Faced with opposition from several quarters, inclusive of: 1) anarchist elements posturing as opposition politicians who directly encouraged terrorist activities, 2) hired brains and lobbyists in capital cities across Europe and North America, and 3) a most vociferous clique of partisans who claim to be ‘activists’, the Nigerian central government appeared curiously deficient in articulating and implementing appropriate response to address terrorist activities which challenged the very essence of the Nigerian federation and was practically and surely bleeding the country to a certain pathetic end.
Perhaps buoyed by a series of lethal attacks in May 2013, which recorded high fatalities of both civilians and security personnel or a sudden awakening or dawning of reality or whatsoever, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan, to the chagrin of those who sought to make political and perhaps pecuniary capital of the blood of innocents, rightly ordered military operations to restore sanity and humanity in our beleaguered northeastern region.
At the onset of the State of Emergency declared by the Nigerian Government in our northeastern zone, I had in an earlier post on this blog on 15th May 2013, whilst realizing the inevitability of civilian causalities in any military operation in areas populated by civilians, what the Americans call ‘collateral damage’, cautioned against our Military throwing caution to the winds in an all out effort to uproot terrorists – and risk the probability of inflicting disproportionate civilian tolls.
For once, Nigeria put its best foot forward.
Resulting from years of active engagement in Peacekeeping operations under the aegis of various multinational organizations (the United Nations {UN}, African Union {AU} and the Economic Community of West African States {ECOWAS}), the Nigerian military had garnered experience military operations in civilian areas unsurpassed by any other military formation in the world. Whilst the super-powers and other large armies had been involved in several wars (where the objective had been to kill and destroy identified enemies), the Nigerian military had contributed more troops to and participated in more international peacekeeping operations than any other country in the world (in situations where the objective had been to maintain the peace and fish out a couple of belligerents from amongst civil populations).
Our military had insurmountable comparative advantage and experience in the field of military activities in civilian areas – and they put this experience to good and effective use.
With slightly over one month since the declaration of State of Emergency in Nigeria, in Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa States, areas which had hitherto being paralyzed by sustained terrorist activities by Al-Qeida affiliated organizations, the transformation in the fortunes of residents of Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa State is now quite evident. Gradually, commercial and social live is picking up in the affected areas and some semblance of normalcy has been restored, with minimal civilian causalities.
The populations of the affected areas who I had always known to be amiable and peace loving peoples have taken the opportunity of their new-found liberation from fear and intimidation of terrorists, joined hands with our military to fish out the terror elements who reside within their cities – instances have been recorded of fathers handing over their sons who had joined the terrorists to the Army authorities and of entire neighborhoods handing over terrorists who had gone into hiding to soldiers. From a mission to flush out terrorists, our Army has had to combine a mission to save terrorists in hiding from the angst of the civil population in the affected areas.
In a most bizarre twist, characters who had thought the military intervention would lead to whole scale bloodshed which will eventually turn the people of the Northeastern Zone against Federal authorities and boost their ‘political’ fortunes have been left high and dry. In one instance, a former Nigerian dictator who had been defeated by the incumbent President and had never been on record as having condemned any of the several terrorists attacks which had resulted in the death of several thousand Nigerians suddenly found his voice railed against the military operations. And in yet another silly episode, a group of anarchists (they tout themselves as ‘activists’) who have always flaunted their access to the leadership of the terror groups filed a most insidious law suit against the Federal Government for breaching the ‘freedom of expression’ of peoples in the zone covered by the military operations as a result of the shutting down of mobile phone operations for the duration of the military operations. The originators of the law suit were quite excited and saw nothing wrong when the terror groups went about blowing down telecommunication masts/base stations of mobile phone companies.
Are we home and dry yet? Certainly not! The successes of our Military in the States under ‘Emergency Rule’ will, ironically and surely, in the face of our dysfunctional and inept domestic security and policing environment, expose Nigeria and Nigerians to more brazen terror attacks in areas least previously not touched by terrorist activities. As any experienced with tackling extremist terror tactics will readily admit, it is near impossible to prevent sporadic suicide attacks.
Jonathan’s failure to cleanse the Police Force and other security agencies of excess lethal baggage may yet be his albatross.
Till the next blast happens, keep safe.
NB: I am now in contact with my good friends in the northeast.
Picture: Soldiers of the Nigeria Army deployed to root out terrorists in northeastern Nigeria.
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