Islamic Scholars Don’t Speak Against Boko Haram Over Fear Of Being Killed – Shettima

Borno state Governor Kashim Shettima on Thursday, July 23, delivered a powerful speech “Democracy and Security in Northeast, Nigeria – the case study of Borno” at the NUJ event in the course of which he was awarded as the Governor of the Year, 2014.

In the piece published by Daily Post, Shettima stressed the importance of Islamic scholars participation in the ideological fight against Boko Haram insurgency. The governor lamented, however, that now leading scholar fear to speak up. He called for the support of such people by ensuring their and their families’ security.

The politician further recalled the stages of insurgency, blaming leader, including himself, for not taking the relevant measures when required. Media, he noted, also contributed to the situation worsening.

“Changing the ideology of the Boko Haram will require intellectual roles by leading Islamic scholars with mass appeal. It is most disturbing to note that today in northern Nigeria, there is no single Islamic scholar that preaches against the Boko Haram ideology and the reason is because everyone is afraid.

“Leading scholars like Sheikh Jaafar Mahmud Adam and Sheikh Albani Zaria who vehemently preached against the ideology have been killed. In Maiduguri, scholars like Sheikh Ibrahim Gomari, Malam Bashir Gomari and over 30 different scholars who were opposed to the Boko Haram ideology have all been killed.

“Today, the only group in the north that can speak against the sect are holders of public offices who have security men surrounding them. It is hugely important for us to identify Islamic scholars with the intellectual depth and mass followers to change the boko haram narrative so that we can save young souls from listening to the sect.

“We must support these scholars and provide them with maximum security for not only them but their families as much as public office holders are adequately protected. These scholars will be performing very important national security assignments that are as important as those of any public office holder, no matter how highly placed.”

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“We all have roles to play in addressing the insurgency because we all contributed in the making whether by indifference; by directly fueling it; by failing to address it or by standing in the ways of those who make efforts to address the problems. No active group is free from blame, from those of us who are political actors to even journalists.

“In exercising its freedom of expression and sharing of information, the media has had running battles with those in position of authority; security agencies in particular. Often times, security agencies devise strategies aimed at fighting insurgents but these strategies end up being disclosed by the media and as a result, these steps are killed by these media reports despite enormous human and material resources that might have been put in by security agencies over time.

“In some cases, deployments made to haunt insurgents get reported, thus giving insurgents clues about number of boots coming after them, sometimes including telling the world the routes being taken by troops. Insurgents in turn prepare to ambush troops. Apart from these instances, certain avoidable reports give undue superiority to Boko Haram, which boost their confidence. In fact, disorganized commanders of boko haram rely on the media to reach their fighters.

“I remember with serious concerns, how a particular media house reported in April, 2015, that leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau was calling on his followers to continue fighting and not to relent in their struggles. A national and otherwise respected media house reported this.

“I also remember how another media house reported someone calling himself a soldier, alleging that Nigerian troops were behind Boko Haram attacks and I was wondering how unreasonable it was for someone to declare that his only eyes with which he sees are rotten, when the alternative to those eyes, is simply blindness. What do we do if we are made to believe that those who are our only hope are those killing us? That would be a hopeless situation.

“These instances however, are not to say that the media hasn’t helped in the fight against Boko Haram. The media has done far more positive things than posing some challenges. Journalists even sacrificed their lives in an attempt to expose activities of insurgents. The media remains a hero in the fight against insurgency.

“Perhaps, even on the challenges posed by the media in exposing security strategies, I think the problem has largely been refusal to take the media into confidence. The worst mistake one in authority can make is to disregard or underrate the capacity of a journalist to know what the man in authority tries to hide. So long as you want to hide, the journalist wants to expose. For me, the best approach is to take a journalist into confidence by treating him or her as a partner rather than an opponent.

“I therefore respectfully suggest that the incoming President and National Executives of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) consider the need to establish a National Standing Committee on Strategic Media and Security Cooperation under the co-chairmanship of the NUJ President and may be the National Security Adviser or any appropriate official with President of the editors guild to serve as Secretary.

“The committee should have as members, serving editors of all major Newspapers and key online media houses, Directors of News across Television and Radio Stations as well as spokesmen of the Defense Headquarters, Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, DSS and other paramilitary organizations so that on quarterly basis or where there is an emergency need, the committee can meet to share ideas on how best to manage security related issues in the best interest of promoting national security without compromising the freedom of the press and the reasonable rights of the public to be informed.”

Boko Haram insurgents on Friday, July 24, reportedly killed at least 43 people in separate attacks in the northeast of the country. On the same day, however, the Nigerian army claimed to have recaptured Dikwa town, Borno state, from the militants.

The anti-terrorism fight is in high gear. There is an opinion that the insurgents have intensified attacks as they feel that they are losing control of their seized territories, which are being reclaimed by the army forces. Others believe that it is simply the inability of the new government to deal with the situation.