… says Terrorism in Nigeria is multifaceted
… urges govt, security agencies, community leaders to ‘do more’
Ibadan – The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has stated that adopting the conventional ‘war approach’ is not the way to solve the terrorism challenge currently going on in Nigeria.
The organization, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Jare Ajayi, stated that in conventional war, the ‘enemy’ could be identified in terms of location and other signifiers. But terrorists in Nigeria, though not invincible, are not easily identifiable because they mingle with the people who would later become victims.
“As such, the approach to defeating terrorists in Nigeria requires tact, hard-track intelligence, diligence, commitment and sincerity on the part of those deployed to fight them”, Ajayi stated, adding that Afenifere issuing this second statement on the same subject within a short interval was due to the speed with which American President Donald Trump is pursuing his goal of attacking Nigeria ostensibly to come and rescue Christians who he alleged are facing extermination.
The New York Times, on Wednesday, November 5, reported that the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has drawn up plans to attack Nigeria. The plans were categorized as ‘heavy, (Option A) ‘medium’ (Option B) and ‘light’ (Option C).
Under the heavy option, fighter jets or long-range bombers will target militant strongholds in northern Nigeria. Under the ‘medium’ option, MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drones, supported by U.S. intelligence will ‘conduct targeted strikes against insurgent camps, convoys, and vehicles’ in northern Nigeria.
Under the ‘light’ option, US military will be sharing intelligence, provide logistics support and carry out joint operations with Nigerian armed forces against militant groups accused of mass killings, abductions and attacks on churches.
The plans were made on the directive of President Trump who had not only declared Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC), but vowed to rescue Christians in Nigeria who he alleged are being persecuted because of their faith.
In his words: “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening”.
Nigerian government as well as some others have consistently denied the allegation of persecuting adherents of any faith, particularly Christians. But the refutations do not seem to dissuade the US government from its seeming determination to attack Nigeria to fight Boko Haram and others who are alleged to be carrying out genocide against Christians.
According to Afenifere spokesman, there is an aspect of the New York Times’ report that is alarming. The paper had reported that because of the feeling that limited air operations alone are unlikely to resolve Nigeria’s prolonged insurgency, there is the possibility of resorting to ‘a full-scale campaign – similar to those in Iraq or Afghanistan’.
“Going by the aftermath of US’ interventions in those countries (Iraq and Afghanistan), only the enemies of Nigeria would wish for a similar thing to happen to her (Nigeria).
Rather than toeing that path, Afenifere prefers intelligence/information sharing, training in modern surveillance and where necessary, limited airstrikes or drones (as contained in Plan C, ‘light’ operation) to deal with this multifaceted challenge. “We believe that toeing this path with sincerity of purpose will achieve the desired objective of routing out terrorists and insurgents. We strongly believe that there is no need whatsoever to launch “full scale campaigns similar to those in Iraq or Afghanistan”, the statement emphasized. It went further to state that what happened to countries where America has carried out ‘full scale campaigns’ is undesirable. Countries like Vietnam, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya to mention just some.
Ajayi added that rather than the outright military path, better interests would be served by following the established principle of sovereignty based on strategic mutual cooperation, diplomatic engagement, genuine commitment to protecting citizens who are law-abiding regardless of the faith they profess as well as a veritable determination not only to hold terrorists and their sponsors accountable but to defeat them completely.
“The exhortation of US Congressman, Jonathan L. Jackson is pertinent here. After stating that violence against any person of faith is unacceptable, he declared that ‘The suffering of the Nigerian people – Christian and Muslim alike – deserves compassion” and insisted that the answer to the Nigeria terrorism situation “is not American bombs or boots… The U.S. has to work with the Nigerian government to eliminate Boko Haram and any terrorism or criminal groups”.
To him, “… this sudden interest in Nigeria’s internal conflict is not about human rights or saving lives . This is the same administration that slashed humanitarian aid across Africa …. You don’t stabilize Africa with missiles – you stabilize it with schools, clean water, and opportunity” adding that the approach should be diplomacy-first; one that prioritizes peacebuilding, humanitarian aid and regional partnerships rather than unilateral US intervention. The path to Nigeria must come through dialogue, development, and dignity – not domination. American should be a partner in healing, not a hammer looking for a nail”.
Afenifere called on those who are fascinated by US planned strike to think twice as bombs hardly discriminate between the guilty and the innocents, especially when they are in the same spot. What should be encouraged are intelligence gathering that would make it easier to identify desired targets and go for them directly with minimal collateral damages.
“It is undebatable that Christians and adherents of other faiths need to be protected in Nigeria. So are people who are being terrorized by those who want to take over their ancestral lands. Thus, the approach should be a total war on terrorists who prioritize resources over faith. In the same vein elders in various communities where the menace is rampart should swing more into action”.
