Matters Arising from the Boko Haram Crisis

Matters Arising from the Boko Haram Crisis

Kyari Mohammed

In all conflicts truth is the first casualty. This is amply demonstrated in the mass massacre of both innocent and not so innocent citizens in the name of fighting religious “extremism” in Nigeria. There is no excuse for the attack on government institutions and security personnel by the Boko Haram activists, but any one who has seen Mallam Mohammed Yusuf’s “Open Letter to the Government of Nigeria” can understand why they singled out police stations and government institutions. In an emotion laden speech recorded against the backdrop of gun fire, Mohammed Yusuf accused the Operation Flush II, a police and military task force set up by the Borno state government, of especially harassing his followers. The shooting of 20 members of the sect by the outfit early in June for refusal to wear crash helmets, during funeral procession, was understood to be deliberate. Finally after stressing that the blood of the Muslim is more important than that of any political leader, he vowed to take revenge, asking his followers to get ready for the impending confrontation, arguing that whether they like it or not, they are going to be attacked by the Nigerian state. This apparently is Mohammed Yusuf’s last open sermon released to the public.

The argument by some police spokespersons that the police were targeted because they represent the state is not completely true. The police may represent the state but the Boko Haram simply took revenge against the police for the June shootings. The immediate trigger for the clash was the introduction of the wearing of crash helmets and the ban on the riding of motorcycles in Maiduguri metropolis after nightfall, and the attempt by the Operation Flush II to enforce it. Maiduguri residents seem to have reluctantly acquiesced to these orders and violators had been flogged while motorcycles were seized with impunity. Not the followers of Mohammed Yusuf who refused to wear crash helmets, often ride three – in – one as overloading in motorcycle is called, and continued to ride their motorcycles after nightfall. They dared the state and openly called the state governor expletives for harassing innocent citizens. In Governor Ali Sheriff’s emporium where there is no room for dissent, Mohammed Yusuf was the only man still standing and openly challenging him. Not even the mega politicians of the ruling PDP could provide a robust opposition. This open defiance of Governor Sheriff seems to have emboldened his followers, drawn more followers to him and enraged the Governor. According to Mohammed Yusuf, a rapprochement was reached with the state government that his followers would not be harassed, this truce collapsed with the June shootings. They accused the state of breaking the agreement, hence the call to arms.

The IED explosion that killed its manufacturer, Sani Balami, and injured his friend at Biu in Borno State alerted the security agencies to the magnitude of the threat and the need to act quickly. Once the police station in Bauchi was attacked on 24^th July 2009, the fight moved to Potiskum in Yobe State, Wudil in Kano State and Danja in Katsina State. It seems elaborate plans had been made for followers from other states to converge at the Ibn Taimiyyya Mosque, the sect’s headquarters in Maiduguri. The decision to choose urban Maiduguri to fight the state is mind boggling. How can any group that has decided to take on the might of the Federal Government of Nigeria decide to converge in a mosque and be sitting ducks to the fire power of the military? Why did the military adopt a scorched earth policy? Why didn’t they allow any one including Mohammed Yusuf to surrender? Could they have taken the President’s directive to decisively deal with the sect to mean total war? Why were the leaders of the sect such as Mohammed Yusuf, Abubakar Shekau and Buji Fai murdered in captivity? How can a seemingly professional security outfit like the Nigeria Police close all leads to our understanding of the Boko Haram phenomenon, the sources of its funds and military supplies, depth and breadth of its membership, etc. by summarily executing Mohammed Yusuf? Who ordered the extra judicial killings? All these questions beg for answers.

The brutality of the military operation against the Boko Haram contrasts with the kid gloves with which other rebellious groups fighting under the banner of ethnicity (OPC and MASSOB) and resource control (MEND). Or is Islamic militancy more dangerous to the security of the nation than other forms of armed struggle? According to I’shaq Modibbo Kawu (Daily Trust of Thursday 6^th August 2009) the Nigerian media profiled the Boko Haram and prepared them for mass murder while the rest of Nigeria watched in utter silence. For watching in silence we are all culpable for this avoidable carnage and mass murder. However the ulama, traditional rulers and politicians are the main accomplices. First, the Islamic ulama, who instead of enlightening us on the doctrine of the Boko Haram and how it deviates from “mainstream” Islam, bombarded us with worn out clichés and nauseated us by insisting that Islam is not against western education. Let us assume for the sake of argument that Islam is neither against western education nor westernization, does that make those who profess such “retrogressive” position apostates and unbelievers? Does that position justify the shedding of their blood? This takes me to the question of taking up arms against the Nigerian state; what does Islam say against a Muslim, who observes the tenets of his religion, but takes up arms against a secular Nigerian state? If such a person dies, as many have done in this war, are they martyrs or could they be said to have committed suicide? The Jama’atul Nasril Islam and the Izalatul Bidi’ah wa Ikamatis Sunnah were especially quick in condemning them and preparing them for extermination. If indeed their position is “devilish” as the JNI advertorial signed by no less a person than the Sultan of Sokoto suggests what attempts were made to re-integrate them into “mainstream” Islam. If the leadership of Boko Haram knew what they were doing, what about those who were brain- washed? A sane society would have saved and rehabilitated the victims rather lumping them all for extermination.

The other set of accomplices are the traditional rulers who apparently were so overwhelmed and taken by surprise that they did not react until long after the tragedy. This time around they teamed up with other strange bed fellows including their Izala critics to confront the Boko Haram. Since traditional rulers in the Northern part of this country have consistently collaborated with every government beginning with the imposition of British colonial at the turn of the twentieth century, it would be fool hardy to expect any thing from them. What British colonial rule succeeded in doing in Northern Nigeria from 1902 to 1960 was domesticating and containing Islam so that it does not become the fulcrum of opposition to imperialism. The cooption of the traditional rulers and court ulama as officials of the Native Authority system ensured this.

Politicians except for very few vocal ones like Balarabe Musa and the Buhari camp all kept mute. In their loud silence they became accomplices. No one advised President Yar’Adua to give these people a chance to surrender and give up their arms. The offer of amnesty such as that offered the Niger Delta militants may have prevented the Maiduguri carnage.

Human Rights activists and civil society organizations acted with integrity but belatedly. They did not foresee the massacre and reacted only after the extra judicial killing of some high profile persons like Mohammed Yusuf and Buji Fai. However the massive pressure from such rights organizations as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights Monitor was responsible for the investigations ordered by the Federal Government. The use of mobile phone cameras in capturing some of the extra judicial killings and uploading on the internet seems to have added to the international outrage and put the government on the defensive.

There are numerous lessons to be learnt from this avoidable tragedy. First, we must realize and confront the fact that our western educated rulers have alienated the vast majority of the people of the northern parts of this country. In leadership they have fended for themselves and failed to provide the principled leadership that would provide the basic needs of the people. The recourse to religion is a manifestation of the failure of the extant system to provide succour. Islam, of whatever variety, would continue to be the platform for mobilisation against injustice, tyranny and bad leadership for the foreseeable future. The next Boko Haram like uprising is a matter of when and where, and not if. Second, in swiftly despatching Mohammed Yusuf, the state only succeeded in killing the public face of the Boko Haram movement. Thus rather than dealing with a known figure with fixed address in Mohammed Yusuf, the state has now pushed the sect underground and martyred its leadership with deleterious consequences for national security. Third, just like the 9\11 incident in the USA, the current war has exposed all Muslims to harassment by security agencies. Unless security agents are called to order to stop the harassment of innocent Muslims who wear trademark long-beards, short trousers and turbans, law enforcement agents may trigger an avoidable confrontation in parts of the northern states. Similarly, the right to free speech would be abridged especially with the calls for the licensing of preachers. Only preachers whose views tally with those of government would be allowed to preach. The right to decide who is a “Good” Muslim and who is a “Bad” Muslim would be decided by the likes of President Yar’Adua and Governors Ali Sheriff and Isah Yugudah. These are indeed interesting times but the costs are too high to bear. Having to choose between these political leaders and Boko Haram, I cannot but shudder for the future of my country. God save Nigeria.

Kyari Mohammed, Ph.D., is the Director School of General Studies at the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State – Nigeria. He can be reached at kyarix2@yahoo.com.