The serene academic environment of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), in Borno State, was on Monday shattered by twin bomb blasts at a mosque in the Staff Quarters. Professor Aliyu Mani, a professor of Veterinary Medicine and three other persons died in the incident. This is the first time the university has been attacked since the beginning of Boko Haram’s murderous campaign in the North-east geo-political zone some years ago. About 15 people were also said to have been seriously injured in the dawn bomb blasts carried out by suicide bombers.
The leader of the Boko Haram group, Abubakar Shekau, has claimed responsibility for the attacks at the university. According to the Borno State Commissioner of Police, Damian Chukwu, the suicide bombers sneaked into the university quarters through Gates 4 and 5 at the rear, before detonating the explosives strapped to their bodies. President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the terrorist attack and called for more vigilance in the fight against the insurgents.
We condemn the dastardly attack and urge the security agents to redouble their efforts in the war against the terrorists in the North-east. The UNIMAID incident indicates that the Boko Haram sect is still dangerous and evolving. Its bombing of schools is a frontal attack on Western education, which the sect abhors.
Despite claims by the Federal Government that it has defeated the Boko Haram sect following the military’s takeover of the sect’s fortress in Sambisa Forest, the recent attacks at UNIMAID indicate that the war against insurgency in the North-east is far from over. Unlike a conventional war, the Boko Haram guerilla war is not one that can easily be won. It is a war that can drag on for years without end.
The government should acknowledge this fact and come out with new strategies to contain the antics of the terrorists. There should be no room for complacency. Even though the sect might have been largely decimated, its ability to launch surprise attacks on soft targets must not be underestimated. This ability has not been sufficiently curtailed, and this is where government should direct its energy.
We advise the government to be cautious in its celebration of Boko Haram’s defeat. Such celebration can be deferred until the war is finally won. And, the war cannot be said to have been won in an atmosphere of incessant suicide bombings targeting government institutions, parks, markets, places of worship and other soft targets.
We call for more security consciousness among Nigerians, especially those living in the hotbed of the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east. There should be increased security at the University of Maiduguri and other institutions of higher learning in the North-east. We call for more stringent security checks at mosques, churches and other places of worship in the country.
The security agencies prosecuting the war against terrorists should invest more in intelligence gathering and sharing. It is commendable that the Nigerian Army has announced a N500,000 cash reward for anyone with information on suicide bombers. The move, as explained by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Sani Usman, has become necessary on account of the increasing wave of suicide bombings in the North-east, in particular, Maiduguri and Madagali metropolis. This move by the Nigerian Army to gather information is commendable but we caution that the identities of informants should be protected.
Beyond this, political and religious leaders in the North-east should enlighten their citizens, especially the young ones, on the dangers of suicide bombings. It is necessary to educate impressionable young people against taking to insurgency and suicide bombing. Government should add greater impetus on the war against the insurgents until they are finally routed.