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Buratai Comes Under Attack for Seeking Prayers to Defeat Boko Haram
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, has said terrorism and terrorist groups could not be eliminated alone by the military unless religious bodies and organisations in the country come to the ‘forefront of the spiritual battle.’
The army chief noted that the focus must be religious groups addressing the ideologies which fuelled the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists activities.
Buratai stated these on Monday in Abuja at a spiritual warfare seminar at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, with the theme, ‘Countering insurgency and violent extremism in Nigeria through spiritual warfare.’
The army chief, who was represented by the Chief of Administration, Maj. Gen. Sani Yusuf, urged Islamic and Christian clerics to join the fight against terrorism and reorient the people against negative ideologies.
Buratai said, “It is easier to defeat Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists than their ideology because while we degrade the terrorists and their havens, the narrative of the ideology grows the group.
“Therefore, communities, families and groups should join in the fight and narratives to reject and prevent the ideologies of the terrorists and extremist groups.
“Religious bodies and organisations in particular, which interface regularly with the grass roots, should be in the forefront of this spiritual battle and fashion out ways of stepping up their roles.
“It is a well-known fact that terrorism and terrorist groups cannot be totally eliminated by mainly military actions. This means focusing our efforts on the underlying narratives through ideologies employed by these terrorists to lure innocent citizens into their fold.
“The need to defeat the ideologies of Boko Haram and ISWAP is based on the awareness that it is the ideologies that enhance their resources and help to recruit new fighters to their fold and as such, kill their ideology and the terrorist movement withers and dies.”
But the Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Mr Debo Adeniran, flayed Buratai for “recommending a fetish approach to prosecuting a physical war.”
Adeniran said Buratai’s statement was an admission that he no longer had anything to offer and should be replaced by the President.
He said, “I think that this Buratai of a soldier does not know his onions; he had made a couple of laughable recommendations in the past and all he is doing is like groping in the dark. He doesn’t seem to know the technicalities of prosecuting such a war by the sheer ignorance he has been displaying and the trial-and-error strategy that he is adopting has led to Nigeria losing many brilliant and agile soldiers who could have otherwise been very useful in prosecuting sensible wars. But because of the carelessness of the leaders, we have lost many of them; as well as the fact that several trillions of naira has been pumped into prosecuting that war.
“I will join the school of thought that has asked the President and the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces to waste no further time in looking for a more brilliant and technically-savvy warrior that can prosecute the war that is going on in the North-East; otherwise, we will be losing our future to carelessness and that will not do Nigeria any good.”
Also, Adebayo Oladeji, the Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Samson Ayokunle, urged Buhari to sack the army chief.
He said, “CAN has been consistently calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Commander-in-Chief, to overhaul the security system and replace the service chiefs.
“As far as we are concerned, the handling of the security challenges in the country has been everything, but satisfactory. We have also told the President to overhaul the National Security Council with a view to injecting new blood with a new vision and to address the lopsided appointments of the NSC.”
However, Ustaz Christian Okonkwo, the Director of Islamic Centre, Afikpo, an affiliate of the International Islamic Relief Organisation based in Saudi Arabia, said Buratai was right.
The former Director of Administration, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said, “People get indoctrinated by the preaching and teaching of a set of religion or the other or by their attachment to their particular tribe or race. So, if we have to change the narrative, it just has to come from the same source to which these people have been indoctrinated because they have a very serious sentiment to that religion or ethnic group.”
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad lll-led Jam’atu Nasril Islam also backed the Chief of Army Staff.
The JNI’s Secretary – General, Dr. Abubakar Khalid-Aliyu, said, “My understanding is that the military chief has so many dimensions, including the military and spiritual dimensions, because they are based on religious ideology and this religious ideology has been the fuel. The terrorists need a superior religious ideology which teaches that life is sacrosanct and must be protected at all costs, and that taking a life as viewed by the Qur’an by injustice is like taking the whole human race. I think using higher ideology of Islam to compliment other aspect of it to fight the terrorists is apt.”
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Aftermath of Visa Revocation: Trump, a Petty-minded Dictator, Soyinka Knocks U.S President
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has sensationally described U.S. President Donald Trump as a “petty-minded dictator” whose rise to power fuelled hate-driven violence and worsened racial tensions in the United States.
Speaking in an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Facebook on Wednesday, Soyinka said Trump’s presidency exposed the “dark side” of America and emboldened acts of hatred, particularly against minorities.
“This is a petty-minded dictator. You see how he deals with his objects of hate,” Soyinka said, barely two weeks after the Trump administration announced permanent revocation of his entry visa to the country.
“We saw that dark side of the American side. There were more killings, extrajudicial killings by the police of black people, of minorities, during that build-up, during the campaign, and on account of hate rhetoric, the hate rhetoric of this individual,” he added.
The Nobel Laureate noted that Trump’s campaign rhetoric normalised hate speech and created a climate of intolerance that had lasting consequences.
Soyinka recalled that he had earlier warned about Trump’s leadership style, predicting that one of his first actions as president would be to target immigrants.
“I saw it and I said, listen very carefully, and you can go and check this, I said, ‘When that man comes to power, the first thing he will do is cancel even the green cards’,” he said.
The literary icon, who has often criticised authoritarian tendencies in global politics, maintained that Trump’s administration reflected a deep moral and cultural decline within American society, particularly in its treatment of minorities.
Headlines
Alleged Genocide: Approach Nigeria’s Security Situation with Understanding, FG Tells Trump
The Federal government has again urged United States President, Donald Trump, to demonstrate understanding in his approach to Nigeria’s security challenges.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the call during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, days after Trump threatened military action against Nigeria over what he claimed is a genocide against Christians in the country.
“We call on our American friends and partners to approach the Nigerian situation with an understanding of its complex realities. Nigeria is a vast, multi-ethnic, multi-religious nation, making significant strides in economic reforms and strengthening its security architecture.
“We believe constructive engagement is the surest and most effective way to achieve peace and stability not only in Nigeria but in any part of the world.
“Nigeria welcomes dialogue, we welcome cooperation, and we also welcome support from foreign nations, including the United States of America, in addressing our shared security concerns,” the minister said.
Idris reiterated the current administration’s commitment to tackling the menace of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in the country.
The minister maintained that the Federal government was winning the war against terrorism with major achievements recorded in the North-Eastern part of the country.
“In March this year, a report by the Global Terrorism Index indicated that terrorist attacks were at their lowest in over a decade in Nigeria. The Nigerian government did not say this; it is the international community that has given out this information,” he stated.
“In the last eight months, the Nigerian military has neutralised over 592 terrorists in Borno State alone. Many of them have been sent to their onward beyond.
“Over 11,200 hostages have been freed, and this is still going on. More importantly, over 124 insurgents and their families have surrendered. They have handed over more than 11,000 weapons to the security agencies,” Idris added.
According to the minister, the current administration has made multi-million dollar investments in modernised equipment for security agencies.
Noting that President Bola Tinubu has always supported the nation’s armed forces, Idris said the Commander-in-Chief has increased the budgetary allocation for the military.
He explained that Tinubu has demonstrated the political will to root out terrorism, rampaging bandits, and other criminal elements terrorising Nigerians.
The minister also highlighted military operations in the North-West region of the country, saying that the onslaught against criminals had led to the surrender of bandits in the region.
Idris cited cases where notorious bandit leaders had been eliminated by military strikes in Niger and Zamfara states.
“In the North-West, especially in Zamfara and Kaduna, 11,250 hostages have been freed, and some of the terror leaders that have made life very unbearable for people there have been neutralised.
“They include Ali Kachalla, Boderi, Halilu Sububu, and many others. All these have been sent to where they belong. Only this August, the military intercepted and killed in one operation over 400 armed bandits who had converged to attack a village in Zamfara State,” he stated.
Last Friday, Trump said Christianity faces an existential threat in Nigeria, describing the alleged killing as a “mass slaughter”.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” he wrote.
The US president added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and directed Congressman Riley Moore and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole to investigate the matter.
“I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern.’ But that is the least of it. When Christians, or any such group, is slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 Worldwide), something must be done!
“I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.
“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria and numerous other Countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our Great Christian population around the World!” Trump wrote.
Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, is putting Nigeria back on the watchlist, reversing a Joe Biden-era policy due to the extermination of Christians, Fox News reports.
The US President, Donald Trump, on Friday, ordered the designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, saying that Christians in Nigeria are facing an existential threat. He also called on American lawmakers to investigate the mass slaughter.
A day later, Trump revealed that he had ordered the Pentagon to prepare for possible action in Nigeria as he continued accusing the Federal Government of violence against Christians.
Trump, who posted a statement on his social media handle, said that if the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, US troops will be ordered to enter Nigeria and wipe out terrorists.
He said: “If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, “guns-a-blazing,” to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.
”I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our cherished Christians! Warning: The Nigerian government better move fast!”
However, Fox News is now reporting that Trump’s directive has been carried out as Rubio is putting Nigeria back on the watchlist.
Source: Fox News
