A faction of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Tuesday, stated that adopting the conventional ‘war approach’ is not the way to solve the terrorism challenge currently going on in Nigeria.
The organisation, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, in Ibadan, the state capital, said in conventional war, the ‘enemy’ could be identified in terms of location and other signifiers.
The PUNCH reports that US President, Donald Trump had recently declared Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern, and vowed to rescue Christians in Nigeria who he alleged are being persecuted because of their faith.
The Nigerian government as well as some others have consistently denied the allegation of persecuting adherents of any faith, particularly Christians.
But the refutations do not seem to dissuade the US government from its seeming determination to attack Nigeria to fight Boko Haram and others who are alleged to be carrying out genocide against Christians.
Afenifere said, “The approach to defeating terrorists in Nigeria requires tact, hard-track intelligence, diligence, commitment and sincerity on the part of those deployed to fight them.”
The organisation stressed that it issuing the second statement on the same subject within a short interval was due to the speed with which Trump is pursuing his goal of attacking Nigeria ostensibly to come and rescue Christians who he alleged are facing extermination.
It said, “The New York Times, on Wednesday, November 5, reported that the United States Africa Command has drawn up plans to attack Nigeria. The plans were categorized as ‘heavy, (Option A) ‘medium’ (Option B) and ‘light’ (Option C).
“Under the heavy option, fighter jets or long-range bombers will target militant strongholds in northern Nigeria. Under the ‘medium’ option, MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 Predator drones, supported by U.S. intelligence will ‘conduct targeted strikes against insurgent camps, convoys, and vehicles’ in northern Nigeria.
“Under the ‘light’ option, the US military will be sharing intelligence, provide logistics support and carry out joint operations with Nigerian armed forces against militant groups accused of mass killings, abductions and attacks on churches.”
Afenifere continued, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening. There is an aspect of the New York Times’ report that is alarming.
“The paper had reported that because of the feeling that limited air operations alone are unlikely to resolve Nigeria’s prolonged insurgency, there is the possibility of resorting to ‘a full-scale campaign– similar to those in Iraq or Afghanistan.”
Ajayi added that rather than the outright military path, better interests would be served by following the established principle of sovereignty based on strategic mutual cooperation, diplomatic engagement, genuine commitment to protecting citizens who are law-abiding regardless of the faith they profess as well as a veritable determination not only to hold terrorists and their sponsors accountable but to defeat them completely.
Afenifere called on those who are fascinated by the US planned strike to think twice as bombs hardly discriminate between the guilty and the innocents, especially when they are in the same spot.
“What should be encouraged are intelligence gatherings that would make it easier to identify desired targets and go for them directly with minimal collateral damages.
“It is undebatable that Christians and adherents of other faiths need to be protected in Nigeria. So are people who are being terrorized by those who want to take over their ancestral lands.
“Thus, the approach should be a total war on terrorists who prioritize resources over faith. In the same vein elders in various communities where the menace is rampant should swing more into action,” the statement added.
Credit: punchng.com
