4th October, 2011
It is not funny that whenever some religious terrorists took the law of the land into their hands to start behaving like lunatics in order to satisfy their beastie instinct by maiming and killing human beings, destroying properties, houses, churches and mosques, in the name of a religion, described as peaceful, the entire nation is always thrown into a state of tumult and fear.
The religious fanaticism started in 1980 in Kano State, like a child’s play, by a citizen of Cameroon, Mallam Maitatsine, a hydra-headed monster, possessed with a demonic penchant to kill fellow human beings in Kano, his base. From there, he and his followers in crime wreaked a lot of havoc in many parts of Northern Nigeria. Until this man and his evil followers were eliminated, peace eluded most parts of the north.
As if this north was accursed, later, another dangerous religious sect was founded in Borno State by Muhammed El-Zacky Zacky. The devilish sect killed hundreds of people without qualms within the little period of its existence. From the time of Muhammed, the problem of religious fanaticism and extremism became intermittent bloody affairs when people began to suspect that these religious fanatics were being used by politicians to unleash terror on their opponents, and innocent people. This notion became manifest in the 2000 religious riots in Kaduna and its environs. It was one of the worst religious/political massacres in recent history. There was speculation that AK 47 guns and other sophisticated weapons were distributed to these vandals to intensify their dastardly act of slaughtering human beings. The situation assumed a larger dimension when it was turned to ethnic crisis which led to the Hausa and Karjea tribes killing one another like rams. Other tribes from other parts of Nigeria were also eliminated by their househelps in order to take possession of their belongings. This deadly clash led to the demise of more than 2000 Nigerians. It also led to the influx of refugees from Kaduna to other towns around it, particularly Abuja, where ghettoes sprang up around the outskirts of Abuja as they could not rent costly houses in the metropolis. Dislocation of different ethnic groups started to rear its head since the beginning of bloody religious fanaticism in 1980, and yet to abate. Rather, it has assumed religious and political colouration which may spiral out of control if the Federal Government fails to act decisive.
Consider the case of Boko Haram Islamic religious sect, which at present, is at the centre stage of the macabre dance of death. The sect came to being in 2003, and led by Mallam Yusufu Muhammed of Kanuri extraction, who was murdered by the police in 2010, within 24 hours after he was arrested and handed over to them by the military surveillance team in Maiduguri. He had to be killed because the man would have named names if he had been allowed to live. The Boko Haram sect has proved to be the most volatile group among the known dangerous militant sects in the north. In order to appease them, they came up with certain unacceptable arrays of decrees which were contrary to the norms of a decent society like ours. They demanded for eradication of western education, as their name implies, to be substituted with Islamic education, and that Sharia, rather than the secular laws of the land, should be the basis of our judiciary.
According to the sect, unless these demands were met, the sect would not cease fire. In order to take them seriously, they continued bombing strategic areas and executing important personalities at random. Even the Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim was not spared of attack by Boko Haram, when the sect attacked the police headquarters in Abuja. He only escaped death by the whiskers. But several cars and people were destroyed by the bomb blast at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.
Their modus operandi shows that they could strike anywhere with military precision and hit their targets at will. During the May general elections, these devils incarnate intensified their deadly operations which seemed like the attacks had political undertone. It was also discovered that the sect is being aided by the Somali Al-Qaeda group which help to build bombs, and give necessary logistic in developing and deploying bombs, for use. Before the end of the last general elections, 10 youth corp members from different parts of Nigeria were executed at different locations in Bauchi. At least three of them were captured from police sanctuary and murdered. The killing of these youth corp members and others was premeditated.
But to the consternation of all, what Governor Yuguda of Bauchi State could say was that, people should regard the killings as an act of God. After all, according to him, in 1999, he was also nearly killed during a student protest at the University of Ibadan. You now see the level of intelligence of some of our so called leaders, personified by Yuguda who could only equate his experience during students’ protest to the deliberate slaughtering of our leaders of tomorrow by Boko Haram. His response to the killings portrayed his insensibility to the loss of lives of these youths who were posted to his state on national assignment. The senseless killings and indifferent response show that the act was deliberate and corroborated by those important people that mattered. There was massacre of another 10 youth corp members (which was later denied) at Suleija. Nevertheless, they were found to be Nigerians from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We should also not forget religious and political riots in Jos, where three youth corp members of Yoruba extraction from Lagos, were mindlessly killed.
Now, the activities of Boko Haram have spread to other parts of the north, like Kaduna, Sokoto, Adamawa, etc. Even though the Federal Government has sent joint security task forces to Borno State to curb the activities of Boko Haram, which has now slowed down their operation, they still operate, effortlessly and successfully.
Unless there is better intervention, the sect will continue their terrorist activities in Borno and other parts of the north without much hindrance. But at present Boko Haram has turned the country upside down in terms of insecurity. People and government live in fear of who would be the next target. It is a pathetic and embarrassing situation where some anti-social miscreants, constitute themselves into weapons of mass destruction of lives and continue their deadly operations with impunity.
For your information the major activities of Boko Haram started in Bauchi before moving to Maiduguri when the heat was much on them. It would be appropriate to conclude that Boko Haram may be the instrument being used to start the beginning of the disintegration of the geographical expression called Nigeria.
The terrorism of Boko Haram has reached an uncontrollable proportion, like that of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc. where nobody can determine the next target of their senseless attacks. On 26 August, 2011, the UN office in Abuja, witnessed another destruction of lives and property by the Boko Haram bomb blast. Other countries which are Islamic-based can live with their nefarious activities to continue to believe that it is the act of God like Governor Yuguda of Bauchi State, where their barbaric action first started. But Nigeria, as a secular nation, cannot afford to tolerate terrorism in the guise of religious fanaticism, wanton destruction of lives and properties in the name of Islamic religion, as witnessed in those countries, mentioned above. Why not resolve now to hold the bull by the horns and declare “Oh Israel to thy tentsâ€.
After all, we are not of the same ethnic groups. Nigeria is a combination of diverse races, amalgamated as a nation in 1914. And if Boko Haram is the instrument to be used to give every ethnic group freedom to live according to their religious beliefs, let it be so, Oh Jehovah!!
•Ajunwon writes in from Lagos. [email protected]