Little did I expect that the Nigerian northern Muslim elite would go this far in their scheming? When Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the intellectual and politician, said Boko Haram could not have worn jeans; they wear kaftans, I wondered where he was heading. Then a few days later, Dr. Aliyu Tilde, the veterinarian/political scientist/blogger, released his article titled, “Jonathan and the Security of Nigerian Christians”. I was further baffled. Why are the northern Muslim elite suddenly anxious to re-craft the picture created by the nebulous Boko Haram Islamic sect?
When the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) held its so-called peace conference in Kaduna in December 2011 without a proper representation of Middle Belt Christians, one Kaduna-based Barrister Yahaya Mahmood said that until the Government of Plateau State created an Emirate for the Hausa settlers in Jos, that State would see no peace. Shortly after that, Professor Jubril Aminu released his own elderly and intellectual take by calling for the proscription of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). In his reasoning, if Muslims formed a Muslim Association of Nigeria (MAN), it wouldn’t augur well for peaceful co-existence in the country.
Earlier on in December 2011, Boko Haram gave all southerners and Christians residing in the northern States three weeks within which to relocate or face their wrath. True to their word, when the time allowed expired in the first week of January 2012 they struck on daily basis for 9 consecutive days. Their campaign against Christians actually started on Christmas day with the bombings at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Suleja, Niger State. They kept up their deadlyl attacks on churches and Christians in Damaturu, Yobe State shortly after President proclaimed a State of Emergency in some Local Governments in four States, Damaturu inclusive. The wanton taking of lives through the use of fire arms and explosives moved to Mubi, Jimeta and Yola in Adamawa State. It is estimated that in the first ten days of this year alone, Boko Haram insurgents have murdered about 115 people, mainly Christians and Policemen.
Tilde in his article tried hard to prove that Boko Haram is actually more linked to Christians than Muslims. He cited the Prof. Jerry Gana and Yakubu Bitiyong cases, which have never been proved, as his evidence. He said Gana has never denied the accusation while Bitiyong was paraded by the SSS as a suspected potential church bomber. Tilde attempted another Christian-Boko Haram link through former Borno State Governor, Modu Sheriff, whom he referred to as a Boko Haram sponsor and an Obasanjo lackey. He said that shortly after Sheriff visited late Boko Haram Leader, Yusuf Mohamed, in a Police cell and spoke to him in Kanuri dialect, he was summarily executed by the Police. He thus insinuated that former Christian President Obasanjo must have remotely masterminded the extra-judicial murder of Yusuf.
Tilde was not done yet. He enumerated how past Muslim Presidents had dealt decisively with similar insurgents in the past whereas Christian President Jonathan, for curious reasons, prefers to keep the crisis on some unclear Christian advantage. Tilde accused CAN leadership of beating the drums of war through their President’s declaration that Christians would defend themselves if Nigeria’s security agents did not do so quickly. CAN leadership should therefore be held responsible for any religious war in the country.
The title of Tilde’s article alone speaks volumes; “President Jonathan and the Security of Nigerian Christians”. It suggests that President Jonathan is a President for Christians alone and so must ensure their security. By extension, Nigerian Muslims have no business with him. Their security must be provided from elsewhere. Could this ‘elsewhere’ be the Boko Haram war chest? I would like readers to note that twice in his article, Tilde referred to northern Muslims as a ‘helpless lot’ thus attesting to their lack of confidence in President Jonathan.
One Aisha Umar-Yusuf reported in the Daily Trust newspaper of September 11, 2011 after the suicide bombing of the UN building in Abuja under the heading, “When is Boko Haram Not Boko Haram?”, as follows; “It is now apparent to discerning Nigerians that certain faceless terror groups are using the Boko Haram tag to perpetrate their evil. We now know for sure that some of the arrests made in connection with bombings or attempted bombings in Northern Nigeria were not of Muslim individuals or groups. Here we call to mind the case of Yakubu Bitiyong of Kaduna, Lydia Joseph, who set St. John’s Cathedral in Bauchi on fire and the three Christian women arrested in connection with the bomb blast at the Mammy market in Bauchi last July. Needless to say, the reach and sophistication of their methods goes beyond the capability of the rag-tag militia left behind by Mohammed Yusuf. But certain orchestrated events led to the present state of insecurity in Nigeria. We must study them to be able to know the forces at work against us.”
Aisha would like to exonerate northern Muslims from any involvement with Boko Haram. Instead, faceless Christians should be suspected because she has been able to name five probable Christians being held as suspects by security agents. Has she cared to find out the religious affiliations of the literarily hundreds of other suspects also in detention for being associated with the activities of Boko Haram? Didn’t she read the Vanguard newspaper report of August 30, 2011 written by one Suzan Edeh saying that Lydia Joseph was a professional prostitute whom the members of the St. John’s Cathedral were trying to convert to Christianity so she could renounce her trade? Was Lydia Joseph’s method really that sophisticated when she attempted to burn the church at 12:30 pm using a gallon on petrol and ordinary matches? Can the remotely detonated and time bombs and suicide missions of late Mohammed Yusuf’s militia really be termed ‘rag-tag’?
Yet another Aisha Yolah has been running a series in the papers with the title, “Theories of Boko Haram – War Mongers”. She came up with 4 theories as to who or what is Boko Haram is. The bottom line is that she wants to dispel the thinking that Boko Haram is a northern Nigerian Muslim thing.
Certain voices from the northern Muslims have also expressed disappointment at their own Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the CBN Governor, for championing the fuel subsidy removal agenda of the Jonathan administration. I admire the objective, straight-talking and no-nonsense stance of Sanusi on this policy.
Then came the eye-opener via a New York Times article written by Miss Jean Herkovits. Osita Ebiem dissected that article well in his write up titled, “Problem with Nigeria; Still on Jean Jerkovits’ Article in the New York Times”, which was published in elombah.com on January 11, 2012. Ebiem said,
“In the past few days some concerted and vigorous efforts are being made by leaders of the Islamic North of Nigeria to change the world's opinion as to what constitutes the truth about the Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram. The campaign statements of these leaders have been so loud such that in just a few days listeners' ears are almost deafened and the air waves so inundated. Now people are beginning to ask why the sudden shift from deafening silence and, on many occasions even egging on the group, to such a high pitched dissociation or differentiation and explaining. What changed? Before now the rest of the world has continued to ask, what does the Northern leaders say about the excessive Islamic killings and other abhorrent activities of the group which the world community has unanimously classified as an Islamic terrorist group based out of Nigeria's North and modeled after the Taliban terrorist cell of the Middle East/Southeast Asia and North Africa.
“Now what you are hearing from the Northern leaders is a complete volte-face of what had been and what the people were used to. It is even being reported that Boko Haram is now disclaiming all their former claims in the recent time, such as the Madalla Church and other churches bombing and machine-gunning of Christians across Northern Nigeria. What a smart move. Jean Herskovits and the rest of them are proving to be smart political strategists but in this case they are a little step behind. The cat is already out of the bag. They will need to try harder to sell this ice to the Eskimos. The script they are reading from is simple enough and does not need much sophistication to unravel.
“The script according to Ms. Herskovits and co says to the Muslim North; do not make this battle appear as a fight between Christians and Muslims even though everyone knows that it is. It doesn’t matter, the majority of the people is gullible and will always sincerely believe only what you want them to believe. Even when they see, hear and know a different reality, they will only believe what you tell them to believe especially if the telling is coming from foreign ace pundits and news media. Use reputable foreign media outlets like the New Times and tell the world that Boko Haram of the North of Nigeria is fighting injustice.”
The cat is indeed out of the bag. The impression that Tilde tried to create was thoroughly bashed by the Boko Haram video released on Youtube on Wednesday 11 January, 2012. In the said video, the self-acclaimed new leader of the sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau, said they have declared war on Nigerian Christians without mincing words. He poured vituperations on President Jonathan and CAN President, Ayo Oritsejiofor, personally for their ‘disparaging’ remarks about the sect. Tilde does not to educate anyone anymore as to who is the aggressor or what his grouse is in the current religious pogrom. It is religious cleansing being perpetrated by northern Nigerian Muslims using Boko Haram as an arrowhead.
The northern Muslim elite have decided to embark on a game of political deceit and the illicit conversion of facts. Give cover to Boko Haram subtly while the public is made to believe that Christians are the aggressors with a leadership bereft of ability to manage their own or the country. The question is what is to be gained at the end of the day by such a campaign? We wait to see, that is, if they succeed.
President Godluck Jonathan would be well advised to ‘shine his eyes’ and learn to read between the lines. Nigerian could easily go the way of former Yugoslavia – into 6 new countries. Former President Obasanjo could have saved Nigeria all these troubles if he had checked the first adoption of Sharia jurisprudence in Zanfara State.
John Campbell, a former US ambassador to Nigeria and now senior fellow for African Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, after watching the Imam Shekau video, said on VOA, "But it is important because it fits into the wider picture people have about the government - that it is not working." Campbell has never been an admirer of Jonathan administration anyway.
However, I must acknowledge the fact that Dr. Tilde made a valid point in his article, that President Goodluck Jonathan has not been decisively enough in his handling of the Boko Haram scourge. He has treated the insurgents with kid’s gloves thus far, even to the point of allowing his government to pay the family of the slain leader compensation of N100 Million. Also, admitting publicly that Boko Haram operatives have infiltrated all agencies of his government is a poor strategy and not an excuse. He has left room for all kinds of insinuations and innuendos to be manufactured by whoever cares to. He needs to be ruthless with the insurgents now and save us from further trouble. Nigeria will come out of this a stronger nation.
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