Although no telephones yet in Maiduguri, most of the citizens are not in a hurry to get the relatively expensive GSM lines until the whole state is back to normal and after a complete disarmament because the lack of communication by the Intelligence or security agencies was instrumental to the tremendous achievement so far recorded. Here, the office of the NSA did well not only by inviting us to proffer solutions but to also implementing the recommendations submitted by the Civilian –Military Dialogue jointly organized by the Directorate of Research and Governance ably presided by Professor Emeritus Jonah Isawa Elaegwu of Jos who was brave enough to invite me for my views as the first scholar to have warned on the satanic and mercenary elements in Obasanjo Government in July 2009 on what Boko Haram would be created out Yusufiya ( Ahlul Sunnah wal Jihad) no thanks to the arms, dollars, drugs, cultism involved. My message was international broadcast in English, French,Hausa and Arabic asking government to carefully handle it but refused to heed, as I had earlier compared it to show how the malignant racist Masons deceitfully created Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan and Al-Shabaab in Somalia hiding behind the peaceful religion of Islam to give it a bad name and kill as many Africans and Asians as possible in order to plunder the resources and destroy socio-Islamically accepted norms and values with the backing of the International community and Media. Fortunately, this time around the various Security Agencies were coordinated by the office of Col. Sambo Dasuki who is the National Security Adviser to President Jonathan. They succeeded in rubbishing the game of the previous double agents under whom Nigeria lost thousands of military personnel and innocent civilians with unparalleled amount of collateral damages in terms of destruction of public and personal properties leading to the weakening of the security system and grounding the economy of the north in particular and Nigeria in general. However, I wish to draw the attention of JTF Commanders in Borno to check the excesses of some of the military personnel posted to Bama, Gwoza and environs. The Bama youths in particular are forced to leave their homes because they are caught between the killer elements in the JTF and the insurgents similar to what happened in Maiduguri, Baga and other towns before the self defending youths took it up on themselves to sanitize Maiduguri. Or is it a satanic strategy to force them to cooperate when they are not sure of what will happen to them. For instance, when young men are caught fleeing on their way to neighbouring local government areas or states, they are both extra-judicially killed by the JTF and slaughtered by the insurgents depending on where they fall victims. Although nobody could volunteer to guide the Bama youths so far to do what their counterparts did in Maiduguri many refugee youths in different states are willing to go back and be Civilian JTF if there is a serious plan in place so that they don’t fall into the trap of what they have initially run away from. The JTF Commanders, the political leaders and traditional rulers should create a robust synergy and come out with a lasting strategy to stop the killing of innocent people and indeed to fast tract normalcy and peace so that soldiers can return back to the barracks. What is going on in Bama in the past few months is a serious humanitarian crisis. Movements are restricted while essential commodities are lacking. No food, no water, no transport, no money to travel out for safety or even with the 5 or so vehicles were allowed to ply the roads to neighbouring Cameroun for a few food items or move into Maiduguri which has since become mamakiously ( extra-ordinarily) safe now thanks to God and the youth driven civilian Anti-insurgency Task Force (AITF) contrary to similar externally imposed racist and anti-religion insurgency in Somalia, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mali etc. Restoration of telephone lines and show of professionalism in terms of rules of engagement were part of the recommendations submitted by the just concluded Civil-Military Conference (Dialogue) I attended in Abuja 3 weeks ago. The conference was coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Institute of Governance, Jos headed by the great Professor Emeritus J. I. Elaegwu. The occasion was so civil and democratic that it gave me and a former Borno State Governor the opportunity to tell our story being from the embattled zone. I also met some of my former university students who are now Colonels. For security and obvious reasons, FB friends should please excuse me for not revealing more than what should be known to the average person or the general public (about 2%). The discussions at the conference were focused and aptly presented even by the civil-military section of the Armed Forces annually. It also gave us the opportunity to make friends, listen, learn and exchange radical views with intellectuals in and out of uniforms from the ranks of Colonel/ Police Commissioners up to those of Generals and Inspectors –General of Police down to the level of Colonels from the Army, Air-Force, Navy etc. on the way forward to address insurgency, armed robbery, kidnapping, oil theft etc. intelligently without resorting to the use of arms so as to avoid collateral damage to civilians and non combatant men as it is happening now in Bama. This is unacceptable and we have already drawn the attention of the international Human Rights Organisations. The conference brought together members of the officers of Armed Forces from the rank of Colonel up to General, the Police from DCP to Inspectors General, Comptrollers of Immigration, SSS, Civil Societies, Journalists of notes, etc. As a panacea to stem future armed conflicts, submissions agreed on Good Governance, Rule of Law, Justice, dialogue, moral and civil instruction to be re-introduced in schools, gainful employment, education, fixing of basic infrastructure, development of border towns and markets, credible elections and decent actors in democracy, collective war against corruption and indiscipline, poverty, ignorance. Other recommendations included the incorporation of the Almajiri system of education into the official school system, proper training and retraining as well as provision of modern equipment for the security agencies especially the police while dealing with civilian non combatant populace hence soldiers should only be invited when the police and other security agencies find it difficult to cope with any given situation. Similarly, we are able to debunk the official lies that were always told by spokespersons of the initial JTF on their atrocities in Borno, Yobe and other parts of the North. We also suggested re-iterated for a sincere dialogue with any aggrieved group in the spirit of democracy and freedom of speech and association to identify the rest. We praised the presidential Committee on dialogue and Amnesty appointed by President Jonathan headed by Barrister Turaki, the Minister for Special Duties. It is always important to start a dialogue with any of the factions of Jama’atu Ahlus Sunnah wal Jihad otherwise known as Boko Haram to give confidence to the others to lay their arms with the eventual success recorded so far by the Committee of credible and patriotic members similar to the sincere approach adopted by late President Umaru Yar’adua government for the ex-militants of Niger Delta. In my second talk at the Conference, I was able to bring out for the attention of all participants that the insurgency was imported into the country by external hands with the connivance of influential government officials via the sponsorship of cleavages they created as well as magnifying minor religious and tribal differences to combine and worsened by jungle Law, corruption, election rigging, lame duck appointments and lope sided development, representation and retirement, sacking, outright assassination or poisoning of politicians, professionals and expert hands as well as deliberate weakening of the defense and security sectors especially those from the north. Others include privatization or selling of strategically important public property to cronies and foreign firms, framing, incarceration and sacking without following due process of youths, excellent technocrats, experts, injustice and mistrust in order to destroy northern Nigeria beginning with the strategically located north-eastern States of Borno and Yobe to repeat what was meted out to Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Libya, D.R Congo, Sierra Leone, Chad, Rwanda, and now Syria, Mali and Egypt. At the conference, the few of us who are civilians were highly respected by the Generals and other gentlemen in uniforms possibly due to training they had in the past. In fact, the Generals rejected the popular terminology of ‘bloody civilians’ to tag the civilians especially under military regimes while we used to join late Fela Ransome Kuti in calling them Zombie. This time, they included themselves after retirement as well as their family members. Also commendable was the role played by the civil societies, Media giants, politicians of note, and Human Rights Organizations despite the limited presence of journalists owing to the sensitive nature of the Conference and hot air some of us were blowing. The opening ceremony was attended by Gen Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Senate President David Mark, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the NSA to the President, politicians of note like Ghali na Abba who recalled his ordeal as the speaker and whom many of us respect for fighting the dictatorial tendencies of former President Obasanjo and that of his godson Ali Sheriff as the former governor of Borno State whose governments are the prime suspects for importing insurgency or Boko Haram yet no one dares to interrogate them or their well planted agents. Happily, God has already started answering the prayers of the people of the embattled states. Two other patriots and brave intellectuals of note graced the occasion to add substance to the conference were Dr Junaid Muhammad and Hassan Kontagora. While I very much appreciated government invitation to the Conference to listen to me for the first time since I first blew the whistle in July 2009 to give an accurate analysis of how Boko Haram would eventually turn out to destroy the whole North even though our leaders were not comfortable with my foresight and sense of patriotism. Believe me, most of them read our articles on Media, FB and listen to our TV and Radio interviews but refuse to acknowledge us as they always judge us based on Royal institutions we belong or where we come from. It is obviously wrong on their part to expect us as learned men to do what their courtiers do to them or surrender our intellectual dignity before they nominate us for anything because we will not do anything that will compromise the little knowledge God gave us or jeopardize the future of our children. For almost 50 years, we have been expecting them to copy the legacy of our slain leaders and be fathers to all. They should at all times judge us by the content of our character and knowledge, not by our state of origin. I found it amusing they still do not understand why an assembly of important security personalities such as this conference will invite me for my views on what is going on in the north but not ACF and JNI. For instance ACF(Arewa Consultative Forum and JNI chairman Alhaji Aliko and the JNI chairman who is his Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto would refuse to recognize us to talk especially at a JNI ( Jama’atu Nasril Islam) Conference in Kaduna chaired by the Sultan with his Deputy , Shehu of Borno in attendance would deny me the opportunity to talk at a conference of Islamic scholars at this crucial time of our History. Although I strongly wish and hope that his Eminence Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar should be different from the northern elite who wasted our time on trivial issues instead of addressing the problems of the North since the demise of our great first Republic Leaders. As usual, he cracked the traditional Kanuri-Fulani joke at the opening of the Conference that Kanuri would not be spoken eventually ended up meaning that none of us as Borno scholars present was allowed to talk throughout the conference. I hope it was a mere confidence and not a deliberate attempt to dig out the old nonsensical rivalry that none of us was interested in because we did not choose to be what we are nor were we the actors of the History that Borno Kingdom was more than 1000 years older than others but God . As for the insurgency rocking the north-east ,Amnesty International, International media and other Human Rights organisations deserve a special commendation for interviewing Borno and Yobe refugees residing in Abuja and northern States for publication and further actions. Lest I forget, as long as oppressed people remain prayerful, injustice will come down like a house of cards very soon. Injustice is like a mad ostrich; despite its speed, long legs and powerful wings, it cannot fly to escape the time waiting arms of Law. Insha Allah the game is almost over. Happy Eid el Fitr, 1434 AH/ 8th Aug,2013. Hakuna Matata

"One of the most revered virtues of the Late Sheikh Gummi was his rare ascetic and mystic life. He did not profess or proclaim Sufism, but his life was glaringly more austere than most of the self-styled sufis of our day. Like we see today, many Muslim scholars (in all their sectarian strands –the Darika, the Izala, the Salafis) are desperately struggling to move closer to people in power in order to enjoy various sorts of undue privileges and material gains. If he had had the tendency for amassing wealth he could have been the richest Muslim scholar before his death because he was close to almost all the regimes since independence up to his death. But what did he leave behind after his death? How many houses did he buy in Kaduna while he was alive? How many estates did he have? How many millions did he stash away in local and foreign bank accounts? None! How many times would consignments of food be brought to him and he would readily instruct that it be shared to the needy people around? How many fleets of cars were parked in his house before his death? It was, in fact, reported after his death that he had only four set of cloth to himself.‎Allahu Akbar ! May Allah have mercy on him and forgive him his sins and failures."

"OBJ really takes Northerners for fools, not even remembering the adage once beaten twice shy applying here. Now, picture this scenario; you pick a very sick Yar'adua and pair him with ‎Jonathan, factoring inevitability of death, what happened is the people voted a North Westerner & ended with a South Southerner. Then come back to the present, you pick a very sick T.Y. Danjuma and pair him with aTinubu, a Northern Eastern Christian with South Western Muslim, guess what happens, I can bet my last Kobo, ultimately, with a dead T.Y. Danjuma, power stays in the South West, how truly ingenious....... Baba is a clairvoyant seer of the future, a prophet no less !"

Genocide and revenge with the pretext of fighting Boko Haram.

By Khalifa Dikwa Phd

For the benefit of those who did not follow my assertions of the AMNESTY Report and interviews with Los Angeles Times, Jeune Afrique, l’Oeil du Sahel, as well as RFI, BBC (TV and Radio), Dwelle, VOA, Liberty Radio Kaduna, FRCN, Aljazeera in English, French and Hausa where applicable. I said that the refusal of President Jonathan to visit the crisis ridden states of the north-east particularly Borno and Yobe, shows that Federal Government has forsaken them and therefore in support of the ongoing genocide in parts of the North especially in Borno (Maiduguri) Yobe (Damaturu, Potiskum, Gashua), Kaduna (Zazzau), Kano, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa ( Mubi), etc. When the Maiduguri manslaughter began in 2009 i based my analysis on what happened in Somalia and Afghanistan, hence I said that unless Nigerian federal leadership in the executive arm did not want peace to return or had a hidden agenda, it should quickly accord Amnesty to Boko Haram if it did not see any reason to balance the equation since the area is yet to produce oil. They ought to have been invited for dialogue the way President Umaru Yar’adua did with Niger Delta militants. After I spoke with major international media on the best and immediate way to end the carnage, I was victimized by government without due process through the sadistic former Borno State Governor Sheriff and Maiduguri University Council under one of Ibori’s running boys chief Wale Babalakin (SAN) who could not do what was expected of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Since then, we have begun to hear a series of inflammatory statements fanning the embers of hate, revenge similar to those made by Gideon Orkar when he staged a failed coup d’état without government calling them to order. Recently, a voice rose to persecute Gen Gowon as the former military head of State, to add to the earlier insults poured out by a military commander posted to Borno on some generals from the north on their role to keep the country united during the unfortunate Biafran war of 1967-70 without government condemning such dangerous tongue lashings. This point was further brought to the fore by the assassination of General Mamman Shuwa last week under a mysterious circumstance, timing and atmosphere coupled with the conspicuous absence of strong official messages of condolence, delegation or military tradition befitting his status thereby confirming the opinion of the common man in Borno and Yobe to the fact that the original Yusufiya Boko Haram might have been hijacked by the remaining categories of Boko Haram made up of boys of short sighted criminally minded protégés of federal government, some sectional champions, armed thieves and rogues whose greater victims are the northerners including the recent hostage taking of northern traders in south-eastern Nigeria seeking mind boggling sums as ransom, all in an attempt to wipe out the innocent people of Borno and Yobe as a stepping stone, to identify and kill northern retired and serving uniformed men as well as politically relevant civilians to destabilize their elite, their prayers and numerical strength so as to promote ignorance, abject poverty and mediocrity before 2015 especially when one looks at the way military weapons in the North were quickly moved to the South by President Obasanjo after his inauguration while able bodied and experienced security personnel were witch hunted, blackmailed and retired for holding various offices such as state military administrator, ADC, Minister etc as if they committed offences against Nigeria. Were they not on national assignments? No wonder all my appeals in connection to my politically sponsored rustication and forceful ejection from office and residence fell on deaf ears in the Ministry of Education under Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’I , University of Maiduguri Council headed, National University Commission (NUC), Human Rights Commission and ASUU to mention a few. A very detailed report by Amnesty International showed that JTF (Joint Task Force) troops have committed and continue to commit atrocities and have therefore fallen short of international standards for quelling insurgencies. The seemingly selected security forces posted to Borno and Yobe violently invade and burn houses, markets, shops, vehicles etc. They detain and kill local leaders and youths from the age of 15 suspecting them to be Boko Haram members or supporters without trial while non- Muslim criminals from the south who were caught with bombs in worship places including churches are quickly transferred to Abuja without any news of their trial afterward. Furthermore, when one looks at the present Military command hierarchy at the points of recruitment, training and posting, with professional liars as spokespersons to deny their crimes, one is bound to conclude that they are far from attaining a minimum federal character having come from a particular part of the country which is contrary to military postings and administration before the return to Democracy in 1999. Consequently, President Jonathan as the Commander in-Chief of Armed Forces should be properly advised to work towards uniting the country rather than heating the polity. As leaders we should know out differences and manage them positively without shielding the bad eggs in any part of our land. President Jonathan should change the current dangerous bias trends and bring Peace to the north; otherwise, he will take the blame when elements in his government are, one day charged to International Criminal Court of Justice for master-minding a genocide against the people of the North-east in particular and the North in general. Moreover, we smell the rat that the major anticipated part of the grand design is to hand over the oil and solid minerals rich lands to a foreign interest (or create a U.N. controlled Zone hiding behind ECOWAS- God forbid) The looming scenario will fail to create a war torn region spanning between Mali and northern Nigeria with the pretext of fighting Alkaida and Boko Haram because it is difficult to cede it like Bakassi thanks to the ever alert National Assembly. However, we have high hopes that with Democrats in power in America, a US pragmatic foreign Policy to respect other countries under President Obama has been on display thereby downplaying the recourse to military might as the Police of the World. Although, the economic meltdown is mainly responsible for defense budget cuts in US and West, China’s drive to overtake USA by 2016 as the World economic giant will force the US to watch its steps. China’s non-interferenc e in the internal affairs of other countries has knocked down the Republicans’ arrogant attitude to fight Laws of God and His creatures, The few greedy Republican leaders in America and Europe are fond of spending tax-payers resources to mischievously ignite a fire and be first to send humanitarian aids just to satisfy their ego using media and countries like France and Britain as they did in Libya, thereby breaking International Laws to recognize a parallel government outside a country as in Libya and Syria This attitude appears to be getting closer to the dust bin of history. We will not be surprised if one day, the people of America, irrespective of backgrounds collectively decide to sit on the selfish and racist Republican tail for reasons and humanity to prevail. Finally, my passionate appeal to the well to do people and compromised silent elite and elders of the North, is to rise up to their responsibility otherwise the suffering and humiliation may well reach their doorsteps. And Allah knows best.

Statement made by Prof. M. Nur Alkali, CON, at the town hall meeting convened during President Jonathan's visit to Borno State, Friday 8th March, 2013.
Your Excellency, the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, we all here, on behalf of our various communities that we represent are highly honored to receive you on your two days official visit to Borno state. We thank Your Excellency for this kind gesture. Your visit to the state was long awaited particularly within the period of the crises we have all passed through.
We are also aware that Mr. President has been briefed regularly on the crisis which has engulfed this state for the last five years through various sources. Whatever may have been told to you, Mr. President, may not be as authentic as coming here by yourself to see things for yourself and to interact with the representatives ¬¬ of the various communities assembled here in this town hall-like setting. To be frank everyone both within here and in the streets would like to talk and the version of the message they would communicate maybe different and diverse. But the theme of the messages will be the same—that the sectarian conflict since your government ordered the first fire to be shot to “nib in the bud a potentially dangerous situation” has brought a great deal of hardship to the peoples in their homes, in the streets, in the markets and on the farmlands. Everyone did his or her best to absorb the shock, bear the pains, and tolerate excessive cross-fire that went on. There is hardly anyone in this meeting who has not lost a close relation, family member or very close friend. This town is full of orphans, fathers and mothers without their children, lost men and women, some in detention, some in hiding and some incapacitated—a ¬¬ tale of horror, grief and agony. In this crossfire more innocent people have died. The nature of the operation is frightening. When the militants kill one soldier, a whole ward or street is put on fire and dead bodies often litter the street. We lack information or statistics of innocent peoples who have died or kept in detention and how many of the militants were actually, killed, arrested and detained. Markets are closed, shops destroyed, road blocks in all major and minor roads.
Mr. President Sir, we urge you to personally investigate this situation of horror and terror because the extent of damage done is enormous. H.E., the Governor of Borno state Alh. Kashim Shettima continues to appeal for calm and tolerance because as he says “hard times never last forever”.
“Borno had seen many conflicts in the last one thousand years, both natural and man-made, but we have always come out of these much stronger, confident and resilient.” We shall come out of this one too and bounce back to peace, harmony and stability again. The time to do this is now, that the combatants have announced a ceasefire publicly and called for a dialogue.
Mr. President even if it is one person who came forward to call for peace, he should be received with open arms and reintegrated into the wider society. The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. There is no doubt that there is a general suspicion and fear and almost certainly these fears are genuine—particu ¬¬larly in a situation where even people who go to claim dead bodies are considered suspects and detained without any hope for trial.
There is nationwide call for amnesty or better still, pardon to be granted to the militants in such a way the militants in the Niger Delta were granted. If I may recall Mr. President, your call for the militants to come into the open as a condition for amnesty to be offered to them is inappropriate as the situation of this sectarian conflict is different from what obtains in the Niger Delta where as you stated, the militants actually came out to be received. In the Niger Delta, the situation was different because many of them were already operating openly and well known to the security forces and the government. The nature of the two conflicts is different. Here you are dealing with people who believe they are fighting on the basis of some ideology, not necessarily religious or political but fundamentally social and the desire to bring about certain changes in the ways of life of the society. Even then, if one may recollect, in the case of Niger Delta, late President Umaru Musa Yaradua granted them pardon before they talked about ceasefire. They were heavily compensated, rehabilitated, and given all kinds of job to do. Some of the responsibilitie ¬¬s given to them are such as policing the oil bunkering and piracy going on in our high seas—as a situation of getting the thief to catch a thief.
Here, the issue is more doctrinal and ideological and in case where the militants believe that their success is death. It is a worldwide phenomenon that young men and women with no jobs, no proper education, stricken by poverty and neglected by their society, simply take up arms to fight what they consider as injustice.
Their being called Boko Haram is confusing because they themselves did not give that name to themselves. Their being killed, destroyed, maimed, has only helped to infuriate them further while their doctrines and ideologies continue to rage on. They gather sympathy and membership from the thousands of orphans, widows and widowers which further strengthens their position.
Borno is the only state of the federation which has common borders with three sovereign nation states, Cameroun, Chad and Niger and the whole corridor linking the Lake Chad to the river Nile and the Mediterranean coast is a theatre of war. The factor of insurgency and movement of displaced persons in places like Southern Sudan, Darfur and recently Central African Republic, with people trading in small arms has compounded the situation even further. Mr. President, Sir, we are dealing with a more complex problem and the application of our solution remains faulty. There is no alternative to the dialogue which Your Excellency has repeatedly considered unacceptable. But the truth is that, in conflict resolution and crisis management, dialogue is an internationally ¬¬ accepted concept and where people have begun to talk about peace, they should be granted the pardon and the earlier we commence, the better. The dialogue or even multi-logue through various fronts may not be something that could be achieved in one month, one year or even more, but let us begin by working out the required strategy and serious approach to the solution, one day we will strike on the real issues at stake and overcome the problem. Use of force breeds more violence and crisis and as HRH, the Shehu has raised in his speech yesterday, and I quote “what peace and tolerance do not achieve, violence and intolerance can never achieve”.
Mr. President, we sincerely appeal that, before you leave Borno state you will assure everybody the commencement of dialogue, grant of a pardon, rehabilitation and compensation for lives lost, homes destroyed and properties lost or stolen. This I believe is the minimum expectation from every person living in Borno and the rest of Nigeria. May Allah guide us along the right path to overcome these challenges, Amin.

There is nothing like moderate muslims, you are a muslim or not, the Prophet and Messenger of Allah and his Sahabas (companions) are muslims, and Islam beyond the changes of time and centuries.

Guidance to mankind