- Government must do more to keep Boko Haram under control
What the recent sporadic attacks by Boko Haram insurgents tell us is that the battle with the terrorists is far from over. It is true that the group has been substantially incapacitated, it is not yet decapitated, and so, like a wounded lion, it is still capable of springing deadly surprises.
The latest of such was the killing of about 20 persons by some suicide bombers who attacked the Dalori 2 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp. Several others were reportedly injured in the attack. Similarly, others were killed during sporadic shootings on farmers who were ambushed in their farms in Kaleri Village in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State. The state’s police public relations officer (PPRO), Victor Isuku, who confirmed the attacks on the IDPs camp and that of the University of Maiduguri however said only the suicide bombers were killed.
As President Buhari noted in December 2015, barely seven months after assuming office, Boko Haram has been technically defeated. Unlike in the past when the terrorists held large swathes of territories where they hosted their illegal flags, and when they struck at public places with reckless abandon, what they now do mostly is carry out surprise attacks on their hapless victims, often in the least expected places. Indeed, only the mischievous would not readily admit the success the government has made in the fight against terror. However, the government needs to do more so as not to bring to waste whatever gains it has recorded in this regard.
One reason the insurgents are still able to strike as they are doing is that they still have sponsors who are funding their operations. So far, none of these has been fished out, not to talk of prosecuted. We dare say that the war on terror cannot be won in a situation where those giving the terrorists oxygen remain shrouded in secrecy. We have come a long way in the terror war not to know by now at least some of the faces behind this group. Unfortunately, it does not seem the government is doing much in this regard. Until the government gave serious thought to this aspect, Boko Haram would continue to strike because it is still having unfettered access to oxygen.
Moreover, it is becoming increasingly clear that the IDPs are not sustainable. The other time it was the Nigerian Air Force that accidentally bombed an IDP camp in Rann, Borno State, killing not fewer than 54 persons. Now, it is Boko Haram that had allegedly killed some other IDPs, although the police would have us believe that only the suicide bombers died in the attacks. This is apart from the hunger and other crises that are experienced daily by the IDPs.
The point is; IDPs, by their very nature, cannot be a substitute for people’s natural homes. They are therefore supposed to be a temporary haven for terror victims or others similarly displaced from their homes by one disaster or the other. It is therefore about time the Federal Government began to get IDPs back to their homes. It is difficult to sustain IDP camps in a vast and porous territory as the north east.
We welcome the meeting held by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo with the security chiefs and Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State at the Presidential Villa to rub minds on how to deal with the remnants of the insurgents, as well as plans to rebuild the north east. The government must fast track the rebuilding process. On this score, security is key. The security agencies need all the intelligence they can muster in this regard because intelligence is one major aspect of the security mix that can put an end to Boko Haram. It is better to preempt the terrorists rather than react after the harm has been done. After all, as they say, “prevention is better than cure”.
