SANUSI MUHAMMED: Boko Haram wants to end 1914 Amalgamation

january 2012 What I know is that the religious sect, called Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lid’dawa’ati Wal Jihad a.k.a Boko Haram, was perhaps established to operate as any other religious sect, organization or group in the country. It was not founded as a terrorist group as erroneously believed in some quarters. The sect has been in existence for a good period of time in the North East and other parts of Nigeria and beyond. It became more prominent after the death of its founder, Sheikh Muhammed Yusuf. It may be difficult for me at the present situation to assess their mode of operation as you want me to assess. I am not their member, though ideally, one is expected to be a beneficiary of their preaching as a Muslim. But as a journalist, I picked an interest in the modus operandi of the sect. I have studied and even had few interactions with some of them before the situation snowballed into what it is today. I came to understand their grievances and why they are violent against the authorities. Well, if the truth must be told, the Federal Government is supposed to dig deep down and investigate more on how and why the sect turned to be what it is being accused of doing and that is terrorism. It is not a matter of accusation and counter attack. It is a matter of reality. The sect perhaps turned to be what it is accused to be doing from the hypocrisy of those saddled with the responsibility of governance. From my in-depth knowledge of happenings, some of those in leadership positions today are not supposed to be there. Some of our leaders are already power-drunk and hold the notion that they can do anything in this country and get away with it. Some of them are heartless while some are hypocrites and pretenders. Instead of them to have addressed the Boko Haram issue right from its initial stage in their states, they chose the primitive way of doing things and directed for arrest, extra-judicial killings, maiming and demolishing of structures belonging to those suspected to be members of the sect. Those leaders never knew that they were dealing with intelligent, courageous, determined and faceless people who were already putting finishing touches to their next line of actions. There was no proper intelligent report on the sect itself for study and subsequent implementation by the government. Some of our leaders must have underrated the intelligence and capacity of the sect, including financial support, etc. They thought they were the alms-seeking hungry Almajiris that can easily be arrested, threatened with imprisonment, killed, maimed without any resistance or reprisal action. Boko Haram has exposed to the world the type of persons we have in leadership positions in our country today. It was the same underrating we witnessed during the NADECO era. We were in NADECO struggling to unseat the military from power through a peaceful manner but overzealous security agents were all out to kill, maim and arrest our members to justify a cause. At the end of it all, NADECO achieved its struggle and the wish of the people was respected. General Abdulsalami Abubakar restored democracy in the country. But before then, NADECO was painted in bad light to confuse the ignorant public. Our leaders were chased out of the country and the majority of us that remained continued with the struggle. History is repeating itself. In Niger Delta, the mission of a great patriot, Ken Saro Wiwa and his Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People were misunderstood. He was tagged as a threat to national security, he was subjected to a kangaroo trial and without waiting for the stipulated time of appeal, he was hanged within minutes after the judgement. That is a case of gross injustice. At any rate, one cannot blame the President for the escalation of the various attacks in the country today because he is supposed to be fully briefed on situations by the relevant security agencies at the national level and advised professionally on what next to be done to contain and control the situation. If that was properly done, I don’t think the situation could have reached its present stage. The national security adviser is expected to be fully briefed by the various security agencies to know the exact situation of things before advising the President. That perhaps was not done and if it was done, it was not done properly. The governors are supposed to be updated on security situations in their respective states on daily basis by their security chiefs. In some states, that is not done. I know of a particular governor who does not even consult most of the time with his security chiefs until when there is a problem at hand. In some cases, minor skirmishes are over blown by security agents for monetary gain. The whole situation is corrupted and that is why we are where we are presently and we shall remain so unless we change the operational system for the better. For instance in Borno State, the former governor was said to be instrumental to the prominence of the sect. It was alleged that he was one of their financiers and supporters until the marriage broke down. He should be made to give an account of his association with them and the roles he played in nursing the group to its present status. Not only that, when the leader of the sect was arrested alive, there was an order for his murder. The authority could have ordered for the immediate arrest of who gave the order for the murder of an innocent person. If Sheikh Yusuf was not murdered, things could have been different today. The other point is that some of our security agencies are not helping matters. Honestly, there is an urgent need for the disbandment of the Nigeria Police. The Police have lost confidence of the people. The people see the Nigeria Police as a corrupt organization that enjoys support from the government to maintain corrupt practices and crime rather than fighting it. In Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe states, most of the people know whom Boko Haram members are. They know their base but for fear of their safety and the attitude of the nation’s security agencies towards the citizens, no one is ready to risk his life to reveal vital information relating to the sect. The security agencies in most cases treat sacred information with levity or as an opportunity to make fast money from government or use it for a selfish reason. In some cases, informants are seen by security agencies as 419ners. In any case, the situation reached its present stage from so many factors that should be thoroughly investigated. The other point is that since the death of Sheikh Muhammed Yusuf, there was no serious and sincere effort to reach the sect leadership for dialogue by either the government of Borno State or the Federal Government. All that was happening was a cock-and-bull story to justify huge spending on security. Boko Haram members are human beings like any other person that can be pacified to understand the position of government. On the other side of it, the sect members were discouraged to accept to dialogue with the government from their past experience that even led to what is seen as the extra-judicial killing of their leader. In some states, they were invited for discussion with government officials but later betrayed. How can they now easily agree to honor another invitation from the same type of government? Honestly, there is an urgent need to reach out to the sect leadership for dialogue. The issue is more than what ordinary Nigerians think. It is a serious issue that should be tackled once and for all. I had some contacts with several Federal Government officials on the matter and from the look of things, the Federal Government is not treating the issue with soft gloves and that is why it has not even declared a full-scale military action against the sect. Full military action is not the solution. Dialogue is the best option to the issue. Security operatives can only succeed in their resolve if they have insiders as reliable informants. Well as we all know in the Nigerian context of doing things, no matter how good your idea may be, if it does not tally with the thinking of those in authority, it makes no sense to them. Security agencies have said that they are on top of the situation. The arrests they are making are, to me not the solution to the problem, since the leadership is still intact. Most of those arrested are mere followers that work on directives. They are of no help, as most of them cannot even say where their leaders are or the location of their base. For instance, in Suleja, it was reported that a cell of Boko Haram was disbanded by men of the DSS. I later discovered that the said disbanded cell belonged to Darul Islam, which is another Islamist sect based in Niger State. But even after the disbandment, they re-established another cell within the same Niger State. Honestly, the only way out of the sad situation is for the Federal Government to put the necessary machinery in motion to arrest it now. The situation is more than what you think. The sect is determined to end the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates and install an Islamic government. The state governments are not strong and serious enough to counter or control the activities of the sect in their respective areas. It is not a matter of military or forceful intervention. It is a matter of dialogue and sincerity. Anything short of that, I doubt if the situation would normalize. From my investigation, at a stage, the sect was ready for dialogue with the respective state governments, but the same state governments betrayed the sect. As a responsible leader, one is expected to be honest and sincere in dealing with his people but most of those state governors thought they could impress the nation by directing the arrest and killing of the sect members. It has never worked like that. If one is talking of military intervention or forceful intervention, has America flushed out the Talibans in Afghanistan or restored normalcy in Iraq etc? When ECOMOG was fighting rebels in Liberia, did it succeed? Liberia’s problem came to an end through diplomacy, not through military intervention. In Nigeria, when Ken Saro Wiwa was unjustly hanged, did it end the problem in the Niger Delta? When Isaac Adaka Boro was leading his movement in the First Republic against the federal authority, did force solve the problem? When NADECO members were being hunted by security agents, did it solve the problem? Let our leaders learn from experience. Hm! I know little about Boko Haram. Mind you, I reside in Bauchi and I have worked in different parts of the North East as a journalist. I happen to know some of their leaders even before the sect was established and we still communicate with some of them on phone just as they communicate with other people. To be honest with you, most of those I know are highly religious, educated, exposed, experienced, straight forward and disciplined. I cannot say I know all the leaders but the few I know can be reached to facilitate a meeting with the Federal Government if they can be convinced of the sincerity of such an exercise. The sect has its central leadership and respective operating units just like any other organization. I was made to understand that some of those destructive attacks that took place in some states, particularly in Borno, were not carried out by the sect. There is a notorious group of professional hooligans by name ECOMOG that hide under the cover of the sect to carry out such attacks and robberies. The sect itself is hunting for those hooligans to deal with them. In Borno, there is ECOMOG, in Bauchi, there is Sara Suka, in Gombe, is Kalare and so in other states. These killer groups are creations of mean politicians. The Federal Government should, as a matter of concern, act fast to eliminate such groups in the interest of peace. In most of the states, the respective governors are the brains behind the survival of such deadly groups. This is a known fact to everybody, unless if we are to be hypocritical to hide the facts. Well, I cannot claim to be the defence counsel or spokesman of those politicians that are suspected of sponsoring the sect for whatever reason. First, the sect is there to defend itself against any allegation and with all honesty, I know they have the courage, capacity and guts to defend themselves. What I know is that they have links with Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab, Darul Islam etc. As for being used against the success of the Jonathan administration, that I cannot say anything because I know they don’t even recognize any government in Nigeria. They have said that several times and not that because the President is not from the north or because he is a Christian. They never, for a second, recognized or liked the administration of the late president who is from the north and a Muslim. But for political reasons, some politicians might like to create such an artificial hatred to feed fat. We know them very well and we know what a typical Nigerian politician can do to survive the odds. Most of our politicians are dummies and fortune-seekers. Some of them are too dull to initiate anything for progress rather than mischief and deceit. President Jonathan was ordained by the Almighty to be the president of Nigeria at this particular period of time. The Almighty God brought him from the region to make history. Whosoever wants to fight Jonathan should be ready to have the wrath of the Almighty that made him the President. President Jonathan never created himself, he never made himself what he is today and he is not the most educated Nigerian or even the most educated in the Niger Delta region. He is not the most experienced politician from the region, neither is he wealthy enough to have bought his way to the position he occupies. History has it that in his trying period, as a lecturer in Port Harcourt, his wife had to support his efforts with her petty ice cream business to cater for the family. So, it was the work of the Almighty. Boko Haram members are aware of that as Muslims. The Almighty giveth leadership to whom He wants. There is no smoke without fire and never you trust a typical Nigerian politician for whatever. Those who made the allegations may have their facts but I am not aware of any governor that supports the sect and I am not even supposed to know since I am neither a member of the sect nor a governor. But some of the governors may be secret financiers of the sect out of fear or otherwise. Are you saying that some of the governors are the cause of insecurity in the country? That is correct. Some of the governors have already lost bearing and direction. Some of them are now busy putting the necessary machinery for 2015 elections instead of addressing critical issues affecting the welfare of their people. In such situations, poverty rears its ugly head and the end result is breach of peace for survival. There is rising rate of poverty all over. Some of the governors are not creative. For instance, there is a governor that believes the best way to fight poverty is to appoint so many miscreants as his aides. To me, that is a wrong policy because those miscreants are exposed to easy money and the day it ceases, that is the day heavens would fall. That governor could have created job opportunities for his miscreants to learn trade and be useful to themselves and the society, instead of exposing them to easy money without sweating for it. With all honesty, I have no idea of any political undertone because the sect hates anything to do with politics and material wealth. They are apolitical and hate to associate with any politician or political party. They want to be seen as purely a religious organization. But that does not mean I know everything about their interactions and association. There may be political undertone as you said. Further investigation can reveal that with time. So many factors were responsible for that unfortunate incident. First, in some states, it was ignited by the governors who wanted to rig the elections to impress the PDP presidential candidate, while some of them wanted to rig the election to cover their flanks. Unfortunately, most of the governors who claimed to have campaigned for the success of GEJ at the election never did that. Most of them only campaigned for themselves but wanted to rig for GEJ. On the other side of it, the electorate viewed the intention of the governors to rig the election as a crime against their wish and resorted to violence, since they have lost confidence in the law enforcement agencies and the courts. You see, jungle justice thrives where there is insincerity. The electorate were fully aware of how their votes are twisted at the collation centres in favor of certain candidates. The governors were the main culprits. Any way, the Lemu report is there for implementation. You see, GEJ was deceived at the initial stage to believe in falsehood by some of those he trusted with the task of campaigning for him in different parts of the North. Most of them were not the type to have handled such an important assignment. Some of them thought it was an easy-money-making venture and likely enough, GEJ refused to release the type of money they dreamt of. Some of the governors had lost the confidence of the electorate but still deceived GEJ to believing they were in control and could deliver good results. We raised an alarm through several articles published in the media, but no one cared until the worst happened. It is not that the north hates GEJ, but the issue is that those claiming to be relevant in the North and could deliver positive results, are not of any political relevance in the region. Name them and I will tell you who they are. CPC candidate was better loved not because he is a northerner but because he had good salesmen that package him for the price of the electorate. Look at the PDP presidential primary election. Atiku was about to defeat GEJ despite the power of incumbency. In the North Eeast, GEJ narrowly escaped with few votes against Atku. That tells you a story. Most of his campaign managers were sleeping and deceiving him. At the end, they wanted to use state machinery to rig the election, which was resisted by the electorates to prove a point to GEJ. Honestly, in some states in the North East, the posters of GEJ were not even in circulation at all. Instead, it was a trick that was used to deceive him during his visit to Bauchi. Put it at the back of your mind that it was through the efforts of the FCT Minister and the former governor of Bauchi State that GEJ even scored the 20 percent votes he got at the poll.