bear, what is certain is that it could only be on a religio-political mission. Shying away from this truth amounts to insincerity.Only a religious sect of extremist dimension, affiliated or not with an international group of the same mindset but fuelled by the same passion could write its demands loud and clear in the air; loud in the incessant blasts of church bombings and the rumours of more to come; clear in the befouling flames of suicide bombing written with the blood of the innocents in the front pages of national and international newspapers, especially on a Christmas day. Only a religio-political movement would recruit suicide bombers who are tired of life or the way life is being run in an entity. Or how else would you suppose one would be a recruit other than having been sentenced to death by a bomb blast or similar measures in an organisation operating such law or that one is being an hijacked victim drugged on the way to execution or at best a wanna-be martyr' Only such whose family had been compensated in trust or would be compensated in the afterlife could join this kind of a suicidal guerrilla. It could be from any religious sect but one of them we are certain of which has proved itself overtime to Christianity is Islamic extremists in the name of Jihad.In spite of this, its quite necessary to point blank here that not all Muslims are extremists as some are exceptionally tolerant, caring Nigerians decrying the act of pious terrorism. What these Islamic suicide bombers want is to emasculate Nigerias security, threaten national unity, sabotage the western style of government which we practise, topple the government for its selfish leadership influence and tip the nation to secession, if need be, in other to Islamise it. Unfortunately, the big picture they are not ready for is likely what they will eventually getfirst is the comeback of the military to savage the federation and second is being part of the puns plunging the globe to yet another war. Their lines are not too hard to read, they are clear even to the blind and the fear that makes them dumb the orators! If what the terrorists want isnt clear anywhere else in the world, definitely not in a supposed secular nation where the constitution had been tinkered with to have been able to legalise the practice of Sharia law at all in some states. Now, Nigerians are never more suspicious of this Islamic interest-free financial alternative for its hidden potential gains at the expense of more national losses, just as a trial of Sharialisation has convinced us over time. Of course, branches of the Islamic Bank would soon begin to sprout up everywhere like churches and what we are seeing already is an insurgent of radicalised Islamic militia which in itself is a big cutback to the longing press for legalising state police in Nigeria. This is for those who can see the handwriting on the wall.Short of fighting from both sides of the sword, what signals do you think we are sending to the suicide bombers in a secular nation where the stage is being set day by day for national Islamisation' Whether or not the rapacious insurgencies are also completely unconnected to the bewailing religio-political crisis in Jos Plateau, which is about hitting its plateau, is a piece for another day. But then, it stands to reason to ask, were there no Muslim victims caught in the rackets of bomb blast so far, though no mosque has been set ablaze' Of course, yes, just as there were Muslims in the September 11 and the London July 7 bomb blasts, but the hard-bent belief of Islamic extremists is that a true Muslim involved in such blasts for the cause of advancing the religion has had the best of death whereupon they call their tolerant truly peace loving Muslims mediocrities, who in turn call them the same. What we are seeing today is simply an insurrection drawing its impetus from international terrorism. It may therefore be therapeutic and not too early in this yuletide tension to pre-empt this and tackle our worst fears that terrorism in Nigeria is only Islamisation in disguise and not just to bully about. In the same vein, chances are that before the suicide bombers get what they want, democracy would have been done with and secession would have come. The end is secession; the action of withdrawing from membership of a federation or a body. We must all learn to play the game if we would not become games in the play.Now that we know what the bombers want, its easier said than done but still has to be said that the Nigerian intelligence, the Federal Government, the state and local governments and everyone should by all means possible devise ways to discourage all forms of religious extremism, Islamic extremism to start with. It is time we matched our action with words by legislating through the content of the overdue constitutional amendment and interpretation by the judiciary that Nigeria is not a Christian nation or an Islamic nation neither is it a non-God-fearing nation, but that Nigeria is a secular nation where the law, marriages, businesses, education, culture, sports, entertainment, settlement and national pride have broken the lines of religion.Truly, there may be suicide bombers in Nigeria but true Nigerians are not suicide bombers! Truly, there are terrorist Nigerians but Nigeria isnt a terrorist nation. Nigerian patriots would inform the security in case of any suspect or leading information, they will give their last breath in the defence of this secular nation our heroes have fought for. In this emerging new Nigeria, a Muslim would defend a Christian, a Christian would protect a Muslim, an atheist would fight for the religious, the religious would house the atheist, our presidents and governors would come from any part of the country without rigging and there wont be any reacting insurrections. Religious bias would be outlawed from our constitution, the nation wouldnt divide along religio-political fault lines, extremism would be genuinely decried from religious leaders without any betraying diabolical act from the followers and development wouldnt be regressed. The Nigerian atmosphere would be clean and clear for the birds to fly; our sky would be decorated if with any colour besides the rainbow it will be from the blast of our colourful fireworks of the upcoming 52nd year of Independence till the centenary of our amalgamation in 2014 and beyond. This same Nigeria would no longer struggle to remain a secular state that it ever was! Long live Nigeria, long live Nigerians.Concluded.Dr. Olusola is a Medical House Officer, LUTH, Lagos. bohbup@yahoo.co.uk, 08033963286.
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