Revisiting Terrorism Under Buhari: “Boko Haram”, “Fulani Herdsmen” And The National Question, By Adeolu Ademoyo
Nigerians must hold President Buhari, the opponents of the national question in and outside Buhari presidency responsible for the mindless exportation of terrorism and criminality across the country and the potential final lawless disintegration of the country if that happens.

Boko-HaramatisisOne of the major talking points of President Buhari is that his regime will end Boko Haram. In an apparent critique of the failure of ex-president Jonathan to end the insurgency, the then candidate Buhari said he would lead the fight against Boko Haram from the front.


If increased funding of the military, the constant relocation of the Chief of Army staff back and forth across Boko Haram flashpoints amount to leading from the front, then Buhari’s point is understandable. But the question is: has President Buhari succeeded in either defeating Boko Haram, decapitating it or its firepower? The obvious answer is No.

President Buhari’s failure in effectively tackling Boko Haram has once again raised the question of the relevance of a comprehensive and multi-dimensional diagnosis and understanding of the problem by everyone.

While there is a bit of everything in previous diagnosis of “Boko Haram”, none of these taken alone has produced effective solutions. However, there is a new qualitative dimension to “Boko Haram” which has raised the relevance of a proper diagnosis. This dimension is the attempt by it to move South. If “Boko Haram” successfully launches any attack in any Southern city in Nigeria, then it invites a major re-understanding of “Boko Haram” and previous diagnosis and solutions.

Every stakeholder in the Nigerian project ought to recognise this because it is in the universal nature of human beings to act in self-defence. With the failure of the Nigerian state (under ex-president Jonathan and now under President Buhari) to end “Boko Haram”, if it goes South and if the victims of such attack act in self defence, the security and ethno-national implication will have national and global ramifications beyond the shores of Nigeria, for it will be devastating as it will change the Nigerian equation.


Already, “Boko Haram” has given Nigeria a deadly image abroad, which has resulted into multi-dimensional net loss for the country. All those who wish to travel to Nigeria see us as a security risk. We are unable to take advantage of massive educational, cultural and economic opportunities other African countries easily take advantage of in international and global contexts and this inability is a big issue for Nigeria’s global image in terms of knowledge, culture and civilisation. This is because no one will come to Nigeria; no parents will send their children to Nigeria for International Internships, study abroad programmes, learning opportunities, or just basic vacationing. Take a count of the faces at our “international” airports. The bulk of the faces you see are Nigerian faces, yet we call them “international” airports! With “Boko Haram”, we seem to be the least friendly country in the world. And we ignore this at our peril.

It is in this context that the abduction of Mr. Olu Falae from his Ilado Farm along Igbatoro Road, Akure North Local government, in Ondo state becomes very relevant to a “Boko Haram” discourse and narrative. The Nigerian state under president Buhari must speak up and come clean on what happened to Olu Falae on his private farm where he was abducted.

While “Boko Haram” and a successful attack of “Boko Haram” on Southern targets may appear on the surface to be different from the abduction of Mr. Olu Falae by a crude and criminal group, there is a convergence of the two at the point of the politics, economics, cultural and structural dimensions of the national question.

On the abduction of Mr. Olu Falae allegedly by “Fulani Herdsmen”, an unconfirmed second narrative claims that “Fulani herdsmen” did not carry out the abduction but that some Niger Delta fringe folks and loose canons who were seeking retired military officer, Mr. Seinde Arogbofa ex-president Jonathan’s former chief-of-staff, carried out the abduction. Unconfirmed reports claim that this fringe loose canons from Niger Delta mistook Olu Falae for Seinde Arogbofa. The unconfirmed report is that they apparently were allegedly seeking to settle some previous deals, which bordered on a breach. Speculations like this are the reason the Nigerian state must come clean on this matter. Rumors and speculations of this type are capable of wrecking havoc on the nation. Did “Fulani herdsmen” abduct Mr. Falae as it is being alleged? Did a fringe “Niger Delta” group who mixed up Olu Falae’s identity for someone else, as it is being alleged, abduct him?

With two unconfirmed reports on Olu Falae – one that the abduction was carried out allegedly by “Fulani Herdsmen” and the other by “Niger Delta” folks seeking to settle scores with Seinde Arogbofa, the situation has become complicated and therefore more dangerous, urgent and relevant. That we have two conflicting explanations on an issue as serious as the abduction of Mr. Olu Falae and that one can be deliberately muddled up to create a false impression points to the failure of Nigerian security and intelligence, and the moral irresponsibility of Nigerian politicians and their spokespersons. It points to the murky, deadly, dirty and evil nature of Nigerian politics and politicians. It also points to the soundness of the claim that “Boko Haram” cannot be seen solely as a law, order and security issue, the way President Buhari and some of his foreign backers are wrongly seeing it.

Sadly, the centralised nature of Nigerian state, government and politics makes Nigerians to focus wrongly on the central government, the presidency and the president. This is the case because of the lopsidedness of the structure of the Nigerian “federation”. And Buhari’s own political views, choices, political and intellectual history and antecedents show someone with a deliberate limited understanding or contrived ignorance of the profound nature of the national question in a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-national society like Nigeria, hence the obvious hostility of President Buhari and his presidency to an open engagement of the national question.

While “Boko Haram” as a law and order problem has its soundness, it excludes the political nature of “Boko Haram”, given its possible political transformation and manipulation and the confidence its “success” can give the crudity of criminals such as the “Fulani herdsmen and cattle rustlers” or “Niger Delta” fringe and loose canon groups, one of which crossed the line in their crudity and criminality in the abduction of Olu Falae. This political transformation and manipulation of evil and criminal groups calls to question the primary framing of “Boko Haram” as basically a law, order, and security problem.

If “Boko Haram” is only a law, order and security problem as being wrongly framed by Buhari and western countries, the pertinent question is: what problems do innocent female children whose wrappas are wrapped with bombs by hideous political forces have with the Nigerian state? These innocent children who are wired and turned into travelling, itinerant and walking human bombs are under the hideous control of hidden political forces, which the Buhari presidency must unravel and contend with.

The strange data on ground in the public domain shows that today’s “Boko Haram” has become a tool of political manipulation in the Northern and Southern parts of the country, which is intended to be exported beyond the North into the Southern parts of the country in order to create a dubious and false “national” psychological effect. It is not important that today’s “Boko Haram” may have no substantial connection with the “original” “Boko Haram”. What we ought to contend with is its political transformation and intended exportation and false “national” orchestration.

The relevant issue is the ability and capacity of members of power and ethnic factions and groups in Nigeria to assimilate into “Boko Haram”, wrap innocent children, especially female, in wrappas and boubous of lethal bombs while members of these ethnic and power blocs secretly and hideously hold the apron strings, ready to detonate them at the right time for maximum political, economic and psychological effects.

Sadly, the centralised nature of Nigerian state, government and politics makes Nigerians to focus wrongly on the central government, the presidency and the president. This is the case because of the lopsidedness of the structure of the Nigerian “federation”. And Buhari’s own political views, choices, political and intellectual history and antecedents show someone with a deliberate limited understanding or contrived ignorance of the profound nature of the national question in a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-national society like Nigeria, hence the obvious hostility of President Buhari and his presidency to an open engagement of the national question.

Except street conditions force him to change his outdated and wrong disposition to the national question, with Buhari as president, its resolution is put on temporary hold. But the consequence of this is dire for Nigeria. The consequence is the strengthening of the “Boko Haram” type of terrorism and the crudity and criminality of the “Fulani Herdsmen”, cattle rustlers’ and Southern fringe loose canon groups, which have the potential of connecting with and assimilating into “Boko Haram” their psychology and ideology”

Whether it is “Fulani herdsmen” or Niger Delta fringe loose canon groups, the point here is that this criminality and crudity has to be solved politically via a more critical, selfless, disinterested, responsible and sober engagement of the national question.

So, solving “Boko Haram” and all terrorisms of local ethnic and religious militia via a federal Nigeria and a solution of the national question is common sense, which is pretty straightforward. But this is one common sense opponents of a federal Nigeria and an open structural and political resolution of the national question both inside the Buhari presidency and outside of it need to embrace.

For example, abducting and marauding “Fulani herdsmen” and fringe loose canon “Niger Delta” groups on rampage cannot export their criminality to other states in a Federal Nigeria with an effective state police system. Ethnic and religious militia and terrorist and criminal groups are grass-rooted in nature. So besides the firepower of a state police, and its grass-rooted nature that will instantly quench and terminate any political criminality and rascality of terrorist loose canons, all local criminals will have to deal with local state police and law enforcement authorities who will know them at grassroots level.

And with a state police, “Boko Haram” will dare not attempt any exportation of its terrorism beyond the confines of the states, which gave birth to it in the first place. Why? Besides the fire power of local state police, in a Federal Nigeria, “Boko Haram” or any local terrorist group will have to explain and justify the basis of their exportation of their terrorism to states that have nothing to do with the local economics, politics, religion and culture that birth their terrorism and criminality.

For example, in a federal Nigeria, why will any potential Western criminal group; export its criminality to Onitsha, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Minna, Kaduna or to Maiduguri? Or why will a potential South South/Niger Delta criminal group export its criminality to Kano, Jos, Akurẹ, and Yola, Abeokuta etc. And why will a potential Eastern criminal group export its terrorism and criminality to Lagos, Calabar, Kaduna, Ibadan, Makurdi or Birnin Kebbi? So Boko Haram and other Northern terrorist groups will have to justify the exportation of their terrorisms and criminality beyond their local states. There will not be any basis for any exportation because ethnic militias, criminal groups and ethnic terrorisms are grass-root products of the their local grass root politics. And in a federal Nigeria, such ethnic and religious terrorist groups will limit their crudity, criminality and terrorism to their states and their state authorities that are the causes of their grievances.

So, solving “Boko Haram” and all terrorisms of local ethnic and religious militia via a federal Nigeria and a solution of the national question is common sense, which is pretty straightforward. But this is one common sense opponents of a federal Nigeria and an open structural and political resolution of the national question both inside the Buhari presidency and outside of it need to embrace.

Hence, down the road, Nigerians must hold President Buhari, the opponents of the national question in and outside Buhari presidency responsible for the mindless exportation of terrorism and criminality across the country and the potential final lawless disintegration of the country if that happens.

Adeolu Ademoyo, aaa54@cornell.edu, is of the Africana Studies and Research Center, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&ct2=en_ng&usg=AFQjCNHKhxPnynVUiuthrkp8F6m5mWFkRA&clid=c3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331&cid=52778982828787&ei=blk2Vs6-Dcesat7Cn6gN&url=http://naija247news.com/2015/11/revisiting-terrorism-under-buhari-boko-haram-fulani-herdsmen-and-the-national-question-by-adeolu-ademoyo/

The Foooolish writer forgot the menace of "Dare-devil Southern Cattle Rustlers"

Trashy write up if you ask me.

Very apt. Buhari over to you.