Former Vice-President Atiku
AbubakarFormer Vice-President, Atiku
Abubakar, in a statement on Saturday said
he was deeply saddened about the killing
of innocent school children of the Federal
Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe
State, by members of the Boko Haram
Sect.
He also said everybody should be blamed
for the activities of the sect because “We
are all guilty of expending endless energy
on trading of blames, none of which is
able to save lives or change the status
quo.”
His statement further stated that the
collaboration between the military and
the local militia, otherwise known as the
civilian JTF would go a long way in
curbing the activities of the sect.
The statement reads; Boko Haram
continues to leave a trail of blood and
tears in its wake. In the early hours of
Tuesday February 25, barely six months
after a similar attack, a band of murderers
invaded the Federal Government College
in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, wielding
explosives and guns and machetes,
slaughtering more than 40 boys in cold
blood.
As a father and grandfather I am deeply
saddened, not just by the latest murders,
but by every single life that has been lost
to the activities of these murderers. Every
life lost is one life too many.
As a country we are not doing enough of
focusing on and implementing solutions.
We are all guilty of expending endless
energy on handwringing and the trading
of blame, none of which is able to save
lives or change the status quo.
In light of this, I’ve got some suggestions,
focusing on solutions.
First is regarding the use of local militias.
When the President, in his most recent
media chat, spoke about the
government’s successes at pushing Boko
Haram to the “fringes” of the North East,
it immediately occurred to me that some
of the credit for that should go to the
‘civilian JTF’ – the band of youth in and
around Maiduguri who have taken it upon
themselves to act as a vigilante force to
fight Boko Haram.
I acknowledge that talk of a government-
backed civilian militia is a controversial
matter, but I do not think that should
stop us from debating and seriously
considering the matter, including it in our
list of possible measures. Especially as
we’ve seen it work in flushing the
militants out of Maiduguri.
My suggestion is for the military to more
actively engage with the civilian JTF, and
train and support them to be its eyes and
ears in the battle against Boko Haram. No
doubt the military is operating in very
unfamiliar terrain, and needs all the local
support it can get. There’s a lot that both
parties – the military and the civilian JTF –
can gain from collaborating.
My second suggestion has to do with
something I’m quite familiar with.
In January 2012, the American University
of Nigeria (AUN), which I founded many
years ago, established a Community Peace
Council in Adamawa State. Spearheaded
by the AUN Council Chair, Ahmed Joda,
and the University President, Margee
Ensign, the initiative assembles a wide
range of stakeholders, from government
(law enforcement agencies, including the
Police and SSS), civil society, religious
organisations, and market associations, to
collaborate on activities aimed at
maintaining an atmosphere of law and
order in Adamawa State.
Like the ‘civilian JTF’ the Community Peace
Council speaks to one fundamental truth:
the Boko Haram crisis will not be solved
without active local involvement and
support.
Abuja has a critical role to play, no doubt,
in providing and controlling the military
and ensuring that it is capable of fighting
and winning, and also in supporting state
governments to tackle the underlying
issues of poverty and underdevelopment,
but the role of local stakeholders can
never be overemphasized.
We need to throw everything we’ve got,
local and national, military and non-
military, at this crisis.
And we must also realise that no one has
a monopoly of wisdom; we need all the
solutions we can lay our hands on.
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