Since 2011 when the Boko Haram Islamic sect transformed into a terrorist gang, targeting churches, crowded places and security establishments, I have always lived in dread of the day when they might be tempted to export their demonic activities to the South. Up till now, the Islamists have restricted their activities to their core native areas in the North East, Abuja and environs as well as selected targets in the North Central.
But on Sunday, June 15, our worst nightmare would have become a reality if not for eagle-eyed security men who alerted the police of a strange polythene bag found abandoned at the gate of the Living Faith Church in Owerri at about 8.00am, the time just before worshippers usually troop in.
If that bomb had gone off in the heat of service, the casualty rate would have probably been in hundreds, and the immediate effect of it would be better imagined than experienced. It is one thing for people to travel to the North and become victims of religious or sectarian violence or terrorism over there. It is yet another for the fight to be brought to your own doorstep, especially for those who have suffered irreparable loss in the North and had to flee home.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Nigeria will never be the same again once terrorists begin to attack any part of the South. There is pent-up anger we must never allow to let loose as a result of extension of terrorist aggression to the South.
Nigeria may not survive terrorist attacks on any part of the South because it will be seen as a declaration of jihad in the predominantly Christian South. This will be more so in Igboland. It might quickly radicalise non-violent agitators like the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB and the Biafran Zionist Front, BZF.
Innocent Nigerians of Northern origin earning their legitimate living might be profiled and targeted. That, in turn, could result in reprisal attacks in the North, and the country called Nigeria might be on its way to extinction. The usually peaceful and harmless Igbo masses can turn into something else when pushed beyond their tether.
If this happens, Boko Haram and its sponsors will rejoice. We would be playing into their hands.
For the past three years, I have been at the forefront of the campaign to end the Boko Haram terrorism by all means necessary.
This group is simply not a friend to anyone. It is surprising that some people in our midst have some reason or the other to develop sympathy for them to the point of offering them financial, logistical and intelligence support.
Boko Haram has wrecked a large portion of the economy of the North. The evidence is pretty obvious. For the past two years, there have been large influxes of Northern people, especially the youth, into Southern cities and even villages. They are mostly economic refugees.
I am more inclined to accepting the theory that the 486 people caught in a convoy of 32 buses in Abia last Sunday on their way to Port Harcourt were economic refugees fleeing from consequences of Boko Haram activities, rather than actual Boko Haram members as reported in the media. Of course, you cannot rule out the possibility that some of them might be agents and moles of the Islamic insurgency group seeking new frontiers for their devilish activities. The bombs discovered in Owerri and the six persons arrested provided credible justification for the sweep that netted these people.
When a part of the country is in violent crisis, it is natural for people dislodged from their natural habitat to seek refuge in safer areas. There is nothing strange about Northern people fleeing from the insurgents and settling in other parts of the country for safety, including Igboland and other parts of the South. In fact, these influxes have been going on since the upsurge of Boko Haram violence in June 2011.
Northern youth are everywhere, providing valuable labour and earning a living in many Southern towns and cities without molestation since they have been peaceful. We must continue to provide our troubled countrymen the safe haven until the Boko Haram insurgency is defeated and those who would like to go back to their native homes can do so. But they must partner with their hosts to ensure that the enemy does not cut the rope that hold us together and let us fall apart.
Northern leaders have a lot of work on their hands. Rather than facing it they are more interested in politics. Resolving the Boko Haram challenge, to me, is more important than politics. Without peace there will be no playing field for politics. Ending Boko Haram will benefit the North immensely.Some disgruntled Northern leaders are seeing only a respite for President Goodluck Jonathan if Boko Haram is over. It is the North in particular and the nation at large that will enjoy a huge respite when Boko Haram is over. President Jonathan is losing some sleepless nights over the insurgency, but it is the North that is losing about everything. It is having its people running for safety in distant parts of the country and being swept into custody on suspicions of being agents of the enemy.
The discovery of the bombs in the Owerri church is a useful alarm bell. It shows that what happened at the Catholic Church in Madalla in Niger State over three years ago can happen in any part of Nigeria if we let our guards down. Every church must partner with the security agencies to learn basic strategies for preventing terror attacks. Market leaders should also meet with their members to provide precautionary measures as well as open links to the security agencies in case of terror threats.
It is better to nip terror in the bud than losing lives and property and resorting to impulsive bloody reprisals that will only worsen the situation.
By Ochereome Nnanna
Source: Vanguard news
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