But can this be true?


Obasanjo: Why Soldiers Can’t Tackle Boko Haram
08 Jul 2011

By Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta and Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that the deployment of military is not the solution to the Boko Haram upsurge in parts of the North. He canvassed what he called “deep” intelligence on the group.

Obasanjo, who was speaking in Abeokuta, said the type of training the military offers should be kept in perspective.

“Asking the military to deal with them (Boko Haram), we need to know that the military are trained in a static way. The group should be known and identifiable when they are captured. In this way, the military would know how to deal them,”he said.

Advancing more argument to buttress his point, the former president said:  “But when a man is on okada with a gun and kill people along the road, how do you deal with such person? We have to find out why they became so bloody.  There is so much to know and so much to find out before you can deal with them."

On the suggestion that the group should be offered amnesty for cessation of hostility, he cautioned those canvassing such to be mindful of the implication of their request so that "amnesty should not be abused”.

Obasanjo, who spoke with newsmen after receiving a Grand Peace Legend award from the African Peace Foundation (APF), said Nigeria should not take Boko Haram for granted, saying if care was not taken, life of everyone might be endangered by the group.

For this reason, he said: "A lot of information needs to be obtained from the group: should they be talked to and if they should be talked to, how should they be talked to and if they are to be dealt with, what means? Should it be stick and carrot approach or what?”

He, however, advised Nigerians to be circumspect in pushing for the amnesty as it was important to know “what you are giving amnesty for; you should know the people you're giving amnesty to and you should know their grievances”.

The former president explained that he was neither against the amnesty package nor was he advocating that it should be ruled out, stressing that, "let us look at what we are faced with; suppose you give out amnesty, there will be more to be given out later at what time. We must get to the root of the problem before providing the solution."

Pushing for the intelligence gathering option, Obasanjo said: "You may not necessarily know the reasons for their actions but you should find out why they are doing what they are doing. We need intelligence approach along with people who will find out what is happening both internally and externally. Also, fish out the people behind the scene and how do they become a menace to the society."

He added that, "I believe if a man or group of people are not insane and believe that those who found themselves in Boko Haram are not insane, they must have reasons for doing so."

He commended the non-government organisation (NGO) for the award bestowed on him, saying that he felt highly honoured.

According to him, "significance of life goes beyond award because for people to work for peace and to acknowledge those who are working for the peace, no matter where and how it emerged, people should make the world a better place for the coming generations."

He added: "Today is an occasion that reminds me of the importance of peace in one’s life - family, community, a nation and in the world - as a whole. When you take peace out of living, then there is nothing left. The basic and fundamental essence of human existence is peace and I therefore thank the body for the honour and award. I want all Nigerians and Africans to associate with peace loving people."

Meanwhile, the Borno State government has banned all motorcycles popularly called okada from plying the roads and streets of the state capital, Maiduguri, and its neighbouring Jere Local Government Area.

Governor Kashim Shettima, who announced that the ban took immediate effect at a press conference yesterday, disclosed that the decision, though difficult, became imperative as a result of the insecurity challenges of protecting people’s lives and property.

The governor said: “We are facing a lot of security challenges that must be overcome to end the serial attacks and killings; and protect the lives and property of citizens.”

He added that the state government was, however, equal to the task of sitting atop of the insecurity situation by authorising the ban on motorcycles for private and commercial uses in the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere council area of the state.

He however claimed that as the state government was “responsible and responsive” to protecting people’s lives and property, his administration was not unmindful of the sufferings the ban would cause to residents and commuters.

In that light, the governor said the state government would immediately commence the sale and distribution of 5,000 tricycles to commercial motorcycle operators at subsidised rates.

Shettima also disclosed that in order to alleviate the suffering which might be brought on the people, the state government had placed an order for 100 brand new commuter buses.

He promised that this would be launched next week to commute indigenes of the area to schools, markets, hospitals and other workplaces, especially for those  in both Maiduguri and Jere.

He said already, a committee had been inaugurated that would identify the main routes and destinations of the 100 buses.

Speaking on how to end the serial attacks and killings, he said: “Peace and dialogue are the only panacea to the Boko Haram crises,” adding that the door-to-door dialogue was still very much open to the sect and its members.

Shettima however noted that that did not mean the government had abdicated its responsibilities of protecting people’s lives and property.

The country and the state, he said, belonged to every citizen, adding that “he or she is also free to practise any of his or her religion”, noting that “there is no religion that condones wanton killings and destruction of people’s lives and property.”

Asked on the procedures for dialogue so as to bring an end to the sect’s unending attacks and killings, he said the Forum of Borno Elders (FBOE) was handling it and would continue to operate independently, until “peace and unity” were restored in the state.

In a related development, an elder statesman and former minister of petroleum, Dr. Shettima Ali Monguno, has called on the people of the state to return to God and pray for the peace of the state and urged security operatives in the state to ensure that they ease the suffering of the people rather than being harsh on them.

Monguno, who spoke to newsmen at his home yesterday, said people had come to him with so many complaints on how the soldiers were treating them to the extent that they were smashing people’s wind screen and beating them.

He said such an act was likely to anger the people and further make worse the already tensed situation.

He also observed that people in the state were afraid to go out because of the on-going killings and as such called on both the sect and government to pursue peace, which every single living creature needs to survive.

He lamented that people were being denied the right to move round and were being molested on the excuse of security. He said it was better to “jaw-jaw than war-war”.

The former minister said the atmosphere in Maiduguri was tense as “every living man or woman feels threatened and afraid”.

Following alleged harassment of the people by the military in Maiduguri metropolis, some students were stopped from going to school yesterday by their parents.

Some parents that were bold enough to take their children to school were advised by the school authorities to return them home as they could not guarantee their safety.

In some schools where the students were admitted, they were asked to go home around 12 noon in order to beat the 2pm deadline allowed for motorcyclists to ply the roads.

Also as a result of the clampdown on the motorcycles believed to be the usual mode of transportation of the sect members, many businesses, banks and markets in the city were hurriedly closed at 12 noon.

In most of the business areas like Babalayi, Ahmadu Bello Way and some markets such as the Monday Market and Baga people closed their shops for fear of the unknown so as to get home before the hours the motorcycles are outlawed.

At about 1pm yesterday, there were traffic jams on major roads as many commuters were rushing home even as there was heavy search operation by the Joint Task Force (JTF).

Major roads in the metropolis were blocked due to the high vehicular movements of motorists.

Many who had gone out without the prior knowledge of the ban on motorcycles had to quickly return home as from 12 noon, making the streets of Maiduguri to be deserted as early as 1pm.

Some residents of the metropolis had to raise their hands while passing through the checkpoints mounted by the military.

Some were stranded at the bus stop while some others had to trek long distance to get home as the motorcycles were not enough.

The available commercial motorcyclists made brisk business by increasing the fares as much as 100 per cent. Many commuters had to part with as much as N300 to get to a distance they normally paid as little as N70.

Mixed reactions have followed the announcement on the ban which was repeated continuously on air on local radio and television stations.

One Abba Modu, a resident, said the ban would add to the hardship of the people of the state, while another resident Aliyu Gana said if the ban would finally bring an end to the menace of the Boko Haram and the high handedness of security agencies then the people should pay the sacrifice