The issue of terrorism in Nigeria has got to an all time high with the activities of the Boko Haram group in different parts of the nation. From killing and maiming of innocent citizens, their focus is now on our children with incessant attacks on various schools and the recent abduction of over 100 school girls in Borno. Anyone who condemns Boko Haram is targeted and many are cringing for fear all across the nation.

What makes a man or woman so persuaded that he or she does not mind losing his or her life? What convinces a mortal to think that he or she has a right to take another life as well as his or her own and that he will be rewarded for it? Why are the Boko Haram attacks so carefully masterminded and carried out with precision and success? What made those two British born Nigerian teenagers in broad day light kill a British soldier on the street of England and apologise that it is a pity that women and children had to see them do it? What is driving these killers? IT IS NOT JUST POVERTY, IT IS MORE THAN A REVOLT OF THE POOR AGAINST THE RICH BECAUSE BOTH POOR AND RICH ARE BEING KILLED INDISCRIMINATELY, IT IS MORE THAN A RELIGIOUS WAR BECAUSE BOTH MOSLEMS AND CHRISTIANS ARE BEING KILLED, IT IS AN IDEOLOGY ! AN IDEOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN CAREFULLY SOLD TO PEOPLE THROUGH INDOCTRINATIONS, TEACHINGS, PREACHINGS AND SPIRITUAL SUBJUGATION.

The dictionary defines an ideology as a body of doctrine, myth, belief that guides an individual or a social group. This ideology has devices, methods and plans of operation. Unfortunately “killing of infidels” is high on the modus operandi of the IDEOLOGY guiding the BOKO HARAM. A suicide bomber is not afraid to die, as a matter of fact he or she considers it a privilege to die. A popular saying on a crime fiction I watched says “to catch a killer go into the mind of the killer and try to think as he thinks” I was shocked a few weeks back when I went to the popular Lagos Island market and as I was being attended to a young lady in her early twenties had a TShirt on that said. “IT IS GLORIOUS TO DIE FOR ALLAH” A woman coincidentally a Muslim called her and cautioned her to avoid the company of “RADICAL CLERICS ” who are selling the idea of glorified death to people as that is not the way of God.

I appreciate the careful and delicate handling of Boko Haram and I am very happy that we can all clearly see that it is not motivated by devout Muslims so it is not a religious issue, but we cannot DENY the fact that they are using the vehicle of religion to recruit and propagate their heinous IDEOLOGY. When seeking for solutions to the Boko Haram problem in addition to setting up a more effective security apparatus across the nation, we must find a way to DISMANTLE the IDEOLOGY, prevent it from spreading, because as we speak Boko Haram has a system of operation which does not start from planting bombs but from spreading the evil ideology to people who over time will imbibe it and turn around to kill their own kith and kin. Myles Monroe said, ” You cannot kill an idea with a bullet”.

There has to be a contrary IDEOLOGY and this is where our Muslim Leaders, brothers and sisters have to rise up and begin to speak against killing of infidels more than they may be doing now. There has to be more enlightenment, programs especially among youths debunking the evil ideology in the mosques, churches, schools and other societal groups. We must denounce, hate and condemn killing of another human being with passion, make people sensitive to activities around them that can endanger human life. Right now many people are apathetic to life, people are so desensitized that we look away from anyone dying on the road and feel unconcerned. There must be the return of human compassion and life worth to every Nigerian. How can a human being cut the throat of a child in a school and think he is doing God a favour, that person is already demented and has lost all human feeling of compassion because someone had taken time to sell him an evil ideology of hate that has turned him or her to a killer.

Christians and Muslims must collaborate to fight this evil as both are being attacked and we have so many people that come into our churches and mosques every week. We must use our sphere of influence to fight Boko Haram as much as possible through prayers and sensitizing people. We must all speak up against this evil, as Dr Oby Ezekwesili tweeted we are NOT POWERLESS!!! Boko Haram cannot be killed by bullets alone, the IDEOLOGY behind it must be attacked and dismantled. Just as Adolf Hitler sold the evil ideology to Germans and their allies that brought about the death of millions of Jews, the IDEOLOGY had to be attacked and dismantled and we saw the end of Naxism. Slavery came from an IDEOLOGY that some people were born superior to others and had to serve them. But Abraham Lincoln, dismantled that ideology and though he paid with his life, slaves were set free. Apartheid came from an ideology that blacks were inferior to whites but that IDEOLOGY was attacked and dismantled. We all know the role Nelson Mandela played even sacrificing 27 years behind bars.

WE MUST ATTACK THIS EVIL IDEOLOGY THAT GLORIFIES DEATH AND KILLING OF OTHERS IN THE NAME OF GOD. BULLETS ALONE CANNOT KILL AN IDEOLOGY BUT A SYSTEMATIC INDOCTRINATION OF A CONTRARY IDEOLOGY TO VALUE HUMAN LIFE.

Busola Jegede

Daughters of Destiny