Can Nigeria fight the war on terror alone ? ( Do we Need External Help and what are the pros and cons ?)

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SIX months after the Federal Government declared a state of emergency in three North-Eastern states of the federation in order to end the Boko Haram terror campaign, Nigerians have yet to heave a sigh of relief from the activities of the terrorists. Although there was a lull in terror attacks at the initial stage of the military operation against the insurgents, recent attacks by the religious extremists have led to significant loss of lives and property.

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The insurgents seem to have become bolder, carrying out daring attacks against security agents and military formations, especially in Borno and Yobe states. With President Goodluck Jonathan’s extension of the state of emergency for another six months, efforts must be stepped up to contain the insurgents to sustain the initial success recorded.

The development calls for an urgent review of strategy. Nigeria can no longer afford the arrogance of fighting terrorism all alone while the international community wallows in the ignorance of linking the Boko Haram terrorist campaign to mass poverty or the elite’s struggle for control of oil wealth.  Boko Haram has become a magnet for jihadists from other countries who share a common poisonous ideology.

There is increasing evidence that international jihadists are actively participating in Boko Haram’s deadly attacks. According to the military, many of the insurgents were recruited from neighbouring countries such as Niger Republic, Chad, Cameroon, and even Mali, which are said to have supplied about 2,000 recruits to the Boko Haram cause.

As they did in Mali when Islamist fighters linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb ruled a big swathe of northern Mali, dividing the country into two, the overall objective of Boko Haram’s terror campaign is to turn part of Northern Nigeria to a haven for Islamist terrorists. President Goodluck Jonathan therefore got it right when he declared in Israel that

 “combating the menace of terrorism is a challenge that we must address in partnership with all peace-loving countries and peoples of the world.”

There is no doubt that Africa is the new theatre in the global war against terrorism. For a long time, the United States had considered the Horn of Africa – Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan – the major source of global terrorism in Africa. Not anymore. A better part of African continent, with Nigeria as the epicentre, has now been seized by Islamists.

A Global Terrorism Database released by a US organisation, the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, lists Boko Haram among the top five group perpetrators of terrorism in the world after the Maoists (India); the Taliban (Afghanistan); and al-Shabaab (Somalia). Sudan has been a training hub and safe haven for members of several of the more violent international terrorist and radical Islamist groups.

Since the September 21 Kenya Westgate mall attack that killed about 70 people, world leaders have been calling for a coordinated response to terrorist attacks in Africa. It is established that Islamists are able to take advantage of porous borders, weak central governments, under-trained armed forces, and flourishing drug trades. The two US raids in Libya and Somalia last month that resulted in the capture of a terrorist on the most-wanted list highlight al-Qaeda’s growing terror network on the continent.

Following the operations, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, claimed that terrorists “can run but they can’t hide.” All this serves as a stark reminder that the threat of terrorism anywhere in the world affects everyone and should not be left for one government alone to handle.

This is the stark reality Nigeria must face. The Nigerian authorities have to forge a good network with other countries to fight a common enemy.  The Boko Haram-created instability is telling on the people and the economy. Thousands of people in the North-East region have fled their homes, taking refuge in neighbouring countries. The insurgency is not only harming the local economy of the North-East, but that of the entire country.

Many governments have since issued travel alerts to warn their nationals against visiting Nigeria. “The issue of security scares some people and impacts negatively on our results,” says Goodie Ibru, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

A major problem that has to be dealt with is that of the porous border between Nigeria and Niger Republic. For example, an urgent action has to be taken on how to curtail illegal movement of massive and sophisticated arms on this 1,500 kilometre-long border between the two neighbours. Furthermore, Nigeria has to step up its intelligence gathering and sharing with these countries, so as to understand the modus operandi of the foreign recruits, stopping them at their countries of origin before they enter Nigeria.

We urgently need an internationally-backed anti-terror strategy. As the President said, there is no doubt that Israel has had decades of experience in combating terrorism and Nigeria can benefit tremendously from its experience.  But Jonathan should go beyond rhetoric by securing concrete assistance from other countries with wealth of experience in fighting terrorism. Modern equipment to fight the scourge and training of security officials should be part of our focus. The top hierarchy of Boko Haram must be decimated.

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