Apart from other patterns of terrorism like gun-shot
kind of terrorism, kidnapping, detonation of incendiary weapons etc. suicide
bombing and or suicide terrorism seem alien to the Nigeria State. The first
suicide terrorism that has been recorded in Nigeria is the case of Mohammed
Manga. He was the man who bombed the Nigeria police force headquarters in Abuja
on June 16, 20111. After manga’s successful bombing or suicide terrorism
that has been recorded in Nigeria is the case of Mohammed manga. After manga’s
success with the suicide bombing, there have been records of suicide bombing from
June 2011, to December 2013.
Suicide bombing is the most recent
style adopted by the Boko Haram with Mohammed manga being a clasicus. Subsequent upon manga’s
action, on August 26 2011, there was another strike by a suicide bomber at the
United Nations Headquarters, Abuja Nigeria’a capital territory. This incident
killed about eighteen people2.[1] According
to Chidi Anselm Odinkalu of the Open Society Justice initiative, “The logic of
Boko Haram has been essentially inward looking to now seek to attack the U.N
entirely departs from the narrative they have so far constructed. That’s the
most worrying thing about this. It makes Boko Haram an international threat3”.
This is to say that the Boko Haram insurgency has metamorphosed into the Al
Qaeda form of terrorism and carries with it, global threat.
Unlike its southern counterpart, the
Boko Haram has adopted suicide terrorism to imbue terror and frustration in the
incumbent Nigerian government for a reason(s) best known to them. While the
southern militants have a defined reason for their insurgency, the Boko Haram
has failed to define their reason or aim. The former claims a “lion’s share”
from the oil money as the oil is being extracted from their land.
The use of suicide by the Boko Haram
insurgency now attracts global concern that tasks security organization. This
has become a formidable tactic by the Boko Haram in its war against the Nigeria
State. The pedigree of this organization is traceable to 2009, under the
leadership of Mallam, Yusuf Mohammed4.
[2] According to wikipedia rating, Nigeria ranks seventh
globally with Iraq coming first, Pakistan second, Afghanistan third,
India-forth, Yemen fifth and Somalia- sixth etc5. The reason for
Nigeria to rise rapidly to the seventh position in the world’s terrorism table
is not unconnected with the cases of the militants in the south, the Boko Haram
in the north, Mohammed, Manga, Mujaheed, Adebalajo and his brother (the
Nigerians that decapitated a British soldier in Woolwich London, and Abdul
Mutallab (the Nigeria who attempted bombing an American airline).
If Nigerian government fails to
“curb” this menace of terrorism with the most needed machinery, I wonder what
will be the position of Nigeria in the next fifteen years in the global
terrorist rating. The person that would have taken the title of the “first
Nigerian suicide bomber” before manga was Abdul Mutallab. But he failed. On December 25, 2009, 23 year old Abdul
Mutallab “the under wear bomber” failed in his attempt to detonate plastic
bombs in northern west airlines flight 253, en route from Amsterdam to Detroit.
He remains [3] the
first and only Nigerian suicide bomber whose mission failed. His age is a great
concern!
Mutallab’s background is in contrast
with the notion that suicide bombers used by the Boko Haram are urchins,
illiterates and uniformed .Abdul Mutallab’s robust financial background is a
sharp contrast to this claim.
On the 22 day of May, 2013, a
Nigerian Michael Adebolojo with his brother, Muhhajeed Adebolojo was arrested
for a terror attack.
Michael Adebolajo and his accomplice
are believed to have run down the off-duty walked back to the Woolwich Barracks
at 2:20pm on that 22day of May, 2013, crushing his body against a road sign.
Witnesses said that the terror suspects then “hacked and chopped” at his body like
“crazed animals” before dragging his corpse into the middle of the road leaving
a trail of blood. This is barbarism at its extreme!
All these terror –related offences
committed by Nigerians within and without Nigeria contribute in ranking Nigeria
among the world’s terrorist states. We have now known the extent of both
suicide bombing and other patterns of terrorism in Nigeria. Globally, Nigeria
is rated seventh in terrorist activities. In the subsequent topics in this
chapter, we shall be considering both local and international laws on
terrorism.
1 www.nairaland.com visited on 17th
January, 2014
2 www.nytimes.com
visited on February, 2014
3 In an interview with newsmen
4chapter two for the history of the Boko Haram
5 www.wikipedia.org