Some members of the Nigerian community have
opposed the recent report by the British press that members of the extremist Muslim
group, Boko- Haram (western education is forbidden) may launch a major attack
to the coming Olympic Games in London.
This is in retaliation to a recent report
that Boko Haram along with other Muslim extremist group – Al-queda and somali’s
al-Shabaab - are now high on the M15 and M16’s watch-list in run-up to the
Olympic games. The report also associated the sect to member of the al-queda
and al-shabaab of Somalia and that the group could spread its message of hate
of violence.
The group Boko Haram officially known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna
Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which means - people committed to the propagation of the
prophet teachings and jihad, came to the awareness of Nigeria as an harmless
group of offbeat individual whose purpose of pursuing a sudden fancy lifestyle
in their peculiar way of interpreting Islam in Maiduguri, Borno state, Nigeria.
Founded by late Mohammed Yusuf, the group
first clashed with the authorities when they refused to wear helmet when riding
motor-cycle, but it soon degenerate into a defiance when they collided with the
members of the military enforcement agency -‘operation flush’ leaving some of
them dead. In retaliation, the aggrieved group began increasing clashes that
eventually lead to the death of their leader and his father-in-law, Alhaji Baba
Fugu.
The revolution which started as a group of
hooligan in the society soon escalated to what is now regarded as a terrorist
group. In January, the Human Right Watch asserted that about 935 lives have
been lost since June 2009 when Boko Haram set up its attack. More have been
lost with the recent attacks.
Speaking to some Nigerians on the latest
development regarding Boko Haram being a major threat to Olympics, Keshi Elvis,
a lawyer with Megafield Solicitor
said, such act is nearly impossible as the group still operate locally –‘ they operate in the north and
have not gone to the south west of the country talk less of crossing the border
to London.’
Keshi sees Boko Haram as an illegal
outreach that have destroyed lives and properties with the political motivation
to disrupt the present government says nevertheless, security check should be
looked into and measures should be taken since they have link with the alQueda.
Supporting this notion is Gbenga Adeyefa, a
graduate of Architecture with passion for political issue, who collaborated
that, ‘although any thing is possible, they are however not as sophisticated as
going international to a developed nation like England.’
‘They may have link with al-queda but they
are not strategic or technical as to crossing over to Europe’, he posit.
Gbenga who believes that the sect might be
doing a copy-cat work of members of the Niger Delta group; seeking
remunerations from the government stated
that their supposed link to al-queda might grant them sophisticated
weapon, it might be easy for them to operate in a country like England where
they have gadgets and professionals to tackle them upfront unlike back home
where they operate.
He believes that it is a wise thing for the
European country to place Boko Haram on the M15 and M16 list because ‘you can’t
eat your cake and have it.’
.
However, Funsho an undergraduate studying
mass communication believes the ‘
Boko Haram is a Nigerian issue aim at causing problem in disguise of politics
and religion with no gain at causing problem in the Olympics only if they aim
at sending Nigeria off the competition.’
A Clergy who prefers to remain anonymous
said, the fear of Boko Haram launching an attack at the Olympics this summer is
possible but he believes the issue has a political undertone.
He condemned the sect saying, ‘they claim
they are against western education but they are making use of bomb – a western
invention.’
‘Until they are unmasked, it will be
difficult to move ahead’, he said.
Although security experts have asserted
that Boko Haram tactics and weaponry points to help and training from outside group , Keshi said ‘a
forum should be organized to know what they want since a similar thing was done
with the Niger Deltas issues and till today we hear nothing from them. The
people who claimed to have been funded by politicians should be found,
arrested, investigated and charged to court if found guilty. The brain behind
this should be identified.
He also recommended that a state of
emergency should be declare in the regions where there are crisis as stipulated
in the Nigerian constitution, section 305 sub section 2;6
In combating the issue, prominent Nigeria
Laureate, Wole Soyinka have seek that the FG should convoke a national dialogue
for all Nigeria ethnic nationalities to iron out the basis of their future
coexistence. ‘If you don’t have a dialogue, you will have a monologue of a
series of monologue that will be deadly.’
Recent development has revealed that
members of the Boko Haram sect are now willing to dialogue with the Federal
Government. This occurred after the recent arrest of the group’s spoke man and
the bomb blast on Tuesday in Kaduna metropolises with explosions at the army
cantonment (Dalet barrack), Nigeria Air force base at Mando road and the
flyover bridge at Kawo, Kaduna. Two masked men wearing black at one of the
Nigeria Television Authority stations, a Federal Government media, in dropped
the tape. They named four people- Sheik Abubakar Gero, Dr Shettima Ali Monguno
and former Governor of Yobe state, Senator Bukar Ibrahim as their negotiators.
The name of the forth person was not audile.
