Lagos, Nigeria

Is Africa becoming a new breeding place for terrorism? How fast is the spread of these terrorist groups in Africa? Who are their sponsors? These questions are relevant as the United States marked earlier this month the 10th anniversary of the destruction of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center.

Terrorism, as being spread by al-Qaeda, has many fraternal groups in Africa, including Al-Shabaab and the Union of Islamic Courts, which are predominantly in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Somalia and Sudan are also a good breeding place for these terrorist groups. Another group, Boko Haram, is on the rampage in Nigeria.

All these terrorist groups have one thing in common. Their leaderships claim to be seeking to create states governed strictly by their conception of Islamic law and to remove infidels, either of their countries or other Western powers. They attack whatever institution they consider to be betraying Islamic beliefs. They are responsible for bombing of embassies of Western countries in foreign lands, especially the U.S., as happened in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

After the attack on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, the country established a group to curtail terrorism in Africa. PSI, as it was called, was established in 2002. It was the first step by the U.S. to address terrorism in Africa, with the belief that the continent was a breeding place. The outfit began training in Mali, Mauritania and Chad. It later extended to Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria and Tunisia. It was, however, discovered that some of these countries had, in one way or another, sponsored the activities of terrorist groups and allowed them to operate unhindered, before it boomeranged on 9/11.

The trend has crept in surreptitiously and is affecting the hitherto peaceful atmosphere in Africa, nay some of its countries. There is the fear of bombing by terrorists all over the continent, as nowhere seems to be safe. The recent onslaught by the rebel forces on the government of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi has been said to be one of the reasons terrorism has spread in the continent, especially to countries with strong affiliation to the Western powers, including the United States.

Bombing, much less terrorism, was alien to the Nigerian state before the 1990s. With militancy dying down in the Niger Delta, another uprising has begun in Jos, Plateau State. It was first thought to be religious rioting, but it has since been discovered that it is more ethnic. However, Jos town, as it is now, is not a safe haven. It is has been the scene of repeated bombing and killings. Recently, some of the members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), fresh graduates from Nigerian universities and polytechnics who were to undergo a mandatory one-year national service, were killed during the mayhem in Jos. They died in active service, unable to fulfill their dreams of many years. Just a few days ago, another bombing took place in the town, leaving so many people dead. Bomb blasts in Jos are no longer news as the numbers of casualties from the crisis swell every day. No particular group has yet claimed responsibility for the crisis in Jos.

Now, to the north of Plateau, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, has also become a bombing ground. Islamic religious sect Boko Haram is terrorizing the state almost on a daily basis. It has been reported that the state was infiltrated by agents of al-Qaeda, as the use of suicide bombers was rampant, a new dimension to bombing in Nigeria. The sect, which has as part of its conditions for cessation of attacks the withdrawal of Western education and services from the country by the federal government, had made a mess of the security apparatus in the country. To send a signal to the federal government about their operations, members of the sect were reported to have burnt a police station and killed policemen on duty at a police headquarters in the state. Not satisfied with this, they went on to burn churches and killed members of the NYSC serving in the state. As if this was not enough, bombs were thrown into churches during services, killing several people and leaving many others wounded.

As part of their expansionist agenda, members of the sect launched an attack on the headquarters of the Nigerian police in Abuja. It was reported that a suicide bomber drove into the premises of the police headquarters and detonated a bomb. The building went up in flame, while the security man who was accosting the suicide bomber was torn into thread. The next day, the Islamic sect claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that they even targeted the Inspector General of Police, the police head in the country, in the attack. His sin, according to members of the sect, was that he came to Borno State and declared war on Boko Haram, saying that their days are numbered in the state.

Another bizarre incident for which the group claimed responsibility is the recent bombing of the United Nations headquarters in Abuja. It was a diplomatic mission house, with many members of staff from various countries working for the organization in Nigeria. The attack painted the country black, making it look as if Nigeria is a terrorist state. The number of casualties and those wounded during the attack rose by the day.

 

 

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