₦airaland Forum

PoshTraveler:
that is exactly what is happening but u guys are allowing politicians to cash out with it. Fulani is struggling land to graze their cows with benue farmers. It's land dispute bro. Let's use our brain. The kidnappers are also armed robbers. Let's stop beautifying things for political gains

Suspected members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect on Sunday morning attacked a military base in Borno State.

The terrorists invaded Ajiri village in the Mafa Local Government Area of the state, attacking a military base and dislodging troops.

This attack comes barely 12 hours after some insurgents attacked Rann, the headquarters of the Kala Balge Local Government Area and Limankara village of the Gwoza Local Government Area of the state

Ajiri town, which is about 50km from Borno Central, is located along Maiduguri- Mafa- Dikwa Road with thousands of its people, mostly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) recently relocated to the community to try to get their lives back on track.

A security source confirmed to Vanguard the infiltration of insurgents into the Ajiri military base, Rann and Limankara communities, saying details of the attacks were still sketchy at press time.

PoshTraveler:
We Are over exaggerating what is happening. What is happening is just a land dispute between fulani and benue. Let's face that and keep politics aside

The cascading level of insecurity ravaging most parts of Nigeria has heightened anxiety among members of the Diplomatic Community in the country as diplomats have reportedly restricted their movements across the states even within Abuja, the capital city where most of them are resident.

The Boko Haram fighters, ISWAP, al-Qaeda and bandits elements have reportedly invaded most parts of Nigeria with the ferocity of a mad horse let loose on hapless citizens. They have abducted many for ransom, maimed, killed scores and taken women and girls as sex slaves.

The most disturbing aspect appears to the seeming helplessness of the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari to tackle the menace, which lends credence to the insinuations that the government might be complicit in the violence with the aim to push for the alleged irredentist agenda of his Fulani ethnic group fingered in most of the extreme violence.

LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that members of the international community are apprehensive of the threats posed by the staggering insecurity, and are taking adequate steps following security alerts from their home countries to survive the current storm in Nigeria.

Two days ago, the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Bello, raised the alarm that large parts of his state have been taken over by Boko Haram, and threatening Abuja, just 2 hours from the state. This is proof that the terrorists and their backers have become so brazen and emboldened to do more damage almost unrestrained.

One of the diplomats, from an African country, who spoke to LEADERSHIP Sunday, said “we have adjusted in everything, in movements and in interactions. So, it is affecting the diplomatic community. If you don’t know your area of operation then you are limited in your knowledge of the place. We move fearing that we might be abducted. So, we have to live by what is available.

“If the capital city is threatened now you cannot even imagine traveling to other parts of the country. If the policemen and the Nigerian military personnel on patrol are attacked how about us, very simple people, traveling? We can easily be smashed. The level of insecurity has grown unprecedented.”
Also coming from one of the Asian countries, was another tale of fear that “the situation has become so unbearable that members of the international community in Nigeria are being cautious.”

Corroborating the fears of the diplomatic Community, Public Affairs analyst, Dr. Katch Ononuju, said the situation “is a cause for alarm for the diplomatic community because they cannot be removed from the general feel of insecurity.”

He accused President Buhari of complicity in the crisis and tasked the diplomatic community to send wires to their home countries to mount pressure on Buhari to stem the crisis.

“All these coming from the foreign missions are simply meant to tell Buhari that outsiders are watching and the overwhelming report from us in Nigeria is that the government of Buhari does have a hand in the cascading violence in the country to promote Fulani intention,” Ononuju said.

He tasked the President to stem this violence because investors are leaving the country and moving to other countries. He said “no investor will come to Nigeria with this raging insecurity, they are moving to Ghana because they have the intelligence and people have been employed to do a proper analysis of the country.”

Also speaking on the raging issue, Public affairs analyst, Perry Opara, said insecurity is hurting Nigeria’s image abroad. He said “we must face the reality that the insecurity situation has expanded so very much that the move to get intelligence, advice and collaboration with countries and international organizations, have become imperative.

“Internal security cannot happen without external involvement, so, I am thinking that if the federal government thinks it is good to engage the international community it will help. Going forward the internal security in Nigeria should also be beefed up,” he said.

Last Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari, had a virtual meeting with the United States Secretary of States, Anthony Blinken, where he solicited support to tackle the menace, even as he debunked claims of government complicity describing it as unfortunate.

Also on Tuesday, The British Minister For Africa, James Duddridge, during a visit to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affair, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the security situation in Nigeria “is massively complex and no partnership is going to resolve the multiplicity of problems whether it is Boko Haram or Daesh or a number of other issues.” He added that Britain remains Nigeria’s reliable ally in the fight against insurgency.

However, these collaborations have come under intense scrutiny as many have questioned their potency and efficacy especially on intelligence gathering when the Boko Haram fighters, ISWAP and al-qeada are having a field day ravaging communities in Nigeria and perhaps not as much response from the Nigerian security forces.

obonujoker:
Buhari has never heard of the evils of the CIA

kmcutez:
These Ghanaians can never mind their business. Always carrying Nigerian news like gala. Yeye people.

buckeyemedia:
Why are you still in Nigeria? Pack & go to Accra or Kumasi we do not need you in Nigeria.

buckeyemedia:
You spend too much time in the politics section for an aspiring musician, no wonder you are struggling to release a single? Nigeria is ECOWAS, without Nigeria there is no ECOWAS, we asked for assistance from who can assist, not from a helpless Ghana that is struggling to cultivate cocoa.

Racoon:
Monumental disgrace to a nation like Nigeria I tell you.Insecurity will never end as the likes of Buhari, Isa Pantami and BH terrorists backers are still entrenched in govt.

mekaboy:
I have seen kanu creating jobs for the youths. Empowering them with AK47.

Militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), are currently attacking Rann, headquarters of Kala Balge Local Government Area of Born State.

SaharaReporters gathered that the insurgents invaded the town after iftar, the meal eaten by Muslims after sunset during Ramadan, shooting sporadically as residents flee into the forest for safety.

"There is confusion in Rann now, sporadic shooting currently going on," a source said.

The latest attack is coming six days after the insurgents attacked a Nigerian Army location at 156 Battalion in Mainok area, Borno State, killing over 30 soldiers.

Mainok is the headquarters of the Kaga Local Government Area of Borno state.

SaharaReporters gathered that the terrorists who came in no fewer than 15 gun trucks also burnt down the military base.

Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province, have killed thousands and displaced millions in North-Eastern Nigeria.

The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed that the insurgency had been largely defeated and frequently underplays any losses.

In the past months, soldiers have been targeted by the insurgents, who waylay them.

Hundreds of soldiers and officers have been reportedly killed since January 2021.
At least 33 soldiers were recently killed when two explosive-laden vehicles rammed into a military convoy in Wulgo.

The suicide bombers were identified as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Bana Jundullah. The group also claimed four military vehicles were destroyed.

In February, about 20 soldiers were also killed in Malari, Borno State, by the insurgents.

SaharaReporters gathered that the soldiers were on patrol to clear some Boko Haram elements in the area following a credible intelligence when the group ambushed them.

http://saharareporters.com/2021/05/01/breaking-boko-haram-currently-attacking-borno-community-residents-flee

iammo:



Similarities between Boko Haram and IPOB terrorist

* Boko Haram believes all land belongs to Allah, so they can occupy anywhere
+Ipobians believe all land is no man's land and they can dominate and annex any land to Biafra map

*Boko Haram are all Kanuris from NorthEast
+Ipobians are all Ibos from SouthEast

*Boko Haram believe in an Islamic State Republic of lake Chad Basin
+Ipobians believes in Jewish/Christian Republic of Biafra

* Boko Haram believes only in the leadership of their supreme leader Abubakar Shekau who never goes to battle field
+ IPOBIANS believes in their Supreme leader Nnamdi Kanu who hides in London while commanding his boys to go to battle

X- Both Boko Haram and IPOB attack and ambush police and Soldiers to steal their weapons


.

AllenSpencer:
No difference. They are both terrorists

Eastlink:
A true Igbo son will verify facts from fiction before following someone sheepishly. Igbo were never know for herd mentality until the coming of MASSOB/IPOB DSS enterprise.

And a true Igboman knows when to fight his battles, and not by allowing himself pushed into a conflict that would he isn’t prepared for. Ojukwu’s mistake of rushing into an unprepared conflict will never happen in our live time. And a runway coward in London will never be allowed to lead us to our destruction a second time.

Eastlink:
Igbos are not terrorist or destroyers. In the fullness of time, IPOB will remain a thing of the past as everyone go receive sense by then.

Eastlink:
Shut up. Igbos and north don’t have similar value system. Boko-Haram can wear suicide vest and even go ahed to destroy their homes, Igbos on the other hand value the sanctity of lives and love to uphold development. The Igbo man in his rightful sense will never encourage the destruction of their homes. That’s because we love growth, we love positivity and prosperity.

Igbos are not religious bloodthirsty bigots. Kanu’s styled demonic activism is alien to Ndigbo. So your comparison is faulty. The earlier Ndigbo rises up to stop Kanu the better for our survival.

Racoon:
"..All these evil arised because of the inability and unwillingness of the Muhammadu Buhari regime to confront the problems that afflict the country.There is no question that Buhari is the absolute worst president Nigeria has ever had the misfortune to be burdened with since independence.He is thoroughly and irredeemably incompetent, not to mention unapologetically bigoted and lazy..."

Nigeria continues to experience increasing insecurity and violence through frequent attacks by terrorists, bandits and criminal herdsmen, despite repeated promises by President Buhari to crush insurgencies. Uche Igwe raises the political and economic undercurrents that may have perpetuated the conflict while drawing attention to the need for greater coordination and stakeholder scrutiny.

Back in 2013, former United States envoy John Campbell wrote Nigeria: Dancing on the Brink, a book which brought global attention to how Nigeria was fast becoming one of the world’s most religious and violent countries. He predicted the likely breakdown of the political system, the rise of insecurity, economic sclerosis and state failure. At that time, many dismissed him as a conspiracy theorist who wished ill on Africa’s most populous country. Consequently, heated exchanges almost led to a diplomatic row between Abuja and Washington. Today, most of the book’s forecasts have become reality. The Financial Times has recently reached the same conclusion that the Nigerian state is failing. Citizens hardly sleep with two eyes closed as a result of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and ethno-religious violence spreading from states like Borno, Yobe and Adamawa up to Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna.

In recent years, the once calm Abuja-Kaduna highway has been described as a road to death due to the increasing level of daily kidnapping of travellers including security officials. Rampaging criminal herdsmen continue to attack, rape and kill unarmed civilians, especially women, across the country. Last December 2020, about 344 school boys were declared missing after gunmen attacked a school in Kankara near Katsina, the President’s home state. Although jihadists claimed responsibility, the boys were later freed with military intervention, arguably after a ransom was paid. Many ungoverned spaces and jihadist colonies continue to thrive. Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka described the country as a warzone. The Sultan of Sokoto, a spiritual leader of Muslims, feels that northern Nigeria is the worst place in the country to live. This message came as the vocal catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, pointed to the horrible and inhuman conditions of a child born in the region. For many, life in Nigeria is fast becoming akin to a Hobbesian state of nature – nasty, brutish and short.

A helpless army with a large presence

The North East remains home to one of the most dreaded terrorist organisations in the world – known as Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati wal Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad), also known as Boko Haram. According to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI), the group’s salafi-jihadi insurgency has led to about 37,500 combat related deaths as at 2018 and the displacement of more than two million others. Various governments have battled and failed to contain these insurgents who kidnapped school girls in Chibok, Dapchi, and later converted many of them to sex slaves. Last month, jihadists linked to the Islamic State group attacked an army base that led to the death of about 14 Nigerian soldiers. Yet officials commend the military for at least curtailing the terrorists from grabbing fresh territories as they were doing before 2015, thus allowing some internally displaced persons to return home, but the insurgents have consistently carried out successful attacks despite a military presence. For instance, in the last six months at least two attacks have been carried out on the convoy of Babagana Zulum, a former university teacher and governor of Bornu State, leading to many casualties. On the 28 November, between 40 and 110 farmers were killed by Boko Haram fighters at Zabarmari near Maiduguri.

Although officials claim efforts have been made to equip them with newer platforms, the military continue to suffer heavy casualties amidst propaganda that insurgents have been technically defeated. Philip Walton, an American, was kidnapped from his farm in nearby Niger Republic and smuggled into one of the camps of the insurgents in northern Nigeria. It took the intervention of US Navy commandos to free the hostage after a gun battle with his captors.

Citizens complain that the army appears to be losing the battle against these enemies. There have been repeated calls both from the National Parliament and other organisations like the Nigerian Governor’s Forum for the President to fire the service chiefs led by Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai. However, such moves have been reportedly blocked by the President himself.

The deliberate politicisation of (in)security makes matters worse

The prevalent perception in Nigeria is that politicians from the northern part of the country are sympathisers and likely beneficiaries of insecurity in the region. Many of these politicians use religious bigotry and ethnicity as potent tools for mobilisation. Insecurity was a major part of the campaigns led to the defeat of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 by Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army General. However, earlier in 2012, Boko Haram had named the same Buhari, then Presidential candidate of Congress for Progressive Change, an opposition party, as one of their mediators. After his victory in 2015, Buhari vowed to crush the insurgency. To date, attacks continue and those who profess Christian faith predominantly remain targets. Many have been abducted given the option of converting to Islam or face execution. The United States recently put Nigeria on a blacklist for engaging in religious freedom violations. A recent report published by Amnesty International revealed how older people are particularly exposed to the brutality of armed groups, including witnessing the rape of their own children.

Historically, the group founded by the late Mohammed Yusuf was known as the ‘ECOMOG boys’ and used for political ends, especially to rig elections, but it did not take long before politicians lost their control and became targets. Many politicians still pay ‘protection monies’ to these terrorist groups in order to be allowed to visit their constituencies.

Thriving conflict economies may perpetuate the crisis

Reports say that Africa is set to overtake the Middle East as the main theatre for jihadism over the next twenty years. There are those who insist that lucrative kickbacks arising from opaque military spending allegedly serves as incentives to beneficiaries who cause the conflicts to linger. For instance, although Nigeria’s defence spending remains a secret, it is believed that about 840 billion naira [$US 2.1 billion] was budgeted for by the Ministry of Defence in 2020 alone. In addition, the insurgents are said to have taken control of profitable commercial fishing and farming within the Lake Chad basin to fund their operations. About 45% of dry fish consumed in Nigeria comes from Baga town in Bornu State. According to the World Food Program, the combined fish and red pepper trade contributed $48 million to the Nigerian economy annually and employs about 300,000 persons. Some military officers posted to the region reportedly abandon their assignment, diverting their attention to the lucrative fish and livestock business. Reports have also revealed that these terrorists impose taxes on civilians to fund their operations.

Analysts have put the amount of ransoms paid to jihadist kidnappers in North and West Africa at $120 million. Between kidnappers, bandits, cattle rustlers and terrorists, there is very little difference as one set of activities apparently service the other. The situation has been exacerbated by the existence of porous and poorly policed borders with Cameroon (773km), Chad (87km) and Niger (1,497km). Terrorists reportedly smuggle in weapons all the way from northern Libya across the Sahara desert. They are said to rely on ransoms paid by kidnapped hostages. It is a chain of horror that is an integral part of a flourishing underground economy that has come to define and sustain the region’s escalating conflict.
Absence of a policy space and effective monitoring mechanism

The fight against insecurity in northern Nigeria, especially the insurgency, needs to be reviewed urgently. President Buhari claims that his government is investing heavily in acquiring weapons. That is clearly not enough. The acquisition of equipment has proven to be necessary but insufficient to halt the conflict and realistically defeat the insurgents. The nature of the conflict is constantly mutating, and therefore new approaches need to be considered with geo-political dimensions of the crisis in mind. Efforts must be made to review and update the National Counter Terrorism Strategy and the National Security Strategy to incorporate coordinated policy conversations, regional coordination and deepen stakeholder scrutiny. The aloofness of the President and his unwillingness to heed the call to replace military chiefs is unhelpful.

Moreover, poverty breeds insecurity and the lack of economic opportunities for the youth continues to promote the incubation of terrorism. More investment is urgently needed to improve access to education opportunities for young people in northern Nigeria. A lot more needs to be done and said through strategic communication efforts to build the trust of citizens and stakeholders. Although, President Buhari promised to reorganise and reenergise the security apparatus during his 2021 New Year speech, citizens remain deeply sceptical. Yet they have no choice but to wait patiently to see whether he could ever match his words with action.

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2021/01/15/buhari-little-to-address-nigeria-terrorism-insecurity-boko-haram

Dr Uche Igwe is a Senior Political Economy Analyst and Visiting Fellow at the LSE Firoz Lalji Centre for Africa. He is also a Visiting Fellow at International Centre for Policing and Security at the University of South Wales. He may be reached at: ucheigwe@gmail.com.