CHRISTIANS IN DANGER IN NIGERIA!!!
Exposing New Waves Of Grazing & Bomb Terrorisms Against Southern
& Northern Christian & Other Secular Populations
(Onitsha Nigeria, 8th May 2016)-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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