Boko Haram: FGN approach can’t win the war on terror
By Busolami Idowu
The Nigeria Scout Federation has expressed dissatisfaction with the approach being used by the Federal Government to tackle the security challenges posed by the Boko Haram sect.
The Chief Commissioner of the group, Retd. Colonel Ahmed Zubair, expressed the concern during the 2013 National WoodBadge Reunion in Lagos.
The scouts leader said, “On Boko Haram, I will say the method being employed by the Federal Government agencies may not be correct. What this means is that they will need to listen more to know what the root cause is. How did it all get started because they cannot be fighting without knowing why they are fighting and what is the aim of the people they are fighting?
He said the Federal Government might not successfully combat the sect without knowing its “real” demand. “I used 32 years and six months in the force and I believe if we can solve the Liberian and Sierra Leonean conflicts, we can also solve ours.
It is just a matter of applying the right tactics and approach. The government is for the people and they are supposed to make the interest of the people paramount in their decision.”
A former Chief Commissioner of NSF, Rev. Kunle Amolegbe, who condemned the activities of the Boko Haram sect, wondered why government left security in the hands of private individuals.
He said, “I wonder what kind of security we are talking about when those who are supposed to provide security are not providing it as expected. Nigeria is porous, security is in the hands of the individuals and that is why you see that all of us are living in our homes like prisoners, we mount high gates, fences and others. This shows that the security of Nigeria is below expectation.
“Before we can solve the Boko Haram’s problem, we must really know the root cause. We must be sure of what they are really fighting for. Some people look at it from the religious point of view, some look at it from the political point of view.”
