Of The Wanton Killing and Boko Haram: A False Flag Operation or A Genuine National Migraine?

Save my article ‘Nigeria at 51: My Reflections on security’, in which I dedicated a few lines to the Boko Haram menace, I have maintained a disturbing silence on the issue since the first suicide bombing incident took place in the country. I mean whoever will jump into analysis in a country once regarded as the happiest people on earth; a country where the romance between an average citizen and life is so hot that the mention of death will bring their heart into their mouth. Though the infamous Abdul Mutalab drama should have served as an eye-opener, one cannot readily accept that truly, a Nigerian can commit to blow himself up for whatever cause!

I have tried, over a period of fourteen months, to analyze and understand the
configuration as well as the execution of the numerous Boko Haram “job”, but the closer it seems am getting to the desired spot, the farther the truth draws away from me. It is usually so heartbreaking that I always wish I possess the intelligence of a Mossad, CIA, or KGB agent. Listening to the condolence message from the presidency, which obviously has a template on Abati’s computer, no doubt shoots up the severity of my headache. Finally however, I have decided to break my silence by asking this million dollar question: is the Boko Haram menace a genuine national problem or a false flag operation?

Recently, I was refreshing my knowledge of history when I stumbled on the false flag operation concept and its many examples; after spending hours on it, I stumbled on the most shocking example - 9/11 was allegedly masterminded by the U.S government itself! Click to read more on False Flag Operation. After the refreshers session, I was forced to think the whole Boko Haram menace may be a false flag operation after all! More confusing however, was another thought that came up on my mind: if it is a false flag operation, who then is the mastermind? Is it the foreign economic powers who relish the possibility of leveraging on another messianic role to further enslave our already colonized oil economy? Could it be the home government, who’d definitely need a golden table to sell their rotten fish? Is it the cult of election losers who’d want to unsettle the country to prove they are the best administrator of our national life?

Whoever faults or blame my suspicion, or confusion as you may call it should fix the following puzzling questions: why is the government always swift in reading their condolence message at every bombing, yet they have refused taking a genuinely proactive action against the menace, even when they claim to know them? Why did the government have to use the security issues in the country to blackmail the coalition of NLC/TUC and Civil Society Groups into buying their obnoxious and much maligned fuel subsidy removal policy, even when the same did not stop them from its untimely introduction in the first place? Why did this have to wait till after the inflammatory and war-threatening statements made by the eventual losers of the 2011 general elections? What about the recent revelations from the Boko Haram sect, in which they claim to have been in a running relationship cum agreement with northern States governors who placed them on 5 - 10 million naira monthly salary since 2004? Whoever forgets that Kabir ‘Sokoto’ was arrested within the compound of a particular northern State governor’s house, and then escaped from the hands of the Nigerian Police Force?

If it is a genuine national problem, why hasn’t the entire northern elites rally behind the national efforts to arrest the situation? Why didn’t Mossad, C.I.A, and MI6, who could boast of at least 15 years working experience on terrorism and counter-terrorism offer or share intelligence report and resource with which we could have forestall the emergence of the Boko Haram menace? At least, we are considered important and influential in world politics and policing! Why do they have to wait till about 950 people have been gruesomely murdered before offering a direct help? Whoever forgets the Libya drama?

I have a thousand and one questions to pose, but I will stop at those few that the purpose of this piece may not be lost. Except we will justify the recent allegation that African intellectuals are lazy, it is time for us all to rally behind the national efforts to checkmate this menace. Do we continue to apportion blames, and mouth huge criticism when a former police chief publicly alleged the Nigerian Intelligence Unit is outdated? Can we afford to wait on a president who publicly acknowledged his government has been infiltrated by the sect? Are we willing to rely on a government whose only solution is to dare the sect members to show their face for our security? No, I say. It is time to wrap our heads around the situation and unravel the mystery in order to save our crumbling nation. It is time for the Occupy Nigeria Movement, Save Nigeria Group, Nigerian Hacktivists, and Civil Society Groups to recalibrate their efforts, which is currently weak to hold water.

We must wrestle our nation from the hold of whichever power that is behind the whole menace. The time is now.

Read, have your say, share, and educate.
Alamu Samson.