3rd December, 2012
Insecurity fears deepen as terrorists take their attacks to military and police facilities
Terrorists are becoming increasingly daring these days, even as the Joint Task Force, JTF, keeps claiming it is winning the war against terrorism. Rather than be caged, the terrorists, believed to be mainly members of the Boko Haram sect, are taking their attacks to the security agents. Within two days in one week, the terrorists hit two security formations – the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State on 25 November, and the next day, a Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad detention facility in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. And last Tuesday, the terrorists dressed up in soldier’s uniform stormed a bar in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State, killing 10 people.
Just a week before the attack on Barkin Ladi, the JTF had placed a price tag of N290mn on the heads of 19 leading members of the Islamic sect, including group leader, Abubakar Shekau. The group’s prompt response was setting off two bombs at the Staff College, Jaji. The suicide bombers successfully eluded soldiers at the gate and detonated their improvised explosive devices, IED, at the St. Andrew’s Military Protestant Church, located inside the College. The attack killed 15 people and injured over 50, including Air Commodore Alechenu Ekagbo, director of the college’s Air Services.
A military spokesperson said the first blast did not cause any casualty but as worshippers gathered around the scene, the second bomb went off. The cantonment is Nigeria’s most important training military college. It trains Nigerian and foreign army, navy and air force officers.
Rapt attention was still on Jaji when gunmen pounced on Abuja at 2 a.m. the next day. About 40 gunmen attacked the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, where suspects, including some members of the Boko Haram sect, were jailed. Although the incident at the police facility was sketchy, two policemen and one gunman were killed in the exchange.
Frank Mba, Deputy Force Public Relations Officer, admitted about 30 suspects broke out of the cells and escaped. He, however, claimed 25 of them had been rearrested through tactical and coordinated efforts. “Policemen on duty engaged the gunmen in a gunfire that lasted for some minutes and at the end, the gunmen were repelled. It needs to be emphasised here that no suspect held for terror-related charges escaped from SARS detention facilities and no explosives were found,” Mba said.
Captain Salisu Ibrahim Mustapha, a military spokesperson, remarked that soldiers were not involved in the Barkin Ladi shooting. He said gunmen dressed in uniform stormed the pub and opened fire indiscriminately on customers. “The gunmen opened fire indiscriminately on customers, killing eight on the spot, while two others died later as a result of the gunshot wounds they sustained. In protest to the killings, some members of the community barricaded the highway, preventing commuters from using the road,” said Mustapha, in response to an observation by Stefanos Foundation, a Christian body, and residents’ submission that the gunmen were soldiers wearing the green Army uniform.
According to Human Rights Watch, the conflict between Boko Haram and JTF has claimed more than 2,800 lives, with some 1,300 the result of action by Nigerian security forces. The group said the violence escalated this year, with more than 815 killings in the first nine months alone.
In a leaked report to media outlets, Fatou Bensouda, an International Criminal Court prosecutor accused Boko Haram of committing crimes against humanity, mainly murder and persecution. Bensouda argued there was “reasonable basis” to believe the sect has launched “widespread and systematic attacks” that resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 Christians and Muslims since mid-2009. His report also addressed the accusations that Nigerian security agencies committed human rights violations, saying there is no indication that those alleged acts were part of a “state or organisational policy to attack the civilian population”. The prosecutor recommended that Nigerian authorities prosecute those crimes, or the ICC could do it itself.
The military maintains its confidence that it would curb the threat of the Boko Haram sect. Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, the Chief of Army Staff, noted that inter-agency collaboration has helped security agencies to prevent terror attacks in the country. “Within the last one week, we have recovered nothing less than 30 assorted weapons; we have recovered money hidden in the engine compartment of vehicles by these terrorists. We have recovered both vehicles prepared for bombing and attacks. So I want to tell you that the military and police are very professional,” he said.
But Justice Lawal Gunmi, Chief Judge of the Abuja High Court and Bayo Ojo, former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, both recommended mediation as the instrument by which a lasting truce can be reached between government and the sect. Possible peace talks have been strained in the past and the likelihood of mediation in the nearest future remains uncertain despite Boko Haram’s renewed efforts to engineer one. The sect allegedly issued a letter to that effect less than 72 hours after its recent deadly visits to Jaji and Abuja. The letter purportedly demanding peace talks was given to journalists by Aba Kakami, head of journalists in Borno State.
President Goodluck Jonathan has ruled out any peace talks with the Islamic sect, which he described as “faceless”. Jonathan said in a media chat on 18 November there would be no talks with the sect since it has continued to bomb and kill people across the northern part of the country. “Presently, the government is not in dialogue with Boko Haram. There is no dialogue with any group, though there was a news item that there was dialogue. The Boko Haram is still operating under cover. They have no face. There is no way you are going to negotiate without a face. So far, nobody is discussing with the government. So far, no dialogue,” he said.
So there seems no end in sight to the killings by both the Boko Haram bombers and gunners, and the Operation Restore Order JTF soldiers.
—SEUN BISUGA/TheNEWS magazine