Terrorism: The Enemy Within, By Tunde Abatan
The enemies of a man are men of his household so says the holy book-Matthew 30:36.
Hardly could armed robbery, theft or other security threats occur in a house, locality or other private or public places without the aggressor having a first hand knowledge of the territory or vicinity where the crime is committed.
In other words, the saying that the enemy within plays a crucial role in compromising security by revealing the loopholes for criminal elements to perpetuate their crime is valid in any clime.
Nigeria has in the past two decades experienced all forms of criminal behaviours like kidnapping, banditry and terrorism which has assumed a new dimension with the attendant deployment of resources which hitherto should have been used to provide essential amenities.
The scourge of criminal behaviours in the Northern part of the country has assumed a new dimension such that it has developed a life of its own.
Today, beside the urge to take territories and hostages for monetary gains, displacement of indigenous people in several Northern states have raised the bar of insecurity to a war within.
From Borno to Zamfara, Katsina, Gombe, Nassarawa, Plateau and of late Kwara and Kogi States, it is a gory tales of sorrow, tears and blood reminiscent of Fela Anikulapo.
With the exception that Fela’s lyrics was more of war of the mind for economical and social survival.
Today’s sorrow, tears and blood has become an epidemic which latent motive is to kill, maim, destroy and displacement of indigenous people from their territory for propagation of extremism of all sorts
Last Tuesdays siege on Moslem dominated Woro and Nuku communities which resulted in over 170 residents sent to their early Graves and several houses and other properties destroyed represents a new dimension to the terrorism ravaging the North. It marked a shift of the terrorism from the north west part of the country to the Middle Belt boundary with the South West.
If the souls were wasted by fellow criminal minded extremist Muslims agitating for adoption of their sects violent doctrines, it represents a far more dangerous dimension.
This new dangerous dimension to terrorism makes the war harder to win .
The Muslim -on Muslim violence which the latest terror war in Kwara has come to represent poses a new challenge to curbing ethno religious violence in Northern Nigeria now spreading to the South through Kwara state, the border between South West and the State,
During last years insurgent in Yelwata local government area of Benue State, General Christopher Musa, then Chief of Defence staff identified members of the local community serving as moles and informants to the invaders as the fundamental reasons for success of the mayhem . The locals in the community he alleged supplied information to the terrorists about movement of troops.
Again, several localties spoken to on the latest Kwara orgy of violence and death spoke of locals within who compromised the security by supplying information on the community to the invaders.
Beside incontrovertible claims of strange settlers who gave information to the terrorists caught the residents off- guard.
The internal collaboration of strange settlers in Kwara is a strong warning to South West states where such settlers have settled in forests within communities are better prepared to either evict or displaced terrorists who choose to settle in forests instead of inside the towns and villages.
Today, strange settlers most of who are from neighbouring West African countries and the Sahel have settled in strategic towns and cities only waiting for when to strike.
The Kwara killings is also a consequence of effect of late President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration to make Nigeria home to Fulani’s worldwide.
It is also the effect of lack of policing of Northern borders which remains the most porous in the country.
For effect, when Buhari ordered closure of Republic of Benin and other West African neighbouring countries, during the COVID pandemic in 2020, he left the Northern borders opened and the effect is what we are witnessing today.
In other words, while he closed the Southern borders for economic reasons, he left the Northern borders opened to allow his fellow wandering Fulani brothers to enter Nigeria and occupy forests that has become what has now been described as ‘ungoverned spaces.’
In reality, is there any ungoverned territory in Nigeria since they fall into either a commuity development Association, local government or state.
For state officials to describe territories occupied by strangers and settlers as ungoverned space is an indirect compromise of our security architecture and the result is what we see today.
There is the need for governments at all levels to reassess internal security apparatus in spite of free movement of people.
The internal Affairs Ministry has an urgent need to restrict and profile foreign settlers coming to the country in droves .
This will reduce if not stop Buhari’s covert move to populate his itinerant Fulani kinsmen who obviously came to Nigeria’s unprotected spaces to displace indigenes by gradual elimination through terror, destruction arson and death .
Collaboration of insiders and locals in our communities through monetary inducement has opened a fresh challenge to curbing terrorism and the need for government and security agencies to improve on intelligence gathering.
Since perilous times we are in calls for review of our internal policies to improve security, review of protocols on free movement of people in West Africa has become imminent.
Nigeria today is home to influx of unprofiled foreigners which has posed biggest security threats.
From okada riders to shoe shiners, herders and itinerant extremist religious preachers, there is urgent need to carry out a census to purge Nigeria of this evil elements which activities has compromised our security and internal safety.
Time for a new thinking by security forces on ways to curb terrorism and other associated evils through intelligence gathering is Now?
