By Tope Akinyetun
“Terrorism is a plague
from which no continent or country is immune…” --Coninsx
The above statement exemplifies how widespread the menace of terrorism is around the world. Terrorism refers to the illegal use of violence to coerce a people or government to achieve a political end. The occurrence of terrorism could be domestic or international. Terrorism is domestic when it seeks to coerce or undermine the authority of a government within its territorial jurisdiction.
However, when it is aimed at weakening a government outside its jurisdiction or if its operations are transboundary, it is referred to as international terrorism. Terrorism is, therefore, an epidemic that if not reined, will transmogrify into a pandemic. To be sure, the menace of terrorism has permeated several continents and has left the citizens of many countries wallowing in poverty, displacement, deprivation and unwarranted deaths.
Terrorism, no doubt, constitutes a bane to international
security. According to the Global Terrorism Index [GTI] (2020), West Africa,
the Middle East and North Africa, Russia, South America, the Middle East, and
South Asia are among the regions with incidences of terrorism around the world.
This is an indication that international security remains a fluid notion as
long as terrorism grows.
The region with the highest incidence of terrorism is
sub-Saharan Africa. Terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa has assumed an
unprecedented dimension since the bombings of the United States Embassy in
Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Evidence of terrorist activities also emerged in
Nigeria in 2009 when a young Nigerian, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, attempted to
bomb an aeroplane in Detroit, USA.
Today, terrorism in sub-Saharan Africa has become a more
sophisticated nut for the government to crack. Terrorist activities have become
more pronounced in Somalia, the Sahel, and the Lake Chad Basin as perpetrated
by Al-Shabaab, Ansar al-Dine, and Boko Haram, respectively.
Of these groups, Boko Haram
has proven more active, more deadly and more ferocious; ranking 3rd on the GTI
and making Nigeria an epicentre of terrorism in Africa. Studying the Boko Haram
sect in Nigeria is merited, as the group, with an international outlook, has
spread into neighbouring countries such as Niger, Cameroon, Mali and Chad.
Despite the several counterterrorism strategies adopted to
combat the menace of terrorism in Nigeria, the country remains plagued by
incessant terrorist attacks. That is, these counterterrorism measures have
proven ineffective and are at risk of turning the military into terrorists
themselves. This has made winning the war on terror an illusion.
However, several key obstacles are responsible for the failure
of the government to tackle terrorism. These obstacles include identity
politics; prevailing socioeconomic conditions; a weak security apparatus; the
politicization of the war on terror; underfunded national security and
intelligence services; porous borders; and weak regional integration; among
others.
One of the major obstacles to solving the challenge of terrorism
is identity – ethnic, religious and cultural. The social identity theory of
extremism suggests that terrorism festers as a result of the notion of ‘we’ vs
‘them’ or as a result of the perceived threat to a group’s identity. This
explains Boko Haram’s categorization of western education as a sin that
threatens Islamic teachings.
Given the level of multiculturalism in Nigeria, it is not
surprising to see a group like Boko Haram rise in arms against the government
following a perceived threat to its identity. Besides, post-colonial African
states such as Nigeria are majorly ridden with identity crises following the
artificial union occasioned by colonial construct. Therefore, the lack of
national identity and the consciousness of the identity of separation makes it
easy for terrorism to thrive.
Another key obstacle to solving the challenge of terrorism in
Africa is the prevailing economic condition of the country. For instance,
Nigeria is presently the poverty capital of the world with about 70 million
(i.e. 40% of the total population) people living in abject poverty.
Whereas, Africa has been described as the poorest continent in
the world with about 433 million people. Following Ted Gurr’s conception of
relative deprivation, groups, when deprived, tend to subscribe to
frustration-aggression which makes the possibility, sustenance and
proliferation of terrorism possible.
A weak security apparatus is yet another obstacle to curbing
terrorism. The morale of the Nigerian army has been dampened over time. This is
not unconnected with the fact that the weapons of the officers are often
inferior to that of the members of the sect.
There have been allegations of the funds meant to acquire arms
for the Nigerian army being embezzled by the top echelon of the military thus
discouraging the officers from giving their all. Some officers have also
willingly resigned from the services of the military for fear of being killed
by the Boko Haram sect.
More so, there is speculation that government officials might be
sponsoring these terrorist groups to achieve a political end. For instance,
ex-President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, once retorted that Boko Haram
adherents were in his government, in the legislature, judiciary, police, armed
forces, and other security agencies. This makes it difficult to defeat the
group given the possibility of insider information being leaked ahead of
assault operations. Also, it is suggested that terrorism is often politicized
by the political elite to serve as a cash cow.
The majority of the security and intelligence services in Africa
are underfunded and understaffed and are, therefore, incapacitated from
engaging in coordinated intelligence gathering. For instance, it is suggested
that the war on terror in Africa has failed because the governments in Africa
have failed to understand the structure and operations of the sects.
For emphasis, little is known about the organizational structure
of Boko Haram, its communication channels, recruitment channels and financiers.
The police have also been accused of lacking sophisticated gadgets to intercept
the communication channels of the sect and forensic laboratories to investigate
the arms and other materials recovered from the sect.
Boko Haram takes advantage of porous borders and poorly governed
areas to spread its activities. These porous borders connecting Nigeria to
other countries along The Chad Basin and several other hinterlands make it
extremely difficult to track the activities of the sect before spreading to
other countries. Besides, the sect has constantly used this to its advantage
and to escape capture by security agencies.
There is also the challenge of weak sub-regional cooperation
between Nigeria and her neighbouring countries. There is no overstating the
need for a joint, coordinated and uniform strategy in tackling terrorism – by
both affected and yet to be affected – neighbouring countries.
Given the above, a comprehensive approach to curbing terrorism
in Nigerian will be that which emphasizes a counter-narrative of national
identity; addresses the socioeconomic conditions that allow terrorism to
thrive; strengthens the security apparatuses; reduces political interference;
funds national security and intelligence services – through a public-private
partnership; increases the presence of security agencies at the borders; and
reduces the number of such borders; and encourages a regionally-based Joint
Task Force against Boko Haram.
*Akinyetun is a public affairs commentator
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