Abuja Bomb Blast And Surviving Asymmetry Terrorist War

 

An Abuja-based forensic psychologist and journalist, Law Mefor, presents its views on the lessons which should be learnt from Nyanya bomb blast. He also mentions many facts from the past about Boko Haram and other terrorist organisations.

Read the passage below:
The lesson to be drawn from the Nyanya tragedy is that there is a gross error of judgment in Nigeria about the true nature of Boko Haram insurgency. Boko Haram is simply a terrorist organization and should be approached as such. The Sect has grown in stature and complements to be accorded the same respect as Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab, Ansaru and Hezbollah. It has dug into North Eastern Nigeria and some parts of neighbouring Cameroon, Niger and Chad, but must not be allowed to settle in. The situation calls for a complete overhaul of strategy on the path of the Nigerian State.


The Nyanya (Abuja) Monday bombing tragedy sadly also shows the need for Nigerians to understand that how Al Qaeda and Al Shabaab dug into Afghanistan and Somalia, is how Boko Haram is pushing to entrench itself in Nigeria. The Sect declared itself a Jihadist Organization in 2009 and since then, has been working quite hard to actualize the agenda. It cleverly understands that plunging into a positional warfare with the Nigerian Military would be their undoing. Like a typical terrorist organization, they chose asymmetry warfare, which gives them a peculiar advantage.

In asymmetry warfare the enemy is embedded within and cannot easily be isolated and dealt with, without hurting the citizens being protected in a friendly fire. Asymmetry warfare is not exactly Human Shield since the State force cannot even say for sure that the enemy is within until it wreaks its havoc, unlike what happens in Human Shield where the enemy shields itself with women and children who must be protected going by the rules of engagement in a conventional war.

It is important to also state that the major weapon used by any terror organization is fear and Boko Haram has made great use of it. The fear factor is exploited to the maximum by any terrorist sect by employing the Contagion Effect of the Media. Unfortunately, in an environment where mass media is driven by profit and sales figures, terrorist activities conditionally feed news outlets, for Sect’s activities to be sensationalized and play up emotions. The terror organization thus looks up to the media for the multiplier effect of its activities, which no matter how remote, are made by the media to reverberate round the country and beyond. In fact mass media and terrorism form an understandable symbiotic relationship.