By Emeka Obasi
President Bola Tinubu must task the Vice President with thejob of making Borno State calm again. Professor Babagana Zulum deserves commendation for braving difficult conditions in search of normalcy. We all need Maiduguri to be peaceful, like in the past.
The problem I have with Kanuri leaders is that they have not been able to come together with a concrete plan to identify those powering Boko Haram. We have heard about military contractors, civilian collaborators and all that. Let us for once attach faces to these insurgents.
I want to use the Niger Delta as example. When the militants were busy blowing up pipelines and abducting expatriates, men like Chief Edwin Clark always intervened, trying to strike a balance between agitations and agreements.
Niger Delta fighters were not faceless. Asari Dokubo led the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF). Ateke Tom controlled the Niger Delta Vigilante. John Togo was known with Niger Delta Liberation Force. Among those behind the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta ( MEND ) were Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo and Henry Okah. There were Soboma George, Farah Dagogo and General Boyloaf.
Give it to President Umaru Yar’adua. He looked beyond Power Politics. His concern was peace, for the economy to grow. On June 27, 2007 he offered Amnesty to all militants who were willing to lay down their arms, come to the table, with legitimate concerns and work together with the Federal Government.
Yar’adua, a man of honour, had as Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, an Izon. I am sure Clark and other powerful Niger Delta leaders had their way round the militants. It was therefore easy to talk sense into them and fly them to Abuja to see the President.
Yar’adua was prepared for job. He did not go about boasting like one Bush War Commander – in – Chief. Here was a man whose father was a First Republic Minister. His elder brother was also a military Vice President ( Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters).
As a subaltern, Shehu Yar’adua was one of the officers that conducted Internal Security Operations in the Creeks during the early days of Adaka Boro. Maj. John Obienu of the Recce Regiment was supported by officers like Lieutenants Yar’adua, Yohanna Kure and Muhammadu Jega, from the 1st Battalion, Enugu.
President Yar’adua did not mind all that. He put Nigeria first. That was the beginning of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP). Everything was geared towards boosting the oil dependent Nigerian economy.
Vice President Kashim Shettima and Governor Zulum must find a way round Boko Haram. These are Kanuri Boys, they are not from outer space. It is worrisome that the North – East has remained a war zone for more than 15 years. Many of us are longing to visit the old, beautiful Maiduguri.
We hear different names everyday. At at one time, it was Ibrahim Shekau. Everyone thought that if Shekau was neutralised, there would be a new dawn. I have not forgotten how Shekau became the man with ten lives. He was killed many times over. Yet he did not die. It took a rival group to finally eliminate him. And that, is if we are sure he is really gone.
Yar’adua’s Amnesty offer worked. Niger Delta became safer and the economy gained. With Boko Haram, all we hear is deradicalisation. It has not worked. Federal troops continue to be wasted through strange ambush. Some politicians need to wake up to the truth, that they have failed.
The Kanuri are the Light of the North. I stand to be corrected. They produced the first indigenous Governor of the Northern Region, Kashim Ibrahim. One of the most powerful First Republic ministers, Zana Bukar Dipcharima, was Kanuri. The first Northern Inspector General of Police, Kam Selem had the same background. That is the land of Brigadier Zakari Maimalari.
When I hear stories of foreigners airlifting weapons to the North – East, it is funny. The Kanuri should know those behind it because they are bright and smart. Niger Deltans have access to the world through the sea. They could decide to import all kinds of missiles without being apprehended but they chose peace.
This brings me to Tompolo. This Egbesu Warrior, has moved from militancy to national security. The one who once gave the Federal Government sleepless nights, is leading the fight against oil theft. Tantila Security Services holds the key to peace in the creeks and deep into the territorial waters.
Tompolo owns Tantila. Without taking anything away from the Nigerian Navy, pirates dread Tantila more than the conventional forces. Oil thieves run away from Tompolo and his Boys. From Okerenkoko in Gbaramatu Kingdom, decisions are taken without heaven falling.
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari tried to play Power Politics. In January 2016, he ordered the arrest of Tompolo. Then the spirit of Yar’adua, cautioned a senior Katsina brother. By 2022, Aso Villa relaxed and returned power to the Chief Priest. Fighting the Izon god of war would be costly.
Many of the former Niger Delta warlords are now contributing to national peace. Ateke Tom is the Amanyanabo of Okochiri Kingdom. Kingsley Otuaro was Deputy Governor of Delta State. Dokubo is also a traditional ruler. Farah Dagogo is legislating well. In that Region, Amnesty worked.
This is what should happen in Borno. It is not enough to say soldiers are not doing enough. Kanuri people should go back to their respective villages. They must sit down together as one and identify their sons who can do exactly what Tompolo is doing. Or are they not tired of the beheadings? Babagana Kingibe is still very much around. Let him find an Edwin Clark for the Kanuri. That Kiagbodo, will in turn fish out a Tompolo, from Sambisa Forest or Lake Chad. The North – East, with a smart Vice President, must make peace with itself and show why Kanuri and Light go together.
