The recent news that over a hundred members of the Boko Haram terrorists group were eliminated around the northern part of the country, have made many security observers to wonder if the figures regularly dished out as casualties of the military onslaught on the terrorist group does not indicate that the operation should be a reduction of their number, instead what is noticeable is what seems like a multiplication of their number.
Thereby giving credence to the notion that the group is indeed increasing like soldier ants.
It is this regular announcement of the elimination of these terrorists by the military that is fueling the argument that terrorists are truely multiplying like soldier ants. These are indestructible.
It is extremely hard to exterminate soldier ants because of their aggressive predators nature. Could it then be that the Boko Haram terrorists are possessed by the soldier Ant spirit?.
Terror acts have invaded every country around the world that record listed over eighty seven countries affected in acts of terror.
Unfortunately Nigeria experienced its first terrorist acts in 2008 in Maiduguri town of Borno State. Record further shows that Nigeria is surrounded by terrorist infested countries like Benin Republic to the west, Chad and Niger Republics in the North and Cameron Republic to the East.
Simply explain, Nigeria is surrounded by terrorist countries. No wonder an lgbo proverb says, “He who is surrounded by enemies would definitely do everything to protect his life every time”.
Terrorist activities placed Nigeria as the third mostly affected country in Africa after Mali whose terrorist index is 8.4 on global terrorist scale while Somalia is ranked first in Africa with an index scale of 8.5,
Mali – 8.4
Nigeria – 8.1
Niger – 7.6 .
Interestingly, each time the military releases information about their war confrontations with these terrorists, the casualty figures are usually in scores or hundreds and this suggest that the number of those being recruited into terrorists gangs or groups are daily on the increase.
What this means is that terror is “profitable” to the growing number of unemployed youths roaming around like soldier ants. Afterall, the devil finds work for every idle but willing hand since governments are gradually being bereft of innovative ideas to open up the economic potentials in their countries.
There is no gain saying but to add use the fact by pointing at major factors that are responsible for the soaring increase of terrorists in Nigeria and across the world. Truely, the objective or motive of the leader is the main reason for recruitiment.
When Osama Bin Laden and Mohammed Yusuf set up their lslamic groups, their foundation was hinged on corrupted lslamic religious teachings which were targeted at deceiving their recruited members.
I recalled when l was guest of the Chief of Army staff, Lt. General Tukur Brutai Rita in Maiduguri, Borno state to witness first hand the activities of Nigeria soldiers at the war front under the auspices of operation Lafia Dole, l had met a young man who was later killed by Boko Haram terrorist for disclosing informations to this columnist.
He had rejected offer to join the group. Others youths were enticed with dollar currency while others were forcefully recruited. Some were indoctrinated to erronousely believe they were going to fight a God approved holy war.
Many others were lured to join through their friends or Koranic school mates. lnfact it got to a point where parents either trick their sons to join or force and talk them into joining the group as family security.
Others see the group as a class symbol. Across the globe, countries deliberately check their population with a view to checkmate over population which often times affects the demography and planning in the country. No wonder the over population in the northern part of the country is visibly affecting every aspect of political, economic and educational planning in the north.
The over population is also visibly witnessed in every community and cities and the roads as under aged boys and girls roam about aimlessly thereby providing easy preys for recruitment into criminal gangs like bandits and Boko Haram terrorist group.
It would have been appreciated had the military leadership opened its detention room for security journalists to interview some of the arrested Boko Haram members so that journalists can scrutinize the reasons for joining the terrorist group. Such would have helped in advancing the knowledge of terrorist activities. Like late former lnspector-General of Police, lbrahim Coomassie approved that this columnist be allowed to personally interview several notorious armed robbers during his administration. It was such venture that culinated into my book titled: “Dark Clouds: Confessions of notorious armed robbers in Nigeria” It was launched in Abuja by the former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and former Governor of Lagos State, Mr Bola Tinubu who is the present President of Nigeria.
Maybe because those terrorists arrested were not and their pictures published, could it be why the number of members of the group continues to increase. Publishing their activities is an instant deterrent to other aspiring youths.
Publishing their activities would shame them and family members and this would discourage others from joining the group. Infact they I’ll be regarded as community bad eggs or community nuisance. Unlike what has become the tradition of granting amnesty to confirmed terrorists who had severally shed pots of innocent blood and turned mothers to widows and children to orphans for no reasonable cause.
Their counterparts in the Niger-Delta region were not as violent as the northern terrorists known as Boko Haram. While the Niger -Delta militants were fighting for their Gods given mineral resources (oil) that was being mined without adequate commensurate compensation, their counterpart in the Boko Haram group were blindfoldedly fighting war they know nothing about except what they were preached to by deranged Muslim clerics who painted and presented a doctrinal falsehood that is against the acquisition of education by northern youths.
Unless a proper census of families in the north is carried out with a specific mandate to know the number of lives claimed by Boko Haram terrorists, then can the true harm inflicted on Nigeria by this evil sect would help to evaluate the problem for the sake of history.