Nigerian journalist, Ahmad
Salkida, known to have built close links with the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko
Haram and ISWAP on information generation has said that, the controversy
created by the technical defeat of Boko Haram was created by the Buhari-led
administration to achieve political gain rather than address the conflict
sincerely in the lake chad region.
Salkida in a tweet yesterday,
wrote that the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau has not recovered from the
fallout of his extreme and tight-fisted rule, which led to a split in 2016.
He said, “Many may argue that the
splinter group (ISWAP), is now as extreme as Shekau, but insiders disagree,
that there is freedom of expression in ISWAP.
“To many insiders, the execution
of an overrated Mamman Nur and two aid workers would have been carried out by Shekau
if he was faced with similar situations. It is also on record that Shekau has
executed dozens of his associates and has been the largest beneficiary of
ransom.
“While SWAP is now bearing the
brunt of recent, unequivocal detestation for ransom payments within and outside
Nigeria, the govt could not find the much-needed expertise with access to the
insurgents that can explore alternatives to ransom payments.
“On the aid workers, the thinking
within ISWAP is, the aid workers were abducted inside a military facility
during a raid, not in an IDP Camp, where they may have no problems overrunning?
In the case of Leah, she is not merely seen as Christian, but daughter to a
police officer.
“But what really went wrong that
led to the public execution of two aid workers and another recent killing of
local aid workers that was under reported? Are these executions limited to
failure of negotiations or is it something much deeper? These are questions
begging for answers.”
He said the failure of
negotiations that led to the barbaric killings and the slavery status of Leah
and Alice is confined to the contention that the government no longer wants to
pay ransom.
“But there is evidence that the
deadlock was mainly a credibility gap.
“There is a bubble that has been
created that precludes the powers that be to understand that the strategy that
worked yesterday, may not necessarily work today. It is much easier to succeed
in a ransom deal, than when given the task of a robust process, limited to
prisoner swap.
“In the past BH got deals that
was more favourable to them, which clearly undermined military targets and
objectives. They expected no less this time, but the state was adamant, but
because of the limited options available to govt, the executions could not be
deferred or averted.
“There have been
‘accomplishments’ that was akin to a Trojan horse, which also has created a
false hope, that was far from reality. That may as well explain why many did
not understand the gravity of the last paragraph in my report here –
“As appalling as this may sound,
once a slave girl missed her menstrual circle, there may not be any
negotiations for her release, and when the slave gives birth, she cannot be
separated with her under 7 year-old-child, the alternatives are narrowed to
only a military rescue operation.
“The fate of Leah and Alice is
similar to those of the few surviving Chibokgirls in captivity today. Though
the Chibok girls are not considered as slaves, but wives, however, BH ability
to keep their most prized captives out of the radar confirms they have
territorial control.
“Territorial holds do not mean BH
lives in all the communities and rule over them, some of these territories are
left with no semblance of governance, only occasional visits by the insurgents
and when the military appears in these areas, the villagers are ‘rescued.’
“There is also an obvious
knowledge gap about the conflict dynamics in the LakeChad and the govt and
experts heavily rely on confessions of detainees instead of interactions with
assets on the ground, this is how timely information is garnered and channeled
into saving lives.
“As Shekau is believed to be
boxed to the fringes of Gwoza, the military has halted its final push and
inadvertently created a buffer between ISWAP & BH for them to eliminate one
another. Will Shekau work out a rebound or will the military make the final
push that may see his end?
ISWAP on the other hand, is
buoyant, have dozens of local & Intl entry and exit routes in the region
and have used this raining season to build up an armoury never seen before, yet
they are struggling very hard to contain internal dissents from growing into
major schisms.
“The growing voices of dissent
within #ISWAP is more about a new generation of young jihadis trying to “take
over from less adventurous old guards,” rather than a war between moderates and
hardliners, as we are made to believe. The younger ones are eager to be on the
global map.” Salkida said.
He added that, “the breakdown of
law and order in Nigeria will not go away if we do not eliminate bad governance
at all levels. Redefine the functions of institutions and never knock over the
rules for any person or interest. Insist on ACCOUNTABILITY and this crisis will
be contained.”
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