NIGERIA: Overview of recent violence 01/01/2012
Boko Haram is the latest and most virulent manifestation of a phenomenon that has been left unchecked for too long, namely religion-related violence in Nigeria’s northern and central states.
The group is the logical outcome of the failure of the system of “Full Shari’a” to improve the lot of rank and file northern Muslims as they had hoped, and is symptomatic of a growing rejection of the northern power elite which never fully bought into it, but nevertheless introduced the system as a means of maintaining a power base following the advent of the democratic era and of a non-Muslim president after years in which northern generals controlled the country. Those who to some extent attribute dissatisfaction and religion-related violence in the north to a lack of development in comparison with the south fail to take into account the fact that for the majority of Nigeria’s 51 years of independence, it has been ruled by northerners who for the most part maintained a traditional system of patronage, rather than vigorously encouraging development and education in their region.
Given the threat to national unity engendered by heightening north-south tensions, the recent vow by Boko Haram’s leader to continue actions amounting to ethnic and religious cleansing12(ostensibly on the basis of retaliation), and increasing references by influential Nigerians to the possibility of another civil war,13 it is essential for the Nigerian Government to take decisive action. The increasingly international dimensions of this crisis, as epitomised by Boko Haram’s declared links with international terrorist networks, also necessitate that key nations possessing greater knowledge and capacity to tackle such networks offer urgent assistance the Nigerian government in this endeavour.
Neighbouring countries, such as Cameroon, Niger and Chad, must also be prevailed upon to provide assistance. At least since 2000, survivors of some attacks in Bauchi and Plateau States have spoken of the presence of militants from Chad, Niger or Cameroon amongst their attackers. It is worthwhile noting at this juncture that the approximately twenty million-strong Fulani tribe can be found in nineteen African countries, ranging from Senegal to the borders of Ethiopia, and familial/tribal/religious obligations constitute a strong pull-factor. Thus the Nigerian Government must not only tackle the issue of the nation’s porous borders in conjunction with the governments of these nations; it must also vigorously examine the immigration statuses of non-Nigerians in the north and ensure that sufficient security is deployed in every area that experiences or has experienced violence in order to protect and raise the confidence of its citizens. Nigerian forces deployed in these areas must also undertake regular house-to-house searches for potential terrorist cells or bomb-making facilities that are rigorous enough to uncover the guilty, but with a sensitivity that ensures that the innocent are unharmed. This has not always been the case, and heavy-handed policing tactics in Maiduguri and Damaturu have had the unfortunate effect of terrifying and, in some cases, alienating innocent members of the public.
Finally, it also vital that Nigeria seizes this opportunity to take decisive action to bring an end to prevailing impunity surrounding religion-related violence by ensuring justice is done and seen to be done. No effort must be spared in pursuing, capturing and prosecuting funders and perpetrators of this violence, no matter how highly placed they may be – and according to the president’s recent comments, some may be extremely highly and strategically positioned.14 This has rarely been the case in the past: the vast majority of those arrested for such violence have been quietly released once news of their crimes is no longer in the headlines, much to the distress and annoyance of survivors and friends and family of their victims, who are consistently denied justice, and eventually some take matters into their own hands, occasioning further lawlessness. In early December 2011, the government arrested a senator, Ali Ndume in connection with Boko Haram. This and any subsequent cases must be pursued to the fullest extent of the law. Impunity and lawlessness will only end when the rule of law is upheld in every instance and religion-related crimes are treated as crimes under the law, and are dealt with accordingly.
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