By Sun News Publishing
Thursday, January 26, 2012
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The Boko Haram sect, on January 20, sent a clear and unequivocal message on its irreverence to the Nigerian state when it unleashed multiple bombings that killed no fewer 186 people at different locations in Kano, the Kano State capital. The attack, the sect's deadliest ever, made nonsense of the assurances on protection of the people from Nigeria's security agencies as it caught all of them napping.
Among places targeted in the attack were police formations, specifically the Nigeria Police Zone One Headquarters on BUK Road, Kano; Farm Centre Police Station; Passport Office at Farm Centre; SSS Headquarters; Immigration Headquarters; residence of Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone One and the Police State Command Headquarters on Bompai Road. Also attacked was St. Louis Secondary School.
At the end, 29 policemen, 151 civilians including a journalist with Channels Television, three State Security Service (SSS) operatives, two Immigration officials and one Customs officer died. The police have also since discovered ten vehicles laden with bombs in cans in Kano. The sect has, indeed, left no doubts at all about its capability to deliver on its promises to perpetrate mayhem whenever it chooses to do so.
Coming barely two weeks after police authorities advised citizens from Southern Nigeria to ignore the Boko Haram order to leave the North, this latest attack signifies a watershed in the campaign of violence by the group, and its plan to Islamize Northern Nigeria. One fact that is obvious from this latest onslaught is that the sect has taken its war against the Nigerian state to the next level. A situation in which 186 people are killed in a city in one day is nothing but a war.
The Boko Haram has, indeed, become a law unto itself in Northern Nigeria and this development requires appropriate decisive response from the Federal Government. The authorities need to be proactive and move beyond speech making to halting the growing descent to anarchy in some parts of Northern Nigeria. Although it is glaring that government is overwhelmed by these unconscionable attacks, it must garner everything at its disposal to end this campaign of violence. The impression that has been created by Boko Haram is that it is out to intimidate Northern Christians into either renouncing their faith, or leaving the region. It is also widely thought that this unrelenting onslaught is targeted at distracting President Goodluck Jonathan to make his government ineffective.
The government must be careful with the way it handles this crisis to ensure that an earlier prediction of disintegration of the country by 2015, by an American agency, does not come to pass. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State recently re-echoed the possibility of this prediction “if the country continues to treat acts of terrorism with kid gloves.” He cited the jailing of a self-confessed Boko Haram member for only three years for “misdemeanor” and the failure to deal decisively with inciting statements by politicians as factors that may fuel disintegration. He advised the country to stop politicizing treason and terrorism, but work hard to resolve the present security situation in the country.
The governor is right. The Boko Haram attack on Kano is one too many. Treatment of attacks by the sect with kid gloves may lead Nigeria to the precipice. It is bad that the security agencies were caught unawares in Kano. The failure of intelligence is, no doubt, responsible for the roaring success of the attack. Since this sect has become a major threat, it is necessary for the security agencies to step up surveillance and other intelligence activities.
We urge the government to urgently take control of this unfortunate security situation. If this is not done, anarchy will take over and terrorists will destabilize the country. This should not be allowed to happen.
Among places targeted in the attack were police formations, specifically the Nigeria Police Zone One Headquarters on BUK Road, Kano; Farm Centre Police Station; Passport Office at Farm Centre; SSS Headquarters; Immigration Headquarters; residence of Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone One and the Police State Command Headquarters on Bompai Road. Also attacked was St. Louis Secondary School.
At the end, 29 policemen, 151 civilians including a journalist with Channels Television, three State Security Service (SSS) operatives, two Immigration officials and one Customs officer died. The police have also since discovered ten vehicles laden with bombs in cans in Kano. The sect has, indeed, left no doubts at all about its capability to deliver on its promises to perpetrate mayhem whenever it chooses to do so.
Coming barely two weeks after police authorities advised citizens from Southern Nigeria to ignore the Boko Haram order to leave the North, this latest attack signifies a watershed in the campaign of violence by the group, and its plan to Islamize Northern Nigeria. One fact that is obvious from this latest onslaught is that the sect has taken its war against the Nigerian state to the next level. A situation in which 186 people are killed in a city in one day is nothing but a war.
The Boko Haram has, indeed, become a law unto itself in Northern Nigeria and this development requires appropriate decisive response from the Federal Government. The authorities need to be proactive and move beyond speech making to halting the growing descent to anarchy in some parts of Northern Nigeria. Although it is glaring that government is overwhelmed by these unconscionable attacks, it must garner everything at its disposal to end this campaign of violence. The impression that has been created by Boko Haram is that it is out to intimidate Northern Christians into either renouncing their faith, or leaving the region. It is also widely thought that this unrelenting onslaught is targeted at distracting President Goodluck Jonathan to make his government ineffective.
The government must be careful with the way it handles this crisis to ensure that an earlier prediction of disintegration of the country by 2015, by an American agency, does not come to pass. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State recently re-echoed the possibility of this prediction “if the country continues to treat acts of terrorism with kid gloves.” He cited the jailing of a self-confessed Boko Haram member for only three years for “misdemeanor” and the failure to deal decisively with inciting statements by politicians as factors that may fuel disintegration. He advised the country to stop politicizing treason and terrorism, but work hard to resolve the present security situation in the country.
The governor is right. The Boko Haram attack on Kano is one too many. Treatment of attacks by the sect with kid gloves may lead Nigeria to the precipice. It is bad that the security agencies were caught unawares in Kano. The failure of intelligence is, no doubt, responsible for the roaring success of the attack. Since this sect has become a major threat, it is necessary for the security agencies to step up surveillance and other intelligence activities.
We urge the government to urgently take control of this unfortunate security situation. If this is not done, anarchy will take over and terrorists will destabilize the country. This should not be allowed to happen.
DAILY SUN, NIGERIA
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/opinion/editorial/2012/jan/26/editorial-26-01-2012-001.html
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