Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

EFOZIEM: Boko Haram Members Are Now Frustrated

By Odita Sunday
12 July 2015   |   12:08 am
Dr. Chinye Bone Efoziem is the managing director of Strict Guard Security Company. He is a member of the American Society For Industrial Security (ASIS), a prestigious body in the private security. He spoke with ODITA SUNDAY on the upsurge in terrorists’ activities in the country. The activities of terrorist have become alarming despite the…
Efoziem

Efoziem

Dr. Chinye Bone Efoziem is the managing director of Strict Guard Security Company. He is a member of the American Society For Industrial Security (ASIS), a prestigious body in the private security. He spoke with ODITA SUNDAY on the upsurge in terrorists’ activities in the country.

The activities of terrorist have become alarming despite the recent relocation of the military headquarters to the Northeast. What do you think is responsible for this?
ORDINARILY, a man, who is not used to the combat terrain, theories and reactions, will tell you that things are getting worse, but what is happening is an indication of frustrations on the part of the terrorist.

Before now, Boko Haram had been emboldened to a point that they were taking territories, at a time, they were even hoisting flags, possibly, in a while, if things had continued in that manner, they would have reached a stage where they would say a place is their headquarters, ‘this is our military post, this is our installation.’

But if you noticed, what has been happening in recent times, terrorism has lost its original pattern and approach. Their approach in the past was to attack a certain area with their foot soldiers, conquer and capture given territories, at that time, the average person in Nigeria will tell you that Boko Haram is stationed in Sambisa forest and Gwoza, but as it is today, you cannot say Boko Haram is stationed in Sambisa forest, neither would you say it is in Gwoza.

Now, I will tell you what has happened, which was created by the past government. Personally, I commend the Jonathan administration for their action in the last eight weeks of their regime. But you don’t first negotiate with criminals.
Why are we experiencing constant bombings now?

These things happen because the sect has been able to establish and maintain contact with all other dangerous terrorist groups, who are helping them in trainings, technology and planning. Don’t forget the fact that before now, we were not hearing of suicide bombers, we just heard of drop-off bombs and attacks.

If we had imbibed that kind of suicide operation, we would have been in trouble. And any nation where that mentality of suicide bombers has been imbibed, that nation is in serious security problem. That is the problem Nigeria is facing today. Let me make this clear about suicide bombings; Boko Haram is no longer a group, it is now a concept or principle where people who believe in the concept can do anything in the name of the group.

And the people who carry out the bombings may not have any link or correlation with the sect, but the important thing is that you are doing it in the name of Boko Haram; that is where Nigeria has reached. This is why things seem to be very difficult for the security agencies. This is why the Nigeria defense sector needs proper reorganisation. If you design a reactionary security system to combat crime, you are bound to fail, but if you design a proactive security network, you may have the tendencies to be able to counter terrorism.

Now, Nigeria has so far, from the colonial times, depended on reactionary security and defense force; that is why you find out that when Boko Haram strikes in a particular area, they send their soldiers there. That measure could have been able to take care of the group at the initial stage, confront them headlong till they are able to route them entirely. What would have happened is that they would have succeeded In chasing them to neighbouring countries, which actually, I think happened earlier and they will come in as guerrilla group, attacking with guerrilla warfare pattern from either Chad or Niger.

People believe that the President is not doing enough to stem the tide?
A lot of people feel he is failing, but you don’t forget that even as a multiple general, you don’t go into a war without proper strategies of what your intentions are, how you do intend to implement those things, what I think the president and his team are trying to do is to do a multiple front attack against the sect.

That means there is a formation coming from Chad, Niger, Cameroun, and Nigeria, having a central command unit, which is joint anti-terrorism force. It means that when you are chasing them from Yobe or Adamawa state, the tendencies are that they are running towards Cameroun. Now that same taskforce is blocking them and preventing them from coming in because of the porous nature of the borders, a lot of them will escape, but they are not going to escape as Boko Haram fighters, they will be escaping as mere young men who find their way in between two countries.

They could stroll into this country or stroll out of that country without weapons.
The important thing is that if you watch what is happening here today, it seems that is what is happening. A lot of them have strolled back into Cameroon, a lot of them have strolled more into Nigeria because of the porous nature of our borders, finding themselves either in Yobe, Borno or Adamawa state. Now they come in clusters and they are beginning to engage in suicide bombing or drop-off bombing because they no longer have access to the heavy and light weapon they are fighting with.

Access to bombs by terrorists is worrisome; don’t you think it portends grave threat to peace?
Any nation where this is happening, that nation is in trouble, because the technology looks very simple, but it is very difficult and complex for government to take care of it. That is way government should have monopoly over violence, not individuals. By the time individuals begin to design weapons of mass destruction, have access to the technology, which are very cheap, then we are in trouble.

IEDs can be packaged in different household items and dropped off somewhere, there is a problem, and there is explosion. Nigeria has too many things they should look at and one of them is how to redesign our defense arrangement from the previous reactionary system to the proactive security system. Let the security agencies incorporate people with scientific technology know-how who will be able to identify materials used to create IEDs that are easily available. This way, they are able to attack the sources of suppliers of these IED materials; otherwise, these bombing will not reduce.

Is the command and control headquarters in Maiduguri doing the magic?
When people say command and control, they have not really looked at what the implementation are.  I think the president gave the order without fully enforcing or implementing it.

If we talk of command and the control, it is expected that even the service chiefs would have relocated their offices there, the fighting formations, which have units in the operational area should move their command headquarters there.

But what they have done is that they have a division of the Nigerian Army having an annex in Maduguri. This means that, possibly, the Chief of Army would go to the office in Abuja, another day he is in Maiduguri. It does not signify that you have moved the command and control.

So, what should be done is that they should create a real command and control post in the operational area, where the service chiefs themselves should have their offices having every fighting and formation unit right under their supervision and until that is done, that order will not make impact.

0 Comments