Tope Fasua:

BEYOND EMERGENCY

It makes no sense for anyone to criticize the presidential decision to declare emergency rule in three states in Northern Nigeria. But sometimes, scrutiny is good, so that those charged with the commonwealth will exercise care and caution in their actions. I therefore support the presidential decision, and even the retention of the democratic structures in those states, but I also urge those who have questions to ask them logically, patriotically and with maturity, just as I urge those who are 110% in support of the presidential position to allow people speak rather than shout them down. For it is possible that the critical minds will spot something we all missed.

Talking about missing something, when I saw newspaper headlines a few days ago, screaming about how the Nigerian military was vanquishing the Boko Haram camps, and how they were deploying helicopter gunships and fighter jets, it occurred to me that there was something not quite right. If Boko Haram had camps from which they operated, or trained, should all the efforts of the JTF and police not have been concentrated in those areas since a long time ago? What was the point in allowing over 4,000 people to die before taking direct action against those camps? One of the senators representing Borno State, Senator Zanna, speaking to Saharareporters from London, a few days before the State of Emergency was declared, stated clearly that there was a place called Sambisa, where Boko Haram had their camp, and he wondered aloud, why the Nigerian military have – as at that time – ‘refused’ to dislodge those crazy guys from that location.

Does a country need an emergency rule before vanquishing miscreants and killers from their camps? Would the police need a state of emergency before storming a hideout of armed robbers? I don’t think so. When Nigeria had the Maitatsine problem in the 1980s, no state of emergency was declared and we managed to curb it. I believe the government should offer explanation as to whether its forces were only just discovering those hideouts and camps, and if they knew before, why they hadn’t taken the actions they are taking today. In any nation that is aspiring to some degree of transparency and development, that is exactly what should be done. Ditto, Nigerians need to know why we are still ruminating over the donation of border control equipment from the USA or wherever else. For it is still the sole role of government to think on behalf of all of us, and that they ought to have been doing since at least 3 years ago when this Boko Haram became a huge problem. In fact, such an initiative ought to have been escalated the moment Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from Libya, because both the USA and the Nigerian leaders who acquiesced to his removal, knew the fallouts in terms of weapons flow.

That said, the entire Boko Haram phenomenon still bears some interrogation. Slice it or dice it, the whole story does not jive. Those who spin the story from government side have actually spun themselves into quicksand but for the absentmindednes s of Nigerians who should have called them out. Ditto the international mind controllers who I believe are behind at least a greater part of our travails as a nation. They say BH is an Islamic terror organization – though muslims have condemned the act – but the same BH bombs and kills mainly muslims. Even when they target churches – for the conflagratory effect on society – they don’t give any forewarning to any muslims in the vicinity. At best, one would say these BH guys are mere anarchists. So whose interests are they serving? They say they are poor, illiterate people who hate western education. Some said it was borne out of poverty. But no one can carry an AK47 rifle or machine gun, on an empty stomach. Ditto, it costs great amounts to purchase arms and ammunition. And even though I went to many western schools, I have absolutely no clue about how to manufacture bombs or detonate them. That requires genius in physics and chemistry. So who are these guys?

Some said they want to create a Shariah republic at least in the north. That they are territorialists , but why then would they destroy the same land that they claim to love? Or why would they destroy the economy that they claim to support? No one has offered any explanations to these paradoxes beyond the usual prejudiced, jaundiced and bigoted opinions. It is very unfortunate that most vocal Nigerians would want to convince us that a different kind of blood flows through the veins of ‘northerners’, when the same ‘Northerners’ broke the barriers and voted for the incumbent president – at least 25% of them – in 2011. I can only say that many supporters of the president have been most uncharitable to those who supported the president even against their own kinsmen. As our soldiers and fighter pilot pummel some northern states today, many from the south have expressed the most extreme and the wickedest of opinions, not caring if innocents die or even the number of Northerners that are rubbed out. To these heartless people, anyone who dies up north deserves what he gets, because ‘they were shielding BH anyway’. I refrain from arguing with people who are blinded by such insane prejudice. In fact, one is ashamed of sharing the same skin colour as such people.

Some of us look at patterns and trends. That is the way to break codes. And the first code to break is that this BH thing is a well-planned and focused campaign and not one waged by some ragtag army. Proof? The proof is that it has lasted this long. And was growing stronger until the emergency declaration. No one is sure of what to expect still. The other trends surround BH purported lack of education or poverty.

A friend also pointed out to me that most of Boko Haram targets have been trading nerve centres in northern Nigeria. My friend claims that whoever is behind this campaign knows that Nigeria was about to ‘take off’, and that the only way was to slow the economy to a halt, hence Maiduguri became a target – as the hub for Nigeria/Chad/ Cameroon/Niger trades, and Baga for the fish, and Potiskum/Mubi for the Cattle, and Kano for the textiles and hides. Can anyone explain to me why Potiskum Cattle market would have been attacked? Christians don’t sell cattle. About 100 people were killed on that day, almost all Muslims I suppose. The government will do well to let us have names of casualties, rather than the current scenario of treating the dead like… cattle. Again, what is the aim of attacking Kano after Friday prayers and killing 250 people? How does that solve anyone’s poverty problem? What has that to do with western education? Remember, I said Boko Haram, thus far, are mere anarchists, who desire to cause confusion in our country, who want to pitch us, one against the other. It is left for us to determine who exactly is behind our travails and for what reasons.

One last paradox. Since Boko Haram people, though poor and uneducated, usually call virtual conferences with local and international news agencies, and even post well-edited videos on Youtube regularly, one would presume that they have a sophisticated information gathering network. So, after declaring the emergency and with the much-advertised mobilization of fighter jets and helicopter gunships to vanquish them, pray, which BH operative will remain in the jungles of Sambisa except abandoned quadriplegics? Even our people say any wise cripple cannot die from a pre-announced war. Ko ba haka ba? Wonders shall never end in Naija!

I have been asking this question since, how did the military know where to bombard immediately the state of emergency was declared? How did they know the locations of those camps they bombarded just over night? BH operations shows that they are well trained in terrorism. Well, Nigeria we hail thee.

This are the questions begging for concrete answers.


Northerners r not against Goodluck, we are against the devisive tactics his govt n security chiefs have adopted & y the north is the hunting ground.

lonelydora: I have been asking this question since, how did the military know where to bombard immediately the state of emergency was declared? How did they know the locations of those camps they bombarded just over night? BH operations shows that they are well trained in terrorism. Well, Nigeria we hail thee.

What a dumb question. have u heard of anything call intel b4?

olabukola: What a dumb question. have u heard of anything call intel b4?

Its obvious u never read the article, for u to say dat is a dumb question

olabukola: What a dumb question. have u heard of anything call intel b4?

Foolish argument avoid, they are often convincing. Don't answer a fool in his foolly.....