Tag: Boko Haram

A NATION UNDER SIEGE, part 2

Posted on by kathiemm

This is part two in a three-part series by guest author Emmanuel Mbaezue on the Boko Haram kidnapping of more than 200 school girls in Nigeria.

See also part 1.

Logo of Boko Haram
Logo of Boko Haram
Image by Arnold Platon, used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Dr. Bitrus Poga, the National Chairman of Kibaku Area Development Association, reports that the insurgents who kidnapped the Chibok schoolgirls numbered over 400. They came in big trucks, vans, and motor bikes, armed to the teeth with sophisticated weapons. The detachment of 18 soldiers stationed around the area could do little against such an overwhelming force. Two lives were lost, a soldier who died of a heart attack and a mobile police officer gunned down by the insurgents.

For more than two weeks after the abductions, no significant effort was made by either the Borno State government or the Federal Government to find the girls. If the local and foreign media had not saved the situation by drawing attention to this incident, the abduction of the girls would have been handled with levity– just like other cases of attack by the insurgents.

The Nigerian government rejected criticisms of its lax response, claiming that the Chibok story is part of a larger plot by some northern elements and other political rivals to depict the President, who is of south-south descent, unfit for re-election in 2015.

As for security in Nigeria, there is always a disparity between capability and willingness. The security sector has all of the funding and human capacity resources needed to make it one of the best in the world. Unfortunately, it cannot attain this lofty height due to the corrupt practices of those in authority. The Chibok situation has not only exposed the corruption, but also implicated those in charge of the nation’s security.

Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka has a Masters of Science in Conflict Management and Peace Studies from University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State. He is a member of Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators.

A NATION UNDER SIEGE, part 1

Posted on by kathiemm

This is the first post in a three-part series by guest author Emmanuel Mbaezue on the Boko Haram kidnapping of more than 200 school girls in Nigeria.

Parents of some of the victims of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping mourn their losses.
Parents of some of the victims of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping mourn their losses.
Photo by Voice of America placed in the public domain.

As the world still struggles to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, another horrifying incident has taken the world by storm: Boko Haram the ruthless insurgent/terrorist group operating in North-Eastern Nigeria, has abducted from Chibok, a community in Borno State, over 200 girls writing their senior school certificate examinations.

While the foreign media and the international community at large continue to pour out outrage and condemn this barbaric act in all its entirety, some pertinent questions give us great cause for concern:

  • Why is this particular attack by Boko Haram drawing so much international and local attention?
  • Is the modus operandi and the motive behind this particular attack isolated from previous ones?
  • Does Nigeria and the world at large consider the monstrosity of the abduction of the Chibok girls worse than the brutal, cold blooded murder of 59 of their male counter-parts in Government Secondary School in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, or the countless other lives that have been lost to the insurgency since 2009?

In answering these questions, we must take cognisance of the various sources of information available concerning this incident. A statement by an official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan revealed that prior to the exams, there were warnings from the officials of WAEC to the Borno State government and the school authorities, suggesting that they relocate the girls to the more secure Maiduguri, the State Capital, for their exams. Strangely and unfortunately, those warnings went unheeded. Furthermore, before the insurgents arrived the ill-fated school that night, villagers from the neighbouring communities warned the residents of Chibok that the insurgents were headed their way.

Why were these warnings not heeded?  We consider more information in our subsequent posts.

Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka has a Masters of Science in Conflict Management and Peace Studies from University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State. He is a member of Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators.

Undoing the wrongs of African colonialism

Posted on by kathiemm

Fourth and final in a series by guest author Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka

Must one conclude from my last two posts that nonviolence in Africa is a lost cause? The answer is a resounding “NO,” although the foundation is weak.

Flag map of colonial Africa
Flag map of colonial Africa, 1939. Image by DrRandomFactor, used under CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

To undo the wrongs stemming from colonialism, it is important for the developed countries, particularly the United States (known by some countries as the most war-mongering nation on earth), to lead a campaign against using force to resolve issues.

For example, the Nigerian government is currently training security personnel and setting up more counter-terrorism centers in its fight against the Boko Haram insurgent group. Americans should instead promote dialogue with the Islamic sect, especially regarding the root causes of the insurgency.

In an encouraging development, the U.S. and Europe have moved toward controlling the outbreak of crises through the promotion of conflict prevention mechanisms and the integration of civilian personnel in crisis management. While Europe has set up the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), the U.S. has established the Civilian Response Corps (CRC).

These are the kinds of policies and projects that America should be promoting in developing countries to reduce the level of violence in the world today.

If the developed countries decide to ignore the African campaign for nonviolence, Africa will be plunged into unimaginable suffering and misery. It is also highly likely that the continents surrounding her will experience a spill-over of whatever evil comes out of Africa, as when France intervened in Mali.

To make matters worse, funds and donations originally meant for development aid in Africa will end up been used as relief materials, with the global economy also being threatened.

Mbaezue Emmanuel Chukwuemeka has a Masters of Science in Conflict Management and Peace Studies from University of Jos, Jos, Plateau State. He is a member of Institute of Chartered Mediators and Conciliators, and works as a paralegal counsel at the Legal Aid Council for the Federal Ministry of Justice in Nigeria.