The
Nigerian Christians and other secular populations are steadily going the
Lebanon way by facing steady and unprovoked attacks, hostilities and targeted
decimation in the hands of northern politico-religious fundamentalists. Fifty
years ago, the population of Christians in Lebanon was estimated at about 78%,
which has been violently suppressed to about 34% following forceful conquest
and conversion by its radical Muslim neighbors including Iranian backed
Hezbollah using targeted and widespread violence. Similar situation is the case
in Egypt where Christians of Asyut origins with sizable population decades ago
has brutally been suppressed, leading to its present population being
reduced to less than 10% of the Egyptian population.
The risen
Nigeria’s secular and Christians’ enemies under reference (politico-religious
fundamentalists of the north) are drawn from arch-conservative members of the
northern oligarchy who have penetrated, permeated and gripped the country’s
political, military, legislative, judicial and open and secret policing
establishments; reaching their peak following the emergence of Gen Muhammadu
Buhari as the country’s sixth civilian President in late May 2015. They are
religiously ritualized in Sokoto and politically radicalized in Kaduna. In
other words, they are rebranded “Sokoto Caliphate” (Fulani theocrats or Emirs)
and “Kaduna Mafia” (Hausa-Fulani top Muslim politicians, business moguls;
serving and retired security chiefs).
Put
together, they can best be described as “Hausa-Fulani Politico-Religious
Fundamentalists”. They function as “planners and sponsors of sedentary
terrorism” and extensively make use of teeming poor population of the north
(almajarai or talakawas), dominated by young and middle-age uneducated male
population, who are used as “pastoral terrorism combatants or executors”. Their
widespread violence targeted at and unleashed on the Christians of the North
and South; is orchestrated using “grazing and bomb terrorisms”. Grazing
terrorism is perpetrated through Fulani Cattle herding concentrated in the rain
forest regions of Nigeria (Southeast, South-south, Southwest and old Middle
Belt); while bomb terrorism is perpetrated through pro Islamist terror groups
operating under several Arab-Islamic names (i.e. Boko Haram, etc).
Decimation Of Northern Christian
Population & Actualization Of Northern Presidency:
Bomb-Terrorism through Boko Haram insurgency was extensively used by the
referenced fundamentalists of the north for purposes of uprooting and
decimating Christian communities in the core north and actualization of the
northern Presidency. These are the core objectives of the Boko Haram insurgency
as part of its “Islamization of Nigeria project”. Most, if not all Christian
communities in Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba States, etc have
been uprooted and decimated, leading to “fleeing of over 1.3million Christians,
burning, destruction or closure of 13,000 churches and Christian schools and
killing of at least 11,500 Christians” (source: Open Doors; an anti
Christians persecution group: 2016).
The
third core objective of these northern fundamentalists using grazing terrorism
(Fulani Janjaweed) and bomb terrorism (Boko Haram, etc) is total Islamization
of Nigeria particularly the country’s southern and other rain forest regions.
The Christian communities in those northern States were carefully marked and decimated
using Boko Haram and Fulani Janjaweed insurgencies. The rebranded bomb
terrorism targeted at Southern and old Middle Belt Christians is to be executed
using former Boko Haram bomb makers and detonators.
New Dimensions Of Islamization Project
Through Grazing & Bomb Terrorisms:
Following the emergence of Gen Muhammadu Buhari; an arch proponent of
theocratic and oligarchic Islamism, as the northern born President of Nigeria
and successful decimation of Christian populations in the core north, the
architects of north politico-religious fundamentalism have introduced new
dimensions into “Nigerian Islamization Project”; by moving it from sedentary
terrorism to pastoral terrorism. In other words, from
concentrated to escalated terrorism; with movement from north to south. These
dimensions are the third stage of the three core objectives of the architects
of the “Nigerian Islamization Project”; having achieved the other two (northern
presidency and uprooting and decimation of core northern Christian populations).
Two New Theories Of Pastoral (Grazing
& Bomb) Terrorism: The sponsors and planners of the
Nigerian Islamization Project have further come up with two new theories. The
theories are built on the ground of a general argument put across to the field
leadership and combatants of the Boko Haram insurgency to the effect that
“there is need to retreat from the core north and move towards the south, under
the same Boko Haram name or another, or even under anonymous terror-code, since
two out of their three core objectives have been achieved; making further
concentration of the insurgency in the core north counter-product and inimical
to the development of the north and safety of the area, its people and
properties”. In addition to this, more currency and resources were channeled
into the grazing or Fulani Janjaweed insurgency; leading to its increased
menace since third quarter of 2015.
They
see continuation of insurgencies in the area after getting the Presidency and
decimating core northern Christian populations as unnecessary killing of
members of their own religion and destruction of their properties and
retardation of northern development plans. This explains the government oiled
media propaganda to the effect that “Boko Haram insurgency has been crushed militarily”;
whereas the truth remains that those behind the insurgency have only changed
strategies.
We
had expected cessation of Boko Haram violence in the Buhari’s core north months
after the emergence of his Presidency. Strictly and expertly speaking, insurgency
or guerrilla warfare borne out of pure socio-religious values is very difficult
to crush militarily. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, for instance, the Mujahedeen
Islamic insurgency of 1970s is still on and has given birth to al-Qaeda
and ISIS. The Iranian backed Hezbollah has been in existence for over 40
years.
Further,
in order to make the south ungovernable, unsafe, tourist and development
unfriendly, widespread pastoral terrorisms(grazing and bomb terrorisms) have
been designed for the core south of old Eastern Region and to a large extent
the Southwest and the old Middle Belt. The two new theories associated with
south-bound rebranded grazing and bomb terrorisms are centered on combined or
separate use of grazing terrorism through unchecked violence of the
Fulani Janjaweed and bomb terrorism through the use of incendiary explosive
weapons and group-terrorists operating amorphously and anonymously or through
Arab-Islamic terror code-names such as Boko Haram, Ansaru, etc. The two
terrorisms are designed to be used side by side or separately depending on
circumstances. For instance, while grazing terrorism is designed to decimate
rural areas of the south and old Middle Belt, bomb terrorism is designed to
devastate and ruin urban cities and strategic government and civilian objects
in the south.
Of the
two rebranded terrorisms, the bomb terrorism will extensively be used because
of its amorphous and difficult detection nature. It is also escapist and easy
for conspiratorial political and security establishments to wash their hands
off same and claim that “Boko Haram, having been defeated in the northeast,
have regrouped and moved towards the South; and that they are in pursuit of the
insurgents”. With the South in terroristic tatters and ruins and the north in
“piece and quietness”, the north will attract huge Sharia-friendly investments
and tens of thousands of feeble minded and terrified Christians willing to be
converted to Islam for “safety” are also expected to migrate to the area. The
targeted, too, will militarize and arm themselves, leading to widespread
reprisal and offensive attacks including counter non-State factored terrorist
attacks in the context of “self-help retaliatory violence”, all as consequences
of mounting regime failures, one-sidedness and State collapse. This is a clear
recipe for genocide.
Other
Pro-Islamization Policies & Conducts Of The Buhari Administration:
It is on record that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is
thoroughly pro Islam in most, if not in all its policies and conducts since its
emergence in late May 2015. The worst victim of these pro Islamic policies and
conducts is the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the
secularity of the country. The Buhari administration hardly makes vivid
reference or resort to the Constitution in its governance policies and
conducts, particularly in matters of rule of law, secularity of Nigeria,
federal character, federal establishments and political appointments,
parliamentarianism, security and citizens’ protection, promotions and
appointments of security chiefs and fundamental human rights. The Constitution
is rarely resorted to where and when it suits the primordial and parochial
interests of the present administration of Gen Muhammadu Buhari.
As
a matter of fact, the Buhari’s Presidency now governs the country not according
to the Constitution, but according to personal and primordial initiatives.
Failure to take recourse to parliamentarianism in sensitive governance issues
is another clear case of pro Islamic policies and conducts particularly in
matters of multilateral and bilateral alliances and agreements. A number of
international military-religious alliances and monetary agreements, sensitive
to the country’s secular status, national unity and cohesion have been
negotiated without recourse to parliamentarianism.
The
present composition of the country’s open and secret policing and other
security top hierarchies; following recent appointments and promotions therein,
particularly in the Nigeria Police Force, is also secularly lopsided and
Islamization friendly. The “anti preaching Bills designed to be passed into law
as laws of Kaduna State and the entire 19 northern States” are not only grossly
unconstitutional but also further attestation of steady moves by the present
APC led government in Nigeria to Islamize Nigeria; likewise recent executive
and legislative ethnic war drumming utterances of northern Governors and
Senators.
The
proposed “anti preaching Bills” are utterly coupist and a clear breach of
Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (the Government of the Federation or of a
State shall not adopt any religion as a State Religion) and Section 38 of the
same Constitution (right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion). To
the extent that none of these executive and legislative anarchists has been
arrested by the DSS for violently threatening and calling for the breakup of
Nigeria; whereas the IPOB, its members and supporters that peacefully and
nonviolently demanded for “a national question” are massacred by security
forces; speaks volume of Nigeria as a country of “two classes in one” or where
some animals are more equal than others.
Other
clear indicators of State oiled Islamization project in Nigeria are gross
sectional appointment of vice chancellors of federal universities, bills
seeking to nationalize and institutionalize Fulani Animal Husbandry and
compulsory country-wide grazing and pasturing in Nigeria, sectional promotions
in the Nigeria Police Force, incessancy of massacre of thousands of unarmed and
defenseless civilians particularly women and children by State security forces
and malicious non-State actors backed by the Federal Government of Nigeria, and
abetting and condoning of hostilities and atrocities of the Fulani Janjaweed
and other criminal entities.
Call For
Citizens Vigilance & National Question:
The issuance of this statement of ours is in furtherance of our earlier resolve
to bring to the attention of the general public at all times such advocacy
measures and awareness creation capable of making them particularly the
Nigerian Christian and secular populations to be aware of State and non-State
factored security threats and other unsafe conditions steadily being directed
at them. Also to the extent that the State is steadily losing its traditional
capacities to protect all innocent and defenseless Nigerians should be a
serious call for concern to all and sundry. Unchecked failure of the State to
govern and protect its citizens could lead to regime collapse and anarchy. To
make progress as a country in the midst of all these regime factored
tribulations; Nigerians must pressurize the Buhari administration to allow room
for “a national question” (i.e. how do we live and develop as a country).
It has
also gotten to a stage where the present administration must realize that use
of “warlordism” and State terrorism as democratic governance approaches to
tackle the myriad of the country’s social problems are the worst governance
styles and anarchy drumming. President Muhammadu Buhari must be compelled to
return Nigeria to constitutionalism and pluralistic democracy. His
administration must be stopped from gravely violating Section 10 of the
Constitution which clearly and unambiguously states that “the Government
of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as a State
Religion”. He must be taught that another name for credible and popular
democracy is secularism; and primordialism and
fundamentalism are its greatest enemies.
Lastly,
to the extent that “he whose house is on fire does not pursue a rat”, Nigerians
must tell the Buhari administration that until it faces realities and stop
flying all over the world and unleashing the State terror on innocent and
defenseless Nigerians; likewise selective and preferential protection of
members of Hausa-Fulani citizens at the expense of other citizens, using
security forces maintained with commonwealth of all Nigerians, the country will
remain in doldrums and at daggers drawn.
We appeal
to the Southern part of Nigeria and the old Middle Belt region to be highly
security conscious from their right, left and center and in their homes,
schools, places of worship, workplaces, leisure spots, parks, garages,
movements etc, because those behind grazing and bomb terrorisms in Nigeria are
set out to run riot on their lives, liberties, properties, urban cities and
rural communities. Our findings from the police twisted bomb blast of 3rd
May 2016 in Onitsha are a clear case in point.
Signed:
Emeka
Umeagbalasi, Board Chairman
Mobile
Line: +2348174090052
Obianuju
Joy Igboeli, Esq., Head, Civil Liberties & Rule of Law Program
Mobile
Line: +2348180771506
Chinwe
Umeche, Esq., Head, Democracy & Good Governance Program
Mobile
Line: +2347013238673
Website:
www.intersociety-ng.org
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