How To Defeat Boko Haram (2): Reply To Nairalanders’ Contributions

Let me start by saying, thank you to every Nairalander who made a contribution to the first part of this write-up.

Even those who think the opinions expressed in the write-up was a foolish one. The most important thing is that you have made a contribution to a matter of urgent national importance. All hands must be on deck to defeat this evil Boko Haram. If we continue talking about how to defeat them we will arrive at a solution soon.

I also thank those who have not made a contribution yet…

Having gone through the responses some have been selected, which will be addressed in this latest write-up.

@Hob: @OP should forward this to the Department of Defence

Thank you, that’s a nice suggestion but I doubt anything will come out of it.

@Firefire: How can you defeat what you celebrated.

The politics played by Lie Mohamed and his party APC on BokoHaram will hunt them till death.

They are now cooking cabbage to sell to Nigerians before granting the vampires amnesty.

The news stories you dug up showing ACN and Lai Mohammed acting as advocates for Boko Haram are very instructive. I’m sure when we have an honest probe about the whole matter those issues will be useful. However, we should be careful and not be like a driver looking backwards while driving along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway at a 100km/hr.

@9jiii: One of the Reasons for the success of Bokoharam bombings
Nigerians,we quickly adapted to the new hardship.
Bomb will xplode today and you will people tomorrow in the same place acting all ok.
We don’t learn much from experience just getup and move on.

Thank you for your contribution @9jiii. You’re so on point! The biggest challenge facing the black man is that we have perfected the art of “rolling over and playing dead”. We think we can deal with a problem by simply wishing that it won’t happen again. It’s amazing how, like you put it, 24hrs after a bomb explosion everything goes back to normal as if nothing happened.

@MadCow1: I sat with a Soldier last weekend who has served a tour in Borno State and ever since then, I have realized that this Boko haram Saga isn’t as we think it is.

The beauty of Boko Haram is that they have no method. You can’t pre-empt them, you cant figure them out. All we know is that they blow shiit up and attack hidden villages, lay ambush for troops and blend back into the general population when they are done.

Your contribution is very interesting and I have copied and pasted the portion I disagree with. No criminal organisation gains the sort of global notoriety that Boko Haram have gained without having a method. It’s like saying the Mafia have no method or the Japanese Yakuza or Chinese Triad have no method. It’s sad to say but some of these notorious organisations operate under the strictest code of conduct.
Alternatively, what you seem to be saying is that the Nigerian Security service is so inefficient they cannot even defeat a bunch of terrorists who operate haphazardly. I disagree with the fact that Boko Haram don’t have a method it has only not been discovered yet.
Remember their name, Boko Haram, means “Western Education is forbidden”, yet they are using western technology like assault rifles, explosives, rocket launchers even the Internet to wage battles.
Boko Haram are masters of subterfuge, they are the exact opposite of what people generally believe about them.
With due respect to the soldier gentleman referred to I hope top military officers don’t share his opinion that Boko Haram don’t have any method.

@EVILFOREST: I appreciate all your points, thank you.

@Autolord: Yes if the security operatives collected enough data they should be able to predict where their next target. Intelligent post

Thank you very much sir!

@Reyginus: The Op misses it. There pattern is that they don’t have a pattern. They operate like the mind of a mad man– unpredictable. Focusing on the attack ground or site will not solve the problem but the source of the mechanism of the attack.

To defeat the terrorists you simply, though not easy, strike the energy source, the head, the root, the general and destabilize the warriors, the soldiers, and the war ends. What I mean is to remove their sponsors, source of wealth and everything falls into place.

You can study the grounds or site of attack for a million years but as long as their machineries are still oiled you’d be wasting your time. Who funds boko haram? How do they get there weapons? Tackle these and you’ll not have to study any attack site.

I disagree with the first paragraph of your contribution and I’ve dealt with the reason above when responding to @MadCow1’s contribution.

Putting aside our disagreements, let us address what we both agree on. I didn’t have the time to include this point in my first write-up as it had already run into a thousand words.
“Following the money” is probably the most effective way of defeating Boko Haram. You’re so on point concerning that.
There are security experts who can pick up an item that cannot be purchased in the open market, items like arms and ammunition, and trace that item back to where it was purchased and who paid for it.
This is what Nigerian security services should have done a long time ago.

@LogoDwhiz: Also, how do they get to fuel their vehicles?

Thank you @LogoDwhiz, your simple one line contribution to this debate is probably one of the most intelligent! The answer to that question might be the key to defeating Boko Haram. It’s all part of following the money suggested by @Reyginus above. Who pays for the fuel they use in their vehicles?

@Akinz0126, @Chrisxxx, @Zikclassique, @Raymondenyi and @Heavenshield: Thank you very much guys for your positive responses.

@Persius555: For instance, fertilizer and ammonium chemicals are commonly used for this purpose. With e-payment and registration, records of payments can be utilised in crime solving in the event of multiple bomb explosions. This should be encouraged in the entire north east, especially maiduguri. There is no perfect solution if not iraq and the rest of ME will be free of terrrorists. Also, my belief is that there are international connections to this. Those who make and plant bombs are doing it for monetary gains i.e there are groups of powerful people or organizations who pay individuals to carry out these attacks for reasons only they know. The international theory should be seriously worked on.

Thanks @Persius555, you have identified the kind of intelligent work I’m talking about! Boko Haram can be defeated if we are more determined.

@Bishop: simply put that we need intelligence to end The Boko Haram Terror and Not Excessive Military Might.

Thanks @Bishop for a simple summary of my write-up. God bless!

Finally, @RickyTan: The fight is very complex and multi faceted. Way beyond hunter gatherer techniques that you mention. There is media, propaganda, indoctrination, finance, recruitment, costing, logistics etc. But we are winning.

Without realising it, this contributor has justified the point that Boko Haram is not a simple, haphazard bunch of zealots with no method or pattern. They are utilizing propaganda, indoctrination, finance, recruitment, costing and logistics to fight their war.

This contributor started by saying the write-up was gibberish only to inadvertently confirm what the write-up was all about, that Boko Haram is a well structured and well funded criminal enterprise that operates on a strict code of conduct that can be identified with proper intelligence gathering.