NIGERIA is going through perilous times nobody should pretend about, no thanks to some malevolent group of people on the prowl.Unfazed by moral and religious considerations, the nihilistic group, Jama'atu ahlus Sunnah Lid'dawa'ti wal Jihad better known as Boko Haram has, with its coordinated bombings of carefully chosen targets in Kano last Friday, has assumed the status of a monster now threatening to tear asunder the very construction of our country. Disgracefully, our country is now threatened by ethnic and religious conflict provoked by a relatively small but apparently well-funded, well managed group that is supremely confident in its capability to dictate the place and pace of engagement with institutions of government. In addition to Police formations and other security outfits, churches and drinking joints have become favourable targets of attacks. The net result is that non-natives, especially Christians, from the Southern part of the country are leaving disaster prone areas of the North in droves. Surely, Nigeria can not continue with this burden.A notable civil rights activist, Shehu Sani has written extensively on the sect, detailing its origin, formation and location. Even President Jonathan revealed that the sect has a spread like an Octopus, with tentacles in his government: that is, in the executive, the parliament and the judicial arms as well as the armed forces, the police and other security agencies. Only a few days ago, spokesman of the body claimed online that it had links with all the 19 Northern governors, detailing out especially its alleged romance with the former Kano State governor and how the present governor repudiated all previous working understanding with the sect. While much premium can not be placed in this faceless revelation, it is however true that there are enough people with sufficient knowledge of the sect around. If the sect has so efficiently oiled its operational skills by infiltrating the inner recesses of government, how come the country's trained security agencies with all the expertise at their disposal including immeasurable official backing failed so far in tracking down and demobilizing the operational capability of the sect' For now, there are reasonable grounds to conclude that there is a level of elite conspiracy in all of these.Since the horrendous bombings in Kano last week, so many characters masquerading as security experts have thrown up a variety of prescriptions. Many have suggested dialogue; some advocated the granting of general amnesty patterned after the Niger Delta's. The subject is now an open space for everybody to canvass his opinion, but the solution lies elsewhere; it lies with the government.In the normal scheme of things, the government as an institution should know far more about the complexities of what is happening; and because it receives comprehensive intelligence from all the institutional sources, it is best placed to make the right decision. The magnitude of the terror unleashed on the innocents by this sect is becoming unbearable and unless the worsening trend is quickly arrested, the welling of anger across the land may explode into reactions capable of putting the existence of Nigeria into jeopardy. More than ever before, and beyond hollow semantics, the government must strengthen its political will beyond taking lame, half-hearted measures as represented by the declaration of state of emergency in local government areas. The government must fashion a realistic approach to this problem ' whether to negotiate, fight the terrorists or concede ground. Just as he said when he visited the injured and other places in Kano, every time an attack took place, the President always promised the culprits would be apprehended; a promise that has always been kept in the breach. But even when arrests are made, the suspects either escape under questionable circumstances or are set free by their comrades through daring jail breaks or are even casually granted bails by the courts. The least that should be done, indeed the meaningful way to mourn those that were needlessly cut down by these criminals is to put an end to the casual way in which we try to dispense justice.No one should be tired of advising the Federal Government to charge the governors in the affected states to take charge of peace in their domain. The revelation of collusion or acquiescence by the governors is worrisome; one hopes there is no truth in the sect's claim. But there should be no room for half measures. In this particular instance, I have a nostalgic wish for the tempestuous behaviour associated with ex President Obasanjo who would have by now declared emergency rule in several states, sacking both the executive and the legislature ' to allow unfettered actions of smoking out these deadly rascals. The present challenges call for a complete overhaul of the security agencies; the rejiging of the armed forces should be on the card as well. It needs to be emphasized to the judiciary that a case of an alleged terrorist act is not like any other case. Afterall, Nigeria's own Abdul Muttalab arrested since December 25, 2009 and undergoing trial in the US has not been granted bail ' in a country regarded as the bastion of human rights.The Nigerian case, at present, is not beyond redemption. The populace is still patient with the government and the international community sympathetic, offering to assist procure solution in which ever manner the Nigerian government chooses. The avalanche of this goodwill must be squandered through unnecessary dillydallying. Nigerians and the world will not be patient for ever; the time to act decisively is now.
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