As Boko Haram digs in

In the past couple of weeks, the insurgency in the North East has taken a new dimension. By the last count, more than four hundred Nigerians have been killed between Borno and Yobe states since Muhammadu Buhari became the president. The body count is piling and on the surface, it appears the antidotes being applied aren't making much impact. In fact, some have argued that it appears the current administration has run out of ideas. Never mind it is just four weeks since it came to power. Also, some others believe that the gains recorded just prior to the general elections have been frittered away. It is just good that indeed what has changed in terms of administration is the commander-in-chief, otherwise, the rest of the service chiefs are the same. So what went wrong?

It is difficult to point out what may have gone wrong in a war such as we are fighting. The terrorists also understand the dynamics of conventional warfare. The enemy also appreciates how compromised our security architecture became in the last five to six years. If the President can sack his own Chief Security Officer, CSO because of the allegations we hear although they have not been officially backed then, that clearly confirms how heinous our security apparatchik has become. And it is telling. In a compromised system such as ours, it is possible therefore, for all the plans by policy makers to be leaked to the enemies as represented by the terrorist.

Secondly, having received assurances from our neighbours: Chad, Niger, Cameroun, to be in the frontline of the war on terror, we don't expect the insurgents to go to bed. With the president's global coalition almost done, it is expected that Boko Haram will use their last breath to show how heartless they can be. Let's face it, by end of July, the Joint Military task Force would have been deployed. This will back whatever has been on ground. Of course with the degrading of the activities of the insurgents already, it is such amalgamation of forces that may be forcing the remnants to send a message.

In normal terrorism operations, while it is factual for terror groups to switch their tactics from time to time, it is also important to note that the height of Boko Haram was when they began to “annex territories”. Now what they mostly do is lone suicide bombings. Although there are still shootings, but they are no longer as coordinated as it used to be. The last shooting incident that occurred in Borno was indeed while the terrorists were escaping from a community. This simply means that with the coming of the global coalition in few weeks time, and a more improved and coordinated intelligence input, the end to Boko Haram insurgency may be at hand.

The call by President Buhari on Muslims worldwide to unite against terrorists who bring Islam to disrepute is a profound statement. In winning the war, apart from hardware and intelligence, the government and the various communities must strive to win the propaganda war. Indeed, the propaganda war is the most potent of all the strategies. Therefore, it is imperative to engage serious propaganda strategists to dilute, and then reshape the thinking of residents of the war-torn communities in the North East and Nigeria Muslims in general. The government must have a message for the people. The insurgents must not be allowed to control the means and the minds of the people. Every available means must be taken to neutralise whatever has been passed to the people. Let the people of these communities rebel against Boko Haram. Let the people stop protecting known terrorists in their midst for fear of being seen to be against “God” or simply for protection.

The tone of the presidency through its Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina that the government is open to dialogue if that will bring the killings to an end is a welcome development. In so far as that must not mean that the government is considering “Amnesty dole outs”, we are in-sync with that thinking. The same way we believe that it appears the current service chiefs have reached their utmost best. It is about time the president injects new momentum in the fight against terror, it is about time to let them go. The war on terror is a fight we must win and now is the time!

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