Why Is Boko Haram Still Killing Innocent People Under Buhari’s Government?

      by Jonathan E. Ifeanyi

The Islamic terrorists Boko Haram

Boko Haram

President Buhari

Just a year ago, on July 24, 2014, my piece, “No, Balarabe Musa, Jonathan Not To Blame For Boko Haram Menace!” was published by PM News. It was a response to The Guardian interview of the former governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, entitled, ‘Boko Haram Insurgency is Political.’ The interview was published on page 17 of The Guardian on Wednesday, July 16, 2014. In it, the former governor stated plainly that Jonathan’s government was responsible for the Boko Haram menace in the country. “What people don’t know is that different interests have been hijacking Boko Haram at various stages,” he said. “The first stage, from the information available to us, was a quarrel between the defunct ANPP and PDP in the North-East. This brought about the agent provocateur called Boko Haram. Later, when the political leaders that created Boko Haram to fight one another became unable to control Boko Haram, after they had achieved their objectives, it was taken over by a series of interest groups, probably, including the Federal Government itself, to control its political enemies.”

According to the former governor, either Jonathan was plotting, with the aid of Boko Haram, to rig the 2015 election, or he wanted to use Boko Haram to prevent the election from holding altogether so that he would continue in office after 2015. Hear him: “…this destabilization (caused by Boko Haram) is aimed at making the 2015 election impossible, or if it takes place at all, it will be easy to rig, because people will be concerned about the insecurity more than with voting, when they know that the vote doesn’t even count…” It is either this, he said, or “Nigeria is being destabilised so that there will be no election in 2015…according to the 1999 Constitution, if no election is held in 2015, the President will be able to continue, because the constitution allows him to hand over to an elected President. Which means, if there is no elected President in 2015, Jonathan will continue.”

In my piece, I plainly made it clear that only a blatant liar will speak like Alhaji Balarabe Musa by proving convincingly that, rather than being sponsored by Jonathan, Islamic terrorism is simply a global phenomenon and that Nigerian Boko Haram is just our own share of this terrorism in this part of the world. My piece on this can be viewed here: http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/07/24/no-balarabe-musa-jonathan-not-to-blame-for-boko-haram-menace

On August 11, 2014, my piece, “At Last, Buhari Attacked By Jonathan’s Men! ” was published by PM News. It was a response to the malicious APC politicians who, after the attack on General Muhammadu Buhari by Boko Haram, accused Jonathan’s men of being the masterminds. The Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, had come out with an interesting theory about the “assassination attempt” on Gen. Buhari in an interesting article entitled, “Who Wants General Buhari Dead?” In the piece, Igbokwe said that Jonathan might not have been directly behind the attack, but it could have been people looking to curry favour from him. Insisting that the attempt on Buhari’s life had everything to do with the 2015 elections, Igbokwe said that President Jonathan needed to look within, and urgently. Hear him: “I am running away with the thinking that the crisis bedevilling the nation cannot be divorced from President Jonathan’s ambition to rule Nigeria beyond 2015. While this inordinate ambition is being pursued left and right, front and back, up and down, the nation is left bare at the mercy of insurgents, and mass murderers.

“If the truth must be told, Nigeria has to remain a political entity for somebody to become the President. President Jonathan should look inwards pronto. Those who targeted Gen. Buhari may be playing real politics for President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition. It may be right to push the blame to Boko Haram but nobody is a political idiot here.”

Again, in my piece I debunked this fallacious accusation by pointing out that Buhari, even though a Muslim, is seen by Boko Haram members as an infidel because he is not only a supporter of Western Democracy, which Boko Haram is out to fight against, but in fact its very candidate!  I wrote:

“Boko Haram is purely religious. Members of the sect are fighting to Islamize the entire north and if possible even Nigeria as a whole. Abubakah Shekau has made this very clear several times but unfortunately, on each occasion politicians have always overshadowed his statements with their malicious lies. However, whatever be the degree of these lies, Shekau is determined to eliminate those he refers to as “Muslim infidels”, that is, Muslims who because of Nigerian democracy are betraying the faith of Islam. Certainly, there are many northern politicians who are sponsoring the sect, but most of these former Heads of State may not really be among these politicians as most Nigerians assume. Buhari, who is simply desperate to rule Nigeria at all costs and who had even spoken openly against the sect members, is simply on top of the list of the “infidels” whom the sect members have determined to eliminate. But the problem with many Nigerians is simply carelessness and consequently the tendency to forget things easily. Some people started linking Buhari to Boko Haram simply because of the statement he was said to have made after the 2011 general elections: that he would make the country ungovernable for Jonathan. But the truth is that this statement was about Buhari’s personal ambition to rule Nigeria under a democratic system which has nothing to do with Boko Haram agenda. While some people have said that that 2011 election was to some extent free and fair in several parts of the country, this writer was in the north at that time and really — frankly speaking — witnessed that Buhari, who was massively supported by many in the north, was actually frustrated by the ruling party at the end of that unfortunate exercise and hence can rightly testify that the General must have made that statement out of anger. In other words, the statement that he would make the country ungovernable really had nothing to do with Boko Haram, period. Boko Haram is out to fight all democrats, and Buhari is not just a democrat, but also a Boko Haram critic, is it logical then, to say that Buhari is using Boko Haram to make the country ungovernable? No, it is not!”

I tried, in the piece, to show that some Muslims who have argued that Islam does not support Shekau’s position on democracy are simply mere comedians. Modern democracy, it must be noted, unlike the type practised in ancient Greece, was actually propounded by ardent enemies of religion, many of whom were atheists. The origin of it is simply the French Revolution, particularly the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789, which affirmed the so-called principles of civil liberty and of equality before the law. That is why it is simply alien to Islam and to all the ancient religions. In fact, even true Christianity also forbids modern democracy. Islam, on its part, is simply an anti-democratic religion because Islamic fundamentalism is incompatible with the pluralism that is necessary for a democratic state. And may I add here that Muslim societies (such as many of the Arab or Asian states, for example Saudi Arabia) are authoritarian and consequently violently repressive. Authoritarianism is the natural consequence of the legal and doctrinal rigidity which makes a political culture of compromise impossible. Shari’a law is viewed as perfect and divine. Consequently, laws are best made through theocratic interpretation rather than democratic debate. This lends to systems structured around institutions such as the Faqih and the role of the "clergy". Shari’a does not require separate legislatively defined provisions. The notion of equal citizenship is also absent from Islamic thought because insurmountable inequalities between believers and non-believers are built into Islam. The piece can be viewed here: http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2014/08/11/at-last-buhari-attacked-by-jonathans-men

                                                   
In September 2014 I wrote another piece, “Ihejirika Sponsoring Boko Haram? An Inquiry”—a response to the so-called Australian “crisis negotiator”, Stephen Davis, who really set the media ablaze with his allegations regarding Boko Haram sponsors. Davis aroused our sleeping consciousness when he alleged in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) that the Islamic terrorist sect, Boko Haram, was being funded by Nigerian politicians, and in a subsequent interview with Arise TV, Davis went further to name former Borno State Governor, Modu Sheriff and former Chief of Army staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, as sponsors of the group. Davis had visited Nigeria to negotiate the release of the over 200 schoolgirls abducted since April 2014 by Boko Haram terrorists. He previously worked as a negotiator for Nigerian government under ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Shehu Yar’Adua administrations during the Niger-Delta militants uprising in the South-South. Although his allegations were proved—beyond reasonable doubt—to be false, many Nigerians believed him. Wole Soyinka for instance, gave the impression that they were true.

Part 1 of the piece, published by Business-Day, can be viewed here: http://businessdayonline.com/2014/09/ihejirika-sponsoring-boko-haram-an-inquiry-1/#.VarIwvlVikq and part 2 here: http://businessdayonline.com/2014/09/ihejirika-sponsoring-boko-haram-an-inquiry-2/#.VarM9PlVikq

In my piece published by Pointblanknews.com on February 27, 2015, I seriously cast doubt on the sincerity of Buhari with regards to Boko Haram menace, given his contradiction by asking the Federal Government to stop the clampdown of Boko Haram “insurgents” in October 2014. Buhari, who then spoke on a Liberty Radio programme, accused Jonathan’s government of killing and destroying houses belonging to Boko Haram members while the Niger Delta militants got special treatment. He said that unlike the “special treatment” given to the Niger Delta militants by the federal government, the Boko Haram members were being killed and their houses demolished by the government. While accusing Jonathan of failing from the beginning to address the security situation in the country, Buhari said he had never been in support of the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, and shockingly, according to Buhari, “what is responsible for the security situation in the country is caused by the activities of Niger Delta militants.”

Can we then see the reason why he is now hunting for the Niger Deltans while almost completely ignoring the murderous activities of his Boko Haram brothers in the North-East?

My February piece on this can be viewed here: http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/exclusive/jonathan-northern-muslims-boko-haram-saga And on his current hunting for the blood of the Niger Deltans, see this: http://www.thetrentonline.com/buhari-declares-war-on-south-south-militants-orders-air-bombing-of-creeks and this: http://pointblanknews.com/pbn/articles-opinions/buhari-bombing-of-calabar-creeks-is-this-another-odi-and-zaki-biam

So far, all the structures put in place by Jonathan to tackle the terrorists—the military checkpoints and the rest—have been dismantled by Buhari, and Boko Haram terrorists now move freely in the North East, destroying lives just as they want. See this also:  http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/186492-how-buharis-slow-pace-is-affecting-the-war-against-boko-haram.html

Now, in his recent reaction to the current activities of Boko Haram, the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, has lamented that “Boko Haram insurgency” has worsened since Buhari assumed office. He said: “I am worried about the resurgence of Boko Haram activities in Nigeria.  Shortly before the inauguration of the present government, the country had almost rolled back Boko Haram and its activities in every part of Nigeria—from Adamawa to Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Kaduna. I was hoping that when we come back in the 8th Assembly, that I will work with our colleagues from the North-East to develop a plan of action that will help to rehabilitate that part of Nigeria. I feel so concerned about the suffering of our people from the North-East of Nigeria. I had hoped that by now we would be tasking ourselves on how best to rebuild that part of Nigeria. Regrettably, the actions of Boko Haram seem to have resurfaced now; not only in Borno, they have carried out their activities also in Plateau, they have gone to Adamawa and Kaduna. I am worried that if nothing is done, the next target would be Abuja. Maybe they will start going to the South. It is important for us as those in government, whether executive or legislature, to come together to find solutions to these problems.”

Indeed, nothing is currently being done. Instead, Buhari is busy pursuing his perceived “enemies”—the Biafrans and the Niger Deltans—while completely ignoring the terrorists who are now slaughtering human beings like fowls. Since Buhari became president, the death toll of Boko Haram victims has risen significantly and is still rising day after day, while the number of killed Islamic terrorists has fallen significantly compared to that of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s last month of rule. A chart by naij.com showing how many people have been killed since Buhari was sworn-in as the president, has shown that the number of Boko Haram fighters killed under Buhari has declined sharply for the same period. Put simply, Buhari is unwilling to fight the terrorists—this cannot necessarily be as a result of any weakness on his part as we can see him too vigorously fighting the Niger Deltans and even the armless Biafrans.

More lamentable, still, is that the evil Nigerian media—as well as all those “human right activists” such as Soyinka or the "Bring Back Our Girls" campaigners who mercilessly criticised Jonathan’s “clueless government”—are now completely silent in the face of the terror going on currently in the North-East. Prominent Nigerian Newspapers—massively controlled by the ruling party—don’t report the atrocities of Boko Haram currently going on in the North-East, and when they do occasionally such killings are never made the headlines. Hence, instead of ebbing, the deaths and destruction caused by Boko Haram is simply galloping currently compared to the pre-May 29 era.  This is despite the moving of the military command to Maiduguri, Borno State capital and epicentre of the violence which has so far claimed over 20,000 lives since the move by Boko Haram to declare Nigeria an Islamic Caliphate started in 2009.

Before Buhari assumed office, the Jonathan’s administration had recovered some lost territories from the Islamic terrorists. It should also be remembered that Buhari had during his electioneering campaign promised to tackle Boko Haram if elected into office. Well, he has now been elected into office and has since been doing quite the opposite of his promise.  There have been over 30 terror-related attacks since the election of General Muhammadu Buhari on March 28, 2015. So far, about 700 people have been killed either through bombings, or beheading, or shooting. Precisely, here are some—not all—of the facts, as reported by some newspapers:

May 30, 2015: At least 13 people were killed during an attempted night invasion of Maiduguri by the Islamic terrorists. May 30: About 26 people—perceived to be Muslim infidels by Boko Haram, that is, Muslims who are against the activities of the Islamic terrorists—were killed in a bomb attack on a Mosque near Borno market. May 31: Four people were killed at Gamboru market in Maiduguri. June 2: 17 people were killed at Maiduguri Abattoir. June 3: Four people were killed in an attack on mechanical workshop on Baga Road, Maiduguri. June 4: A female suicide bomber killed two near a military checkpoint in Maiduguri. June 5: 40 people were killed in a suicide attack on Jimeta Night Market, Adamawa State. June 7: 3 people were killed in a suicide attack on Baga/Monguno Highway. June 11: 37 people were killed in separate attacks on six villages in Borno State. June 15: Twin suicide bomb attacks killed 11 persons in Potiskum, Yobe State. June 17: Accidental explosion killed 15 persons in Monguno. June 22: 8 people were killed in twin suicide attacks on Baga Fish Market, Maiduguri. June 23: 15 people were killed in suicide bomb attack on Nannawaji Village, Gujba Council of Borno State. June 23: 20 people were killed in an attack on Debiro, headquarters of Hawul Council of Borno State. June 27: 5 people were killed at a General Hospital in Molai, Borno State. June 30: 48 people were killed in Mussaram I and Mussaram II, near Monguno. July 1: 98 people were killed in Kukawa Village. July 2: 11 people were killed at Malari village along Bama/Konduga highway. July 3: 29 people were killed in Mussa Village, Askira-Uba Council of Borno State. July 5: 51 people were killed in a bomb explosion in a church in Jos, the Plateau State capital. July 7: 26 people were killed in a bomb blast in Zaria, Kaduna State. July 12: A bomb scared worshippers at the ECWA “church” in Tundunwada area of Jos, Plateau state. A package that looked like a bomb, found in the church’s toilet, exploded, creating fears and panic of a possible Boko Haram attack. July 12: Boko Haram killed 11 people in Yobe, and took over the highway in Damat. July 13: At least 43 people were killed in attacks by Boko Haram in a remote region in the country's northeast, according to police and residents. The attacks happened Friday on the villages of Kalwa, Misala and Gwollam and people were either shot dead or stabbed, said Aderemi Opadokun, Borno state police commissioner. July 13: Two bombs planted by suspected Boko Haram fighters went off at a bar in a northern town in Cameroon, killing at least 14 people. Col. Didier Badjeck said three Chadian soldiers were among those killed in Fotokol, a town on the border with Nigeria's Borno state. He said no Cameroonian soldiers were hurt. Resident Abdoulaziz Bambam said the death toll may rise because more bodies were being recovered. July 14: Boko Haram gunmen killed dozens of people in four villages in northeast Nigeria, slitting some residents’ throats and opening fire on others. “Boko Haram gunmen came into our villages at night, killing 43 people,” said Sheriff Kulo, from Kilwa village near Monguno, who escaped to the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. July 17: Multiple suicide bombs planted by Boko Haram killed 64 people in the north-eastern Nigeria.

These are just a few of the figures which I was able to document—never the whole figures. As I write, Boko Haram is still killing innocent people in the northeastern Nigeria and Buhari’s government is simply doing nothing about this.  They aim ultimately at—if possible—wiping out the entire “Christians” from the country—of course when I say “Christians” I’m referring to Protestantism, a false Christianity which offends God, as there is hardly true Catholicism here—to destroy western democracy and establish an Islamic caliphate, and to Islamise the whole nation thereafter.  As Shekau himself puts it:

“We will not stop until our aim is achieved; so everyone that calls himself a Muslim should stop obeying the constitution, should leave democracy, should stay away from western education. We are the bombers of Nyanya; yes we are the bombers; if you really want to know who did it, let me tell you now; it was Shekau that did it”.

Chuckling and tapping his chest, he said: 

“This is me, Abubakar Shekau whose turban you don’t like seeing; whose armoured shirt you so much hate; this is my usual gun with which I kill. Get more annoyed, because I am still here; yes, I am the Shekau that does not like Christians, and I don’t like Muslims that relate with Christians. We have been commanded by Allah not to associate with infidels because they cannot be trusted until they accept your religion. So you cannot say you are a believer and then you go and follow democracy; we cannot allow you to ridicule the religion of God; never! ...I am not afraid of death; and I pray that God should let me be killed by an unbeliever so that I can gain His paradise. We don’t love this sinful world of yours; we want to die and go to the presence of Him who created everyone so that we can enjoy ourselves. Yes. I am the dreaded Shekau; the one even Obama fears; not even Obama, even if Pharaoh were alive today he would reckon with me (laughing). To hell with the United Nations! To hell with Ban ki Moon! To hell with Obama! Yes. We did the bombing in Nyanya; we did it.”

See his late last year speech here: http://www.osundefender.org/?p=159816

Shekau’s activities we find well written in the Quran: 

“O you who believe! Fight those of disbelievers who are close to you, and let them find hardness in you; and know that Allah is with those who are Al-Muttaqun (the pious)” (Sura 9: verse 123) 

Again: “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them.” (Sura 9:5), etc.