Kingsley Nwezeh looks at the incessant spread of terror across the country and the need for an effective containment policy
With the killing of over 48 worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church of Xavier in Owo, Ondo State; the horrifying revelation of the existence of a gully of beheaded corpses in Umuneochi in Abia State by the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence Samuel Kanu-Uche; the incessant killings and beheadings in the South-east; and the endless decimation of Nigerians in the North, the projected encirclement and infiltration of the country by the combined evil forces of Boko Haram, Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP), unknown gunmen and armed he, appear to have been completed.
As it is, there is no part of the country that the terror networks have not accessed.
In fact, the United States government had last year warned that the terror groups were moving South. It said the dreaded terror groups were looking to make an inroad into Southern Nigeria.The US government had also warned that terror network, Al-Qeida, had begun to penetrate the North-western part of the country.
At a recent media briefing, Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, Dagvin Anderson, said al-Qaeda was also expanding to other parts of West Africa.
“We have engaged with Nigeria and continue to engage with them in intel sharing and in understanding what these violent extremists are doing. And that has been absolutely critical to their engagements up in Borno State and into an emerging area of North-west Nigeria that we are seeing al-Qaeda starting to make some inroads.
“So, this intelligence sharing is absolutely vital and we stay fully engaged with the government of Nigeria to provide them with an understanding of what these terrorists are doing, what Boko Haram is doing, what ISIS-West Africa is doing, and how ISIS and al-Qaeda are looking to expand further south into the littoral areas,” he said.
Anderson regretted that despite successes recorded in previous years, there was a setback.
“We as a community of international nations, keep thinking we have defeated them or we have put them on their back foot and that they are just moments from disintegration,” he said, adding that for international efforts to yield desired results in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria, the government must take the lead.
“When it comes to Nigeria in general, Nigeria, obviously, is a critical nation to West Africa. It is a critical nation and we realise that Nigeria is a lynchpin,” he said.
Jihadists Operating in South-east
For most stakeholders, killings in the South-east which was originally attributed the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), now increasingly looks like Boko Haram-style attacks, forcing human rights groups in the region to raise the alarm.
A human rights advocacy group, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, last week raised the alarm that the pattern of killings in the South-east bore the hallmarks of jihadists, a mark of their strong presence in the region.
This was emphatically corroborated by the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigerian, His Eminence Samuel Kanu-Uche, who was kidnapped with some of his officials and later released on the payment of N100 million ransom.
The head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria gave an insight into the violent killings, beheadings and kidnappings in the South-east which he put squarely at the doorsteps of the Fulani herdsmen.
He said the herdsmen in question were born and grew up in the South-east and were children of cattle dealers, who had lived in the region for decades.
He described the raging insecurity in the country with a Bible reference, Proverbs Chapter 29 verse 2, which says that “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan”.
Kalu-Uche, who was released from the den of kidnappers in Umuneochi, Abia State, after three days in captivity, said contrary to earlier belief that Igbos, especially the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), were behind the killings, Fulani herdsmen were the masterminds.
He restated his accusation that the Nigerian military was complicit in the raging insecurity in the area by acting as enablers to kidnappers.
The military, have, however, robustly denied any involvement of soldiers in kidnapping and has continued to conduct multiple operations to contain insecurity in the country operations across the country.
The prelate, who was later freed with some officials of the church after the payment of N100 million ransom, said there was a grand conspiracy against the Nigeria State by some forces but expressed profound confidence that God Almighty will neutralise such evil designs.
He said the harrowing experience in the hands of kidnappers was the “worst humiliation” a human could be subjected to.
The cleric said the leader of the eight-member terror group, who spoke fluent Igbo language, claimed to be Fulanis from Sudan while two others were from Mali and one from Songhai, adding that they have lived in Nigeria for many years.
The leader said he speaks Umuahia dialect fluently and has played football there. He said his father was a cow dealer but is dead while he’s now taking care of his siblings and his people.
“It was pure kidnapping. People who cut off people’s heads are not Igbos. They are fulanis. They are fulanis, who grew up in Igbo land. Their mothers used to sell kwose (local beans delicacy). They have integrated into Igbo land”, he alleged.
The head of the Methodist Church in Nigeria said the kidnappers, whose age ranged between 18 and 35, had shown them a gully full of corpses and beheaded a corpse on the floor and threw the head into the gully of the dead as an example of what would happen to them if they defaulted the ransom payment.
Claim about Military’s Complicity in Kidnapping, Others
The prelate also pointedly accused the military of complicity in kidnapping and other raging criminalities in the region.
He restated his earlier position that the military was complicit in the security breaches in the South-east, going by the conduct of the nearby military checkpoint where they were kidnapped.
“They don’t allow people to pass there but the military checkpoint allowed them (kidnappers) to pass there. When they went to collect the ransom, they brought more people hidden somewhere with more guns. Our people saw one boy at a military checkpoint.
“Our man wanted to harass him and asked him who are you, what are you doing here and the military said no, leave him, he is our boy, he came to drop something for us and this is the same military that normally says to people, don’t cross this line, if you cross this line, we will fire you.
“Why are they shielding the people? Why are they shielding them? Why do you shield them? Some people are planning something in this country but only God will foil it. There is something they are planning but God will neutralise their plan”, he asserted.
Owo Massacre of Worshippers
In the wake of the massacre of innocent worshippers at the St Francis Catholic Church of Xavier in Owo in Ondo State, the federal government claimed that the terror group, ISWAP masterminded the attack.
Briefing newsmen at the end of the National Security Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said security agencies were already on the trail of the culprits.
He said while their imprints were established in the attack, authorities were yet to make any arrests.
Aregbesola, who was flanked by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, dispelled insinuations of ethnic-religious connection in the attack, stating that the group’s activity had nothing to do with Islam.
He also said there was no ethnic agenda in the attack, urging Nigerians to unite and defeat terrorism in the country.”The council is concerned about the violent attack in Owo and have been able to locate the perpetrators of that horrendous attack. From all indications, we are zeroing in on ISWAP.
“It is not an ethno-religious thing, the animals in ISWAP, wanting attention and recognition, are suspected to have launched that attack. We have directed all the agencies concerned to go after them and bring them to justice,” he said.
FG’s ISWAP Claim Too Hasty, Says Akeredolu
But Ondo State Chief Executive, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, said the federal government’s pronouncement of ISWAP as the terrorist group behind the terror attack at the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa Street, Owo on June 5th, 2022 was too hasty.
Akeredolu said he took the conclusion with a pinch of salt, adding that ISWAP is known for claiming responsibility for their attacks.
He spoke last Friday during a virtual interaction with a Swiss-based Christian human rights organisation, Christian Solidarity International (CSI).
”The statement is too hasty. I take their conclusion with a pinch of salt. ISWAP doesn’t hide their attacks. If they had done it, they would have owned up. We are yet to know their identity and our security people are still on their trail,” he said.
He said the attack was a crime against humanity, noting that the South-west region was peaceful before the horrific attack.
He said despite the attack on the psyche of the people, the people of the state remained indomitable and ready to fight insecurity.
CSOs Weigh In, Seek Investigation of Military’s Complicity
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to live up to his responsibility as president and halt the spiralling criminalities in the country.
The civil society groups also sought the investigation of the allegations by the Methodist Church Prelate that military personnel were complicit in the spate of kidnappings in the South-east.
Members of the coalition includeRule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Lagos,African Centre for Entrepreneurship and Information Development, Abuja,COMPPART Foundation for Justice and Peace Building, International Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre, Young Innovators and Vocational Training Initiative and Ace and Vanguard Legal Practitioners among others.
A statement issued by the coalition also demanded the investigation of a trending video where a police officer alleged that military personnel in the South-east were frustrating the efforts of other security agencies to contain kidnapping in the region.
“The primary duty of government is the security of life and property. Therefore, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to his duty as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to ensure that the growing security challenges are addressed”, it said.
The coalition called on President Buhari to launch an investigation into the allegations by the prelate and a police officer on the complicity of military personnel in criminal activities in the region.
“The Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria had, upon his release by kidnappers, revealed information suggesting the complicity of military personnel in the region in kidnapping.
“In one of the videos in circulation, a senior police officer identified as CSP Johnbull, who is the Commander of the Rapid Response Squad, Abia State, also expressed frustration at the role played by personnel of the Nigeria Army in sabotaging the efforts of security forces to combat kidnapping in that axis”, it said.
“We call on President Buhari to wake up and to order an investigation into this rather scandalous revelation. We also condemn the decision of the police hierarchy to subject the police officer to harassment or disciplinary action instead of acting on the intelligence information to improve their operations.
“We are further shocked by the revelation that the kidnappers said they are amassing arms with money realised as ransom, with a view to eventually unleashing mayhem and taking over Igboland. This also calls for urgent investigation on the orders of the president”, it said.
AfBA: Bad Governance, Sabotage, Religious Bigotry Fueling Terrorism
To this end, at a meeting in Abuja last week, the African Bar Association (AfBA) declared that bad governance, sabotage within security circles and religious bigotry were fueling terrorism in Nigeria and other African countries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Maiden Armed Forces and Other Security Agencies Law Conference in Abuja, Chairman of the body, Mr Hannibal Uwaifo, said conflicts were complicated by bad governance and religious bigotry which made it difficult for the Armed Forces and security agencies to bring the situation under control.
The position of the continental bar association came as the the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Lucky Irabor, said the assymetric nature of conflicts in Nigeria and Africa required a new approach in containing security crises on the continent.
Also, a former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Alexander Ogomudia (rtd), lamented the insecurity bedeviling the continent especially the West of the Sahel, which he said was “becoming something else”.
He also pointed the way forward in averting collateral damage in war situations by war commanders, saying that such commanders should be guided by the Rules of Engagement (RoE).
Uwaifo, who spoke at the conference in Abuja themed:””Enhancing the Operational Capacities of African Armed Forces and other Security Agencies: Law as a Vital Instrument”, said “sabotage from within, inadequate intelligence gathering, lack of synergy amongst security agencies are also factors contributing to the deteriorating security situation.
“Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Sudan, Libya, Cameroun, CAR, the DRC, Somalia, Mali, Niger, Chad and so on are some of the worst hit where hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost including those of our armed forces and security personnel, while the military and security agencies continue to suffer these heavy casualties in defence of the territorial integrity and security of our borders, public perception of their actions and inactions appears very poor”.
He said the volatile situation was “largely due to the activities of politicians, lack of information, acts of criminals within and inter-security agencies rivalry. There has also been largely no frequent interactions with civil groups who are largely the vocal voice of the civil populace.
“The high casualty rate of our security forces arising from these conflicts and the lack of popular support for the military and other security agencies has become a source of concern for the African Bar Association and its leadership”.
Speaking further, he said “in Nigeria, terrorists, bandits, and other criminal gangs have been terrorising towns and villages in the northern part of the country for over a decade.
“Most of these criminals are fuelled by political activities and religious extremism. The Nigerian Military and other security agencies saddled with the responsibility of tackling them are either lacking in equipment or morale. While it is clear that they are doing their best in the circumstance, their inability to secure full public support and the activities of civilian saboteurs is making the job difficult”.
Conclusion
From all indications it would seem that there is no solution in sight or an effective containment policy of government as the criminal gangs have defied counter strategies of government requiring a new approach.
For many Nigerians, the only choice left now is to look up to God to end the carnage. They also hope that a new administration that would emerge after the 2023 polls would bring an end to the hostilities.
Quotes
The primary duty of government is the security of life and property. Therefore, we call on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to his duty as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to ensure that the growing security challenges are addressed
To this end, the African Bar Association (AfBA) declared that bad governance, sabotage within security circles and religious bigotry were fueling terrorism in Nigeria and other African countries
Captions
Mass burial for the 48 persons massacred in St Francis Catholic Church, Owo
President Muhammadu Buhari
ISWAP and its terror cells are spreading
