Four citizens of Borno State have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to engage in finding a just and lasting solution to the Boko Haram crisis in the area.
Four citizens of Borno State have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to engage in finding a just and lasting solution to the Boko Haram crisis in the area.
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In a letter dated 28 June, Mamman Kashim, Kalli Gazali, Dr. Usman Ladan and Abba Kyari warned that a military solution can only be temporary. They drew attention to the root causes of the Boko Haram phenomenon which they described as injustice as well as an obvious lack of economic development in the Northeast. They point out that the area is “the most deprived part of Nigeria,” receiving less than 1% of Federal Government spending in the last five years.
“The solution to the problem is JOBS AND JUSTICE,” they said in their letter, which was also copied to General Owoeye Andrew Azazi, the National Security Advisor. “
They pointed out that the President of Nigeria is the President of all the zones of this country. “He should and must show that he is the Father of all the zones. His government will do best if it provides JUSTICE AND JOBS.”
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Full text of the letter:
June 28, 2011
The President
Federal Republic of Nigeria
H.E., Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR
Aso Villa, Abuja
BOKO HARAM: THE REAL ISSUES OPEN LETTER TO MR. PRESIDENT
Mr President, We, the undersigned, citizens of Nigeria, whose domicile of origin is Borno, write to you, as one with overall responsibility for national security to look into the cause of violence that has tragically engulfed Borno State and the sequence of events in the last three years, with a view to finding A JUST AND LASTING SOLUTION, AND NOT A MILITARY SOLUTION WHICH CAN ONLY BE TEMPORARY.
BEFORE THE VIOLENCE -The late Mohammed Yusuf, like any other cleric of any religious sect, had a mosque and a following. He held weekly public sermons. He was exercising his constitutionally guaranteed right of assembly and worship. At no time was there a breach of the peace. His followers were young, able bodied, unemployed with no prospect of hope in the horizon. They had Western Education!, and therefore literate and aware of the prevailing social conditions. Increasingly, their sermons were taking the form of liberation theology, commenting on the ills, injustice and inequities, prevalent in their immediate environment. As a result, there was no love lost between them and the State Government.
THE SSS REPORT -Such sermons, publicly made, caught the attention of the State Government. The State Security Service became interested in their activities. Investigations were carried out and a comprehensive report was written and made available to the Federal Authorities. Mohammed Yusuf himself was in regular contact with security services both in Maiduguri and Abuja. He was even charged to court.
THE FLASH POINT -The first trigger for violence was when Mohammed Yusuf’s followers in a funeral procession, on their motorbikes were fired on by members of Operation Flush – a combined force of the Army and the Police – ostensibly for not wearing crash helmets. About 19 of them were fatally wounded. This force was said to be under the Operational control of the then State Governor. The incident led to the group taking the law into their hands, attacked and killed security personnel and burnt police stations. Two wrongs can’t make a right. We do not condone violence in any shape or form by any organisation. All we are trying to ensure is that the issues are understood.
THE VIOLENCE- The Federal Government, on the instruction of the late President Umaru Yar’adua, responded with disproportionate, overwhelming and indiscriminate use of force against the entire community. The leader of the group, Mohammed Yusuf and a former Commissioner of Religious Affairs in the State, Buji Foi were arrested and were summarily, publicly and extra-judicially executed by the police. Young boys and even invalids on crutches were routinely rounded up, not at the scene of any violence and executed in the same manner. The footage of these executions were relayed world-wide on Al-Jazeera Television network and posted on YouTube.
THE SINS OF THE SON -IN-LAW
The late Baba Fugu, was a gentleman in his seventies. He was a respected figure in the local community. He was never declared wanted nor arrested by the police. He was Mohammed Yusuf’s father-in-law. He went to the Police Station voluntarily to make enquiries. He was executed at the Police Station. The sins of the son-in-law were visited on the father-in-law. Not even Osama bin-Laden’s relatives were ever treated like this. When the U.S. Navy seals attacked Osama bin Ladens premises, they went for their target. His wives and children were spared.
NSA/CDS/IGP’s REPORT -The gravity of the situation led the Federal Government to set a high powered team comprising of the then National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff and Inspector General of Police to investigate and report. The team went to Maiduguri and wrote a report. Nothing has been heard of that report. OUR PRAYERS In order to get to the root of the matter and arrive at a JUST SOLUTION, to consider the following. a) Why was no proactive action taken and measures put in place as a result of the comprehensive report by the SSS? b) What Law provides for the shooting of citizens by security forces for not wearing crash helmets? c) What Law provides for the operational control of Operation flush, a combined team of the Army and the Police by the Borno State Governor? d) Whether the victims were members of Boko Haram or not. Under what Law did the Police extra-judicially execute Mohammed Yusuf, Buji Foi and the young children and cripples? These are issues of violation of Fundamental Human Rights and the rule and due process of law. e) Under what Law was Baba Fugu, (father-in-law to Mohammed Yusuf killed)? f) What is the outcome of the ‘High powered post violence report’? )
The Governor as the Chief Security Officer of the State and the Police Commissioner in whom operational powers were vested, should be invited to answer under what law they ordered these executions. LET THE RULE OF LAW PREVAIL Borno State is not Camp Delta and members of Boko Haram are not enemy combatants, where human rights and the rule of law can be dispensed with. THE NEED FOR A STATESMAN-LIKE INTERVENTION What was once a local affair is now taking a region wide dimension and threatening national security. All manner of crime is now conveniently subsumed under the spectre of Boko Haram. Meanwhile, the social and commercial activities in Borno are being grounded. Continuation of this situation will ultimately lead to the collapse of the local economy leading to more unemployment, despair and further conflict. Ethnic chauvinists, religious bigots and sundry criminals would have a field day. A frightening and forbidding prospect. More indiscriminate military and police intervention will only lead to more innocent loss of life leading to more recruitment of young people into a militant and daring force, determined for revenge. More indiscriminate military and police intervention will lead to an angry population which will sympathize with, aid and assist the young as they take up arms against authority.
The root causes are two. 1) Injustice, which must be corrected. Secondly – an obvious lack of economic development in a zone (Northeast) which in the last 5 years has received less than 1% of Federal Government spending. It is the most deprived part of Nigeria. The solution to the problem is JOBS AND JUSTICE.
The President of Nigeria is President of all the zones of this country. He should and must show that he is the Father of all the zones. His government will do best if it provides JUSTICE AND JOBS.
With the greatest respect, Mamman Kashim, Kalli Gazali Dr. Usman Ladan Abba Kyari Cc: General Owoeye Andrew Azazi, National Security Advisor
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