Nazih Al-Ruqaii, alias Abu Anas Al-Libi...they gorim!
Nigeria’s Guitar Boy Commander-in-Chief and his clapping ‘troops’ of Alleluia Boys...”I don’t know if Shekau is dead or alive; I am not God, I can’t say terrorism won’t happen again but...”
Oyeabo Azubuike Ihejirika...a very helpless and thoroughly overwhelmed General with no known strategy in the war on terror in his country...the Chief of Army Staff who ‘cried’ on the pages of newspapers that the strategies of Boko Haram. are unpredictable, yet, this boy is a Lieutenant General in his country’s Army!
With the recent terrorists activities in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Somalia, Algeria, Mali, Nigeria, Kenya and elsewhere, many a writer and so-called security experts have erroneously concluded that the battle ground has now shifted from Asia to Africa. The UN, America and the West generally, if bought into this jaundiced observation by these myopic security experts and analysts will do that at their own peril and put their citizens, embassies/high commissions, investments and other strategic interests in other parts of the world, particularly in Asia at grievous risk because the tendency will be to now concentrate efforts in the Africa frontlines with less attention to Asia-where preparation is in top gear by the Allied Forces to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. What really is happening in and around the world is history repeating itself as Islamism/Islam is making a comeback to the world under various guises and excuses such as the West occupying the East, the Israeli-Palestinian imbroglio with the West as believed by Muslims/Islamists/jihadists supporting Israel. Terrorism has not left Asia, its very home – the jihadists are merely exploring new frontiers following previous century’s jihad lines.
With respect to Africa, any serious student of history will do well to race to the past, especially the period beginning from the 7th Century when the Arabs invaded the continent perpetrating all sorts of violence in the name of Islam and displaced indigenous cultures, values languages and way of life leading to the extinction of many indigenous languages in North and West Africa culminating in the Arabic adulteration of many, many languages in other parts of Africa. Were the present generation of young Africans who are now doing the bidding of Saudi Arabia and other Muslim nations by spreading violence and engaging in purposeless malignity of maiming, killing their brothers and sisters and destroying their countries national infrastructure to the appeasement of their external and local financiers not foolish, what in fact, they should be asking and ‘fighting’ for should be to know how and why authentic African values and languages had been made extinct by that Arab invasion of Africa, and how such indigenous religions and values instead of Islam, and Africa’s lost glories can be restored.
African politicians and young Africans should be emulating the Chinese, (although in the modern world, China is one of the few countries with unbroken civilization) by being themselves and not apologizing for who they are as a people and be proud of their Africanness with all its undiluted cultures, religions and values, instead of combing all over the world or keeping hotel rooms to collect money from the Muslim world to destroy their countries as the Somalis and the Hausa-Fulanis of Nigeria have done. Such monies for the evil enterprises are also posted into individual accounts from the East or are channeled through local politicians, mosques, religious leaders, traditional rulers, etc, etc.
Thus, if the war on terror is to make any headway, the United Nations, the US and nations currently experiencing terror activities must adopt the drastic measures of identifying nations, individuals, Muslim charities, banks, etc, sponsoring or collecting money on behalf of the jihadists and sanction them severely. Where any nations have been identified as using their oil wealth to sponsor terrorists’ activities, the UN should come up with appropriate resolutions to boycott the oil and gas of such nations. Until this is done, terrorism is going to remain with us for a very long time and it does not matter how many of the leaders of Islamists are killed, so long as money keeps flowing from the East and around the world those in countries/regions of the world, particularly the West who now lead in the war on terror will just be wasting their tax payers’ money, time and energy chasing shadows.
As well as sanctioning nations of the world funding terror activities in the name of global jihad, all Muslim charities and banks financing or collecting money for jihad causes must be closed down with individuals involved in such satanic errands punished severely.
Also, in the war on terror America’s unilateralism may be beautiful in the short term, but in the long run, it will engender bitterness, hatred and extreme hostility towards Westerners, and more, unilateralism is all about cowboy approach to fighting terror and ultimately violates nations’ sovereignty rights, hence I have always proffered that since terror is a global menace, it requires a multilateral approach or multi-national inputs to wage a concerted and a more effective approach in fighting it. No doubt, America’s 9/11 experience has taught her a great lesson to invest handsomely in the war on terror, but it appears to me, other nations of the world, particularly the transitional economies are confused and overwhelmed as to how to begin the war on terror. Equally, other Western nations have advanced speedily in the war on terror and the same cannot be said of Africa and Asia. Whilst Africa and Asia sleep, forces of Islamism are spreading ravenously!
The various units within the US counter-terror Operations as listed below show how far that nation has gone, whilst most African nations don’t know what to do yet, Nigeria particularly, with one of its security chiefs Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika ‘crying’ before the press that Boko Haram’s strategies are unpredictable – and up till now he is still in service, when he ought to have been kicked out of service by somebody or himself bowed out in shame the very day he uttered that careless, irresponsible and unprofessional statement.
- National Counterterrorism Center
- National Joint Terrorism Task Force
- Strategic Command Center (SIOC)
- Terrorist Explosives Device Analytical Center
- Terrorist Financing Operations Section
- Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Genocide and War Crimes Program
The Nigerian authorities have continued to remain helpless and overwhelmed in the face of the franchised exploits of the now global jihad brand – Boko Haram – with each attack by the several sects that abound alluding to the brand name of Boko Haram, in order to confuse the lame duck Nigerian security chiefs and the Nigerian Government who both in the last four years have been jumping about aimlessly like a three-legged kangaroo, designing strategy, if any at all, to fight Boko Haram and perhaps, Ansaru, which they have erroneously thought are the ONLY sects! Meanwhile, there are recruiters all over mosques, hotels, motels/brothels, forests, hills, mountains, valleys, homes of legislators/senators, governors, civil servants, police, armed forces/police barracks, inside moving cars, lorries, trailers, ruga, grazing lands/routes, airports, palaces, home or private mosques, kasuwa/market places, cow/goats, abandoned buildings, etc, etc recruiting gullible young Muslims on daily basis with cells all over Nigeria. Ludicrously, despite all leads I have been providing these good-for-nothing security personnel, they have been concentrating efforts in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa – when in fact, the mujahedins are all over Nigeria!
By the way, how many Nigerians are currently undergoing training in Asia to return to carryout deadlier attacks?
Need I say here the next attacks in Nigeria will be carried out in unlikely places and target objects? Despite this grave threat to national security, the President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Armed Forces of Nigeria does not know if the leader of Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau is alive or dead. Said he: “As president, I don’t know whether he is dead or alive. I don’t want to speculate”.
Shouldn’t a Commander-in-Chief like this bury his head in shame? Yet President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria loves wearing all the uniforms of his country’s armed forces and that of the police, constantly grinning like a he-goat each time he had these undeserved uniforms on! Lest I forget, Nigeria is in the Age of Goodluck, where people leave everything including governance and fighting terror to goodluck.
Rather than individual nations in the West going to help their former colonies or the US going it all alone and later indulge in self-adulation and then turning round to ask their erstwhile colonies: “Now that I have helped you drive away terrorists from your cities into the desert, what have you got for me in return? This question is often asked with Western eyes on oil and gas, hence many people have come to that inevitable, but unfortunate conclusion that Uncle Sam only goes fighting terror where there is oil! The same conclusion is drawn regarding the West generally.
In light of the above hasty conclusion, I had as reproduced here, again called for both regional, continental and global approaches to fighting terror.
But come to think of it, why has Kenya become the New Yemen for terrorists from all realms and climes to co-habit? Also, why has Nigeria – the most populous Black nation on the Planet Earth become the New Pakistan?
Having been advising the dunder-heads who pass for African leaders over the years of the need first, for African Security Summit (ASS), wherein a continental approach to this global phenomenon-terrorism will be fashioned to be followed by a continental policy/strategy on security - African Security Policy (ASP) or African Security Strategy (ASS) consequent upon the establishment of the African Counter Terror Squad (ACTS) or African Counter Terror Force (ACTF/ACT-FORCE), I had personally looked forward to the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary as a most auspicious time to so do, but what was of immediate concern to them during the anniversary meet was the trial or otherwise of Uhuru Kenyatta not at the International Court of Justice, the Hague, but at home in Africa, with everyone of them mouthing, chorusing and chanting it above genuine issues of grave concern to the continent - security amongst others, and the plights of all persons of African ancestry, wherever they maybe on the surface of the earth. On this occasion of the Westgate tragedy, with tears welling out of my eyes and with a heart full of sorrow, I want to again cry personally to all African leaders and the AU leadership inclusive, to call for an emergency continental security meeting, where a rapid continental response to fighting this menace will be discussed with a view to acting on this humble advise of mine and establish without further delay, all that have been here suggested:
*****My earlier article on this has hereby been reproduced: (Please see the highlighted) and full text below: THE PAKISTANIZATION OF NIGERIA BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Where is Shekau, M.D. Abubakar? My friend, where is Shekau?
Written by JOHN ODEY ADUMA, EDITOR AND BRITISH CHEVENING SCHOLAR | 10 June 2013
****And continentally speaking, there has to be sub-regional and continental co-operations to push back the forces of Islam and the Sharia-Creep in the continent. Such co-operation as having West Africa Counter Terror Squad (WACTS), East Africa Counter Terror Squad (EACTS), North Africa Counter Terror Squad (NACTS), Central Africa Counter Terror Squad (CACTS), South Africa Counter Terror Squad (SACTS) and a continental body to be known and called: Africa Counter Terror Squad (ACTS) with each holding a security summit as soon as possible culminating in a continental body to be known and called: Africa Security Summit (ASS), whilst the regional summits will be West Africa Security Summit (WASS), East Africa Security Summit (EASS), North Africa Security Summit (NASS), Central Africa Security Summit (CASS) and last, but not the least, South Africa Security Summit (SASS).
If the countries in Africa fail to come up with regional and continental counter-terror squads as I have suggested and partner with the US and other nations of the world, they must never complain when America moves with its drones into their territories as has been done in Pakistan, elsewhere, and perhaps, lately Libya. Nigeria particularly, should begin to read the handwriting on the wall and move fast to root out terrorists operating therein, lest once the US declares Boko Haram an international terrorist organization, it will move in with its drones immediately to hit all areas terrorists are already operating in Nigeria, MOST of which the Nigerian authorities don’t even have a clue/know about.
At international level, I’m by this platform proposing a Trans Atlantic Alliance Against Terror (TAAAT) or United Nations Counter Terror Organization (UNCTO) or United Nations Counter Terror Force (UNCTF) and the adoption of 9/11 as World Counter Terror Day (WCTD). But in the war on terror, the world may be able to scale down the scourge the day young Muslims the world over summon the courage to tell their Imams, Sheikhs and all those who might attempt to radicalize them the three-letter abbreviation: D.I.Y (Do It Yourself)!
The excuse Nigeria and other African nations often give regarding terrorism is that it is new. But all serious nations and continents since the 9/11, 2001 had planned ahead of time as to how to meet the new threats whenever it arrived on their shores. Nigeria particularly, cannot claim I have not been warning them since 1989 about religious wars, and by extension, Africa. In fact, during the 9/11, it was reported America traced a Nigerian who was connected with the plot to Kano and then in my capacity as Chairman Editorial Board of the Daily Times of Nigeria Plc I had warned the Nigerian State of the aftermath and what would eventually come with a strong emphasis that no nation could survive religious war. I ran a series of articles for eight weeks entitled: The pain in a region of my soul: They have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Yet when the United Nations Headquarters in Nigeria was bombed on August 26, 2011, former Police Commissioner Zakari Biu , said like a baby: “I did not know they would get there.” Also, I remember during the Madrid bombings of 2004, I wrote an article as a Columnist published in the City University of London’s Department of Journalism website called: City-side warning the whole wide world how terrorists would not spare critical infrastructure of nations and warning what was afoot was actually a global jihad and not just a one off vengeance against the occupation of Muslims lands by the West as often trumpeted by the monsters. Again, during the Malian coup de’tat of 2012, in fact, the very week the coup took place, I wrote an article calling on the African Union to act fast as the forces of Islam had already made a comeback to Africa, calling first, for the dislodgement of the coup plotters and then a continental approach to fighting terror, beginning at regional levels and subsequently setting up a continental counter terror squad. What is more, since the Boko Haram menace, I have been providing the Nigerian authorities with leads as to their whereabouts and how to root them out in a 12-hour operation, so the excuse that terror is new is not tenable.
In fact, since the 9/11, any nation and any individual that does not know emphasis has shifted from Climate Change to security is living in another Planet. What is more, in a globalised world, if a disaster/tragedy occurs in a part of the globe, the stupidest question to ask is: “Will it ever happen in my/our own corner of the globe?” The wise question ought to be: “When will it happen in my/our corner of the globe?”
Unarguably, with the recent capture in Tripoli of Nazih Abdul-Hamed Nabih Al-Ruqaii, America as Secretary John Kerry had said is determined to get Islamists out of business, but Obama’s America must learn to play by the rule and be part of the global team on the war on terror with directives, perhaps, from the special agency of the UN on terror which I have been canvassing its establishment for many years now.