Leon Usigbe reports on the efforts in the last few days by President Goodluck Jonathan to arrest the spiraling Boko Haram menace, following the deadly Christmas Day attack on St. Theresa Catholic Church Madalla, Niger State.NIGERIANS were beginning towonder just for how long theywould have to keep up with the situation of President Goodluck Jonathan speaking tamely about the Islamic religious sect, Boko Haram, whose activities have led to the death of many innocent people and many more lamed for life. Each time they struck, Jonathan tended to console victims and prayed for their families. Where he issued any form of threats, they were never followed with effective action. On that account, many Nigerians appeared to have lost confidence in his ability to combat the challenge from this dastardly group and suggestions were crystalising about the need for citizens to protect themselves.It would appear that Jonathan has now been forced to act seeing the direction the country was heading with the unrelenting Boko Haram bomb attacks. The incident at the St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, has provided a catalyst for the president to rise from his apparent slumber leading to frantic movements in the presidency with meetings of the nation's service chiefs in two consecutive days as well as other stake holders.The manner of that attack which killed over 40 worshipers on Christmas Day was novel, as it was heart-rending. Never have so many innocent worshippers gathered to celebrate a major event in the calendar of Christianity been wiped away by in a single act in this country by an apparent demented group with no clear objectives. It brought the anger of Nigerians to a boiling point to the extent that the continuous corporate existence of Nigeria has been openly challenged by citizens, especially Christians who see an undeclared war against their religion in the country.Sultan of Sokoto and spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims, Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar III, does not believe that there is a problem between Christianity and Islam in spite of what the manner of Boko Haram's target suggest. He was in the State House, Abuja on Tuesday, last week, to confer with Jonathan following the attack on Christians on Christmas Day. And at the end of the two hour-long close door meeting, he declared that the spate of bomb attacks against Christians was the handiwork of evil doers which both Christians and Muslims must work together to eradicate.'I want to assure all Nigerians that there is no conflict between Christians and Muslims, between Islam and Christianity. It is a conflict between evil people and good people and the good people are more than the evil doers. The good people must come together to defeat the evil ones and that is the message. We want to assure all our Christian brothers and leaders that we stand on the part of truth according to our religion that we will continue to work, Insha Allah, for the greatness of this country. As I said, there is no conflict between Islam and Christianity and I want to assure that we will do all we can in the best of our ability to solve the numerous problems confronting our country,' the foremost Islamic leader said.The Sultan's admonition was followed by that of the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Patrick Azazi, who pleaded with Christians in the country not to retaliate the Christmas Day bomb attacks, as it would play into the hands of the perpetrators who, he said, wanted to raise tension elsewhere. He also assured that even though it was impossible to man every security point in the country, everything necessary was being done to bring the culprits to book.According to him, 'we can't have a situation where we think that one bad turn deserves another. We are Nigerians and like we always say, I don't see any major conflict between the Christian community and the Muslim community. You will find a situation where certain individuals for whatever reasons are causing these problems. Have we thought of what their ultimate intentions are' Why will somebody go on to bomb Christians on a Christmas Day' Look at the ultimate intentions. Do they want to really raise temper elsewhere' I think the Christian leaders (CAN) are meeting tomorrow to emphasise to the Christians that we must live together as a nation. Retaliation is not the answer because if you retaliate, at what point will it end' Nigeria must survive as a nation. That is the key thing,' he asserted.The spy chief, however, called for vigilance on the part of the people to assist the security agencies to checkmate the dastardly acts. He spoke of the frustration of the security agencies in tackling the Boko Haram menace, as he lamented that it was impossible to man every area in the country even though government was working hard on the issue.'It is absolutely difficult to man every point of the country when there are security problems. Like I have said before, there is need for security awareness. There is need for public participation so that there must be cooperation between security and the society for us to make progress,' he stressed.On the possible overhauling of the country's security system for more effectiveness, Azazi suggested that there was need to improve security without really saying that there could be changes in the hierarchy.'What changes are you talking about' Why changes in leadership' Everybody thinks that if you change leaders in security, everything will work fine. If you ask very simple questions; what kind of security system have we been managing' Have the structures all been so good that we can overall produce result' It is a gradual process, anywhere there has been this level of terrorism, it takes a long time for the security to be overhauled. Even whatever you do, at some points, you expect limited successes but to ensure that over a period of time, you can actually put things in place that will work for the betterment for the society,' he said.Emerging from the meeting of the service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, told State House correspondents that Jonathan summoned the service chiefs because he was concerned about the security challenges in the country and therefore wanted the situation reviewed to know 'where we were, where we are and where we need to be'.He explained that Boko Haram had been difficult to deal with because of the relative newness of terrorism in Nigeria, adding however that security agencies were trying their best to be on top of the situation. According to him, 'we are all worried. Terrorism is not an easy matter at all. Terrorism is everywhere all over the world particularly here in this country. As you are aware it is a very new phenomenom here. We have not had this kind of thing before and we are just having it now. So, we are all scrambling to find our feet and face it squarely. That is what we are doing. Security agencies and most importantly Nigerian police have made a lot of gains which have not come to the fore. I want to seize this opportunity and talk to everyone of us to remain resolved and resolute to join in the fight against this canker worm that will not leave anyone of us, if we do not put our acts together.'After the meeting with the service chiefs and religious leaders, Jonathan developed a higher resolve to deal with Boko Haram, as he indicated during a meeting with Mr Mohame Bazoum, Deputy Prime Minister of Niger Republic, who brought a condolence message over the Christmas Day bombings and solidarity message from President Issoufou Mahamadou. It was at that occasion that he first showed signs of his new disposition toward the fight, as he declared Boko Haram a group of 'evil-minded people who want to cause anarchy to the end'.Jonathan also called on neighbouring countries to cooperate with Nigeria in the effort to stop this evil, because 'the perpetrators pass through borders at will and we have to ensure that there are no safe havens for them in the sub-region'.Jonathan visited the bombed St. Theresa Catholic Church, five days after, to commiserate with the community and announced his intention to crush Boko Haram, which claimed responsibility for the act. He said beginning from Saturday night, there would be a different approach to the fight against the terrorists with a view to weeding them out, adding that since Suleija has been a hotbed of their dastardly activities, government would go after institutions, religious or traditional, which support them there.Recalling the humble origin of Boko Haram as a harmless group, Jonathan, who was conducted round the scene by Reverend Father Isaac Achi, on his arrival in a presidential chopper, noted that other interests were now using them to pursue their selfish agenda.According to Jonathan, who shed some tears for the victims, 'Boko Haram started as a harmless group in Borno State. At a time, they were used by politicians to fester their political interest. Now, they have grown cancerous and Nigeria being the body, they want kill to the body and nobody will allow it. Some people are exploiting it to their own advantage, but terrorist attack on any part of the nation is an attack on all of us and all Nigerians will collectively fight this terror. We will crush them.'We've seen what happened in other countries. Terrorist attack is not what you will use magic wand to wave off. But collectively, we will bring it under control and finally, we will crush it. We will begin from tonight to take different measures, different approach in fighting Boko Haram and we must weed them out from society,' the president told the people.While expressing his condolences to the Catholic community and Nigerians in general, Jonathan pointed out that the attack affected Nigerians across religious divide, noting that the perpetrators are 'evil men being propelled by evil thoughts and evil desires to create confusion in decent societies,' assuring therefore that he would do all that was necessary to protect lives and properties. Jonathan revealed that since the Madala incident happened, his administration has been meeting, adding that he chose the day to visit the scene of the attack because he did not want his presence to interfere with evidence being collated by investigators.Speaking particularly on Suleja which appears to host terrorists, the president noted: 'Suleja is a particular local government that is becoming very notorious in terms of terrorism. When the terrorists struck in Niger State, it was in Suleja. Luckily, the local government chairman is here. We are going to turn this place upside down. If there are institutions here that are habouring criminality, we are going to deal with it decisively because Niger State is a very big state and every terrorist attack is in Suleja. My belief is that there are institutions or individuals in Suleja that are habouring terrorists and we would deal with it decisively. In any part of this country, where an individual or a group of people, either traditional and/or religious institutions, are associated with terrorists, they will be dealt with decisively. There will be no sacred cows,' he cowed. Continuing, he said 'as the President and Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, I will take actions such that this will come to an end very soon.The most dramatic day of all the frenetic days came on New Year Eve as Jonathan indeed bared his fangs by imposing a state of emergency on 15 local government areas spread across four states of the federation. They are: Borno State, Maidugiri Metropolitan LGA, Gamboru Ngala LGA, Banki Bama LGA, Biu LGA, Jere LGA, Yobe State, Damaturu LGA, Geidam LGA, Potiskum LGA, Buniyadi-Gujba LGA, Gasua-Bade LGA; Plateau State, Jos North LGA, Jos South LGA, Barkin-Ladi LGA, Riyom LGA; Niger State, Suleja LGA. Making the proclamation in a nationwide broadcast, he also directed that land borders in the affected areas be closed as they had provided unfettered access to criminals moving in and out of the country.Similarly, he directed that a special unit be established in the Army dedicated to the fight against terrorism. Rationalising the measures, the president stated that they had become necessary because of the threat posed by the Boko Haram sect to the corporate existence of Nigeria.He said: 'you are all aware of the security challenges which the activities of the Boko Haram sect have foisted on the country. What began as sectarian crises in the North Eastern parts of the country has gradually evolved into terrorist activities in different parts of the country with attendant negative consequences on our national security. Government, in an effort to find a lasting solution to the security threats occasioned by the activities of the Boko Haram sect, constituted a Presidential Committee under the Chairmanship of Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari, to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the crises.'While efforts are being made to implement the recommendations of the committee, the crises have assumed a terrorist dimension with vital institutions of government, including the United Nations Building and places of worship becoming targets of terrorist attacks. While the search for lasting solutions is ongoing, it has become imperative to take some decisive measures necessary to restore normalcy in the country especially within the affected communities.'Consequently, I have in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by the provisions of section 305(1) of the Constitution, declared a state of emergency in the following parts of the federation.'Jonathan announced that the details of this proclamation would be transmitted to the National Assembly as soon as they reconvened from their current recess, for their necessary action. Furthermore, he stated: 'Chief of Defence Staff and the Inspector-General of Police have been directed to put appropriate measures in place to ensure the protection of lives and properties of residents in the affected parts of the country. I therefore urge the political leadership in the affected states and local government areas to give maximum cooperation to the law enforcement agencies deployed to their respective communities to ensure that the situation is brought under control within the shortest possible time.'The Chief of Defence Staff, in collaboration with other service chiefs, has also been directed to set up a special force unit within the Armed Forces, with dedicated counter terrorism responsibilities. As part of the overall strategy to overcome the current security challenges, I have directed the closure of the land borders contiguous to the affected Local Government Areas so as to control incidences of cross boarder terrorist activities as terrorists have taken advantage of the present situation to strike at targets in Nigeria and retreat beyond the reach of our law enforcement personnel,' he added.While appealing to neighbouring countries to bear with the government of Nigeria as the border closure would be temporary, he called on the citizenry to continue to provide useful information to our law enforcement agencies to enable them to arrest the situation saying, 'terrorism is a war against all of us.'In spite of these measures, scepticism will remain and it behooves on the president to demonstrate the resolve to follow through on proclamations or Nigerians' confidence in his ability to deliver on his promises could hit rock bottom.
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