According to a report released today by the Human Rights Watch, Boko Haram, the Islamic sect which has declared war against the Nigerian state is reputed to have killed close to 1000 people since it commenced its murderous campaign in 2009, including more than 250 in the first weeks of this year. The figure is closed to the number of casualties recorded during Operation Desert storm when the United States of American invaded Iraq. In many conventional wars, casuality rate especially of civilians are less than the number of people that Boro Haram have sent to their untimely grave.
That is why, the Group should not be treated with kid grooves by the Federal government. Well known sponsors of the group such as the former Governor of Borno State, Bonu Sheriff Musa should be apprehended and quizzed to tell the world what they know about the group. There is no way Sheriff will not know the top hirarchy of the group.
The scale of last Friday's Kano attack should also send a serious message to those Nigerians who secretly have sympathy for the Group that no one is safe. Boko Haram from their mode of operation so far has no well defined goals and enemies. They have killed christians, muslims, southerners, northerners, politicians and non politicians. Anybody can become their enemies at any time. Consequently, all Nigerians have to co-operate with the law enforcement agencies in order to uproot this cancer.
This is not the time to blame the President or law enforcement agencies. The Boko Haram cancer can only be cured by intelligence and the supply of timely information to the security agencies. As stated by the President when he visited Kano recently, members of the Boko Haram sect are no spirits, they are human beings and they live amongst human beings. Without the co-operation of these people, it will take a longer time for the satanic group to be annihilated.
It must however, be stated that the sect's activities has revealed the inadequacies of our security agencies. They are definitely not professionally equipped to deal with the menace. There is therefore an urgent need to restructure and overhaul the Agencies to bring them in tune with current realities. Modern security is more of brain work than brawl.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful" in the Hausa language is loosely modelled on Afghanistan's Taliban. It has claimed responsibility for bombing churches, police stations, military facilities, banks and beer parlours in the mainly northern part of the country.
The sect focuses its attacks mostly on the police, military and government, but has recently increased its attacks on Christian institutions. It says it is fighting enemies who have wronged its members through violence, arrests or economic neglect and corruption.
"Boko Haram's attacks show a complete and utter disregard for human life," said Corinne Dufka, senior West Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.
"The Nigerian authorities need to call a halt to this campaign of terror and bring to justice those responsible for planning and carrying out these reprehensible crimes."
The report said 550 people were killed in 115 separate attacks by Boko Haram last year, mostly in the far northeastern state of Borno, where the sect was founded in 2002.
Boko Haram has moved from drive-by shootings and petrol bombs to suicide attacks using large and increasingly sophisticated explosives. A suicide car bomb last year killed 25 people at the United Nations headquarters in the capital Abuja.
In July 2009 the sect launched an uprising in the northeast in which more than 800 people were killed in five days of fighting with security forces.
The sect originally said it wanted sharia (Islamic law) to be applied more widely across Nigeria.
President Goodluck Jonathan has been severely criticised for not getting a grip on a group he says has infiltrated the police, military and all areas of government.
"Jonathan's inability to respond effectively, or articulate a credible strategy, reinforces the growing perception of a deep leadership void in Abuja," London-based risk adviser Eurasia Group said in a research note on Tuesday.
"So far militarization of the region and strict curfews have only had limited effect and huge (military) spending outlays in 2012 offer little hope for a credible broader strategy."
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