• Recent Kano and Jos examples expand what was thought to be a shrinking circle of violence
Under no circumstance would this paper have contemplated that the country could ever succumb to the inexorable devastations of bombings and other evils of the Boko Haram religious sect. Our position stems from the fact that the sect has continued its exploits as if the government in place is incapable of doing anything to quell its heinous acts. Yet, the government proclaims to be doing something; but one obvious fact is that its effort has yielded no effective result.
We have our reasons for arriving at this conclusion: Very recently, the Nyanya motor park in Abuja was bombed by the sect, leaving hundreds of people dead. Less than 24 hours after this gory incident, over 270 school girls were abducted by the sect in Chibok, Borno State. Barely weeks after these destabilising acts, Kano State was last Sunday bombed; and this sad event was spontaneously followed 24 hours after by the latest Jos, Plateau State bombings, which left over 118 people dead in twin blasts at a market in the central Nigerian city. The casualty figures, sadly, were those of victims recovered from the scene of the explosions. By the time the search through the blazing debris would have been concluded by the rescue squad, the figures would probably be higher.
The Jos twin bomb blasts that hit the popular Jos Terminus Market that is also known as New Abuja Market is one too many. In typical suicide bombing style, the first bomber reportedly came in a Fiat bus that was parked at the market’s central business area. The second blast, purportedly concealed in a Siena bus, reportedly occurred about 100 metres away from the first one. The government must be interested in knowing those responsible for the Jos incidents, especially in view of the fact that the city has been at peace for some time despite its local crises, and also because no one has so far claimed responsibility for the bombings.
The earlier Kano blast which killed four persons occurred in Sabon Gari area. Coincidentally too, the two states’ bombings occurred in areas inhabited by predominantly Christians. Both states have enjoyed relative peace since last year when major bombings last happened in their jurisdictions.
We are concerned that the incessant bombings in the northern part of the country are not ebbing but are indeed escalating despite the presence of experts from United States, Britain, France and Israel that are in the country to rescue the abducted school girls and to help, through technical support, in quelling the Boko Haram insurgency. This is understandable in view of the fact that such mission could take reasonable period before its dividend would be felt.
However, President Goodluck Jonathan in his response to the last Jos bomb blasts, boldly declared that his administration will not succumb to the “… atrocities of enemies of human progress and civilisation.” But the official efforts so far on ground have not pointed in that direction as the government has seemingly proved incapable of reaching a denouement on the insurgency.
The extermination of Boko Haram lies more on the sincerity of purpose deployed by the government and its topmost officials. At the moment, this utmost good faith could not be seen in view of our security agencies’ shoddy handling of the critical challenge posed by these criminals. On the part of the populace, we demand unalloyed civic vigilance. The government can only complement this by embarking on mass enlightenment campaigns that could educate the public about clues – which is what to look out for and to promptly alert the necessary authorities so as to forestall future recurrence of avoidable bombings in the states. The government needs not be reminded that the sustained Boko Haram bombings are detrimental to the country’s progress.
