Nigeria’s War against the Insurgents!
By
Ibraheem A. Waziri
iawaziri@gmail.com
MY LEADERSHIP Newspaper Column, Monday, 22.09.2014
There was a documentary by Channel 4, titled, Nigerian Hidden War, and as shared on Youtube on 23rd of August, 2014. The video acknowledged the brutal nature of the Boko Haram (BH) insurgencies. It then attempted to show, quite convincingly, the other side of the war, detailing – with facts, figures and gruesome images – how, “the elements of Nigerian state could be guilty of war crimes”. The video came as a huge indictment on the Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). The sum total image projected from this shows the Nigerian Army and the BH insurgents as anti-ordinary Nigerian people.
Later that week! There came a declaration of the caliphate by the armies of the insurgents. They claimed total control of some parts of Borno and Yobe states. Add to that was the open indictments of the former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff alongside the recent past Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azuibuike Ihejirika. It is said they are the logical and emotional supporters of the insurgents. This of all, by the governments’ hired negotiator with the insurgents over the release of the almost three hundred Chibok girls kidnapped by them some months ago.
Of course there were opinions dismissing the allegations by Davis Stephen as bordering on conspiracy theories and as such must be out rightly dismissed. It should be understood here that conspiracy theories by their nature are attempts at pre-empting people and claiming to unveil motives. Though some of these conspiracy theories have eternal basis, many are baseless or even senseless. They are also peddled by the hurt or disgruntled. The allegation by Davis did not come as such in anyway. It did not impugn motives to the people it indicts. Its claims are to discoveries done on the line of legal assignment.
While we were on this, another shocking revelation came. A private jet with a Nigerian and an Israeli was caught in South Africa stashed with smuggled cash to the tune of 9.3 million dollars. The cash is said to be meant for purchase of illegal arms. The jet is owned by the notorious President of the Nigerian Christian Association, Ayo Oritsejafor. The government claims to be in the know of the deal and ownership of the arms. Its officials, according to Premium Times (17.09.2014), blamed the US -another conspiracy theory – for frustrating its legal bids to own armory to defeat the insurgents. In other words the US is seen as another one frustrating the Nigeria’s fight against the insurgency, and so the government looked through an alternative of going illegal and covert.
Whatever the case may be, and if all the stories that carry official stamps are to be taken on face value. Then the Nigerian government will seem to have nobody with it in this fight against insurgency. Everybody looks like a conspirator to bring it down. This, from the people of Maiduguri who are accused of harboring and hiding those who double as their brothers and terrorists; the military who defect to Cameroon in hundreds; the others of them that were charged for mutiny and sentenced to death; the politicians of the opposition parties; the ones of the ruling party PDP like former governor Ali Modu Sheriff; The Nigerian Army as symbolized by the office of the Chief of Army Staff with its one time occupant General Ihejrika; and now the US government!
It appears like what remains to complete the circle of those who truly hate this government and are vowed at frustrating its victories is the office of Mr. President himself.
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