Nigeria: Home Truths About Boko Haram

20 April 2014

Before our very eyes, we have seen Boko Haram transform from a virtually unknown neighbourhood religious gathering to a globally notorious terrorist group that kills and abducts innocent persons for fun. Last Monday's Nyanya bombing, which terminated the lives of nearly 100 persons, is a timely reminder that the war is far from over. It jolted us from our slumber. For a long time, I had been deceiving myself that Boko Haram waAs gradually being contained, with its activities largely limited to our borders. I considered the attacks on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa to be purely opportunistic. I even theorised that as soon as we were able to get the security forces in Cameroon, Niger and Chad to co-operate with our military, Boko Haram would be crushed and we would be home and dry. What a wrong assumption. It's time to face the stark realities.

No. 1 Home Truth: we are in for a long fight. Let's admit it. Any Nigerian who thinks he or she knows the quick answer to the Boko Haram menace is fantasising. I'm not making any excuses for ineptitude â"€ it is more of a wake-up call to President Goodluck Jonathan, the security agencies and all of us. We are dealing with full-blown terrorism, similar to what Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan have been grappling with for ages. The Boko Haram founded by Mohammed Yusuf is not the same as the Boko Haram under Abubakar Shekau. The old Boko Haram, under Yusuf, did not launch any attacks until their members were being harassed by security agencies. It was after Yusuf's death and Shekau took over that bombings became the group's modus operandi. They were raw, carrying machetes, but now they have AK47s.

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