Boko Haram: An Inside Job with outside help

The army, under PMB, is once again openly admitting that Boko Haram is not a rag-tag group of insurgents without any real aim or objectives, but a useful shock troop unleashed by obscure northern elements to achieve nefarious ends. An army spokesman has just revealed what any right-thinking Nigerian would have concluded long ago. The Boko Haram insurgency was, and continues to be, an inside job with a lot of outside help. 

Former President Jonathan told Nigerians that supporters of Boko Haram included highly placed government officials, but appeared powerless to expose them. Today, the army spokesman; Colonel Usman, claimed that there were some 'highly placed' individuals in the north east, particularly in Borno state, who are interested in prolonging the Boko Haram insurgency for 'selfish interests' by sabotaging military plans to end it. But if they are interested in prolonging it, they must have had a hand in starting it, abi? Indeed.  But like all 'official' pronouncements by those in charge of interfacing with the public in Nigeria, the spokesman hid far more than he revealed. 

Neither the identity nor reasons why these 'elites' were sabotaging the army were revealed - although the army knew enough about them working in concert with some 'non-governmental' agencies. But if these unpatriotic pieces of garbage were doing everything in their power to make sure Nigerians are killed, maimed and entire villages razed to the ground, is it not proper to expose them and destroy them also? Why the secrecy or protection for those who have rendered most of northeastern Nigeria a war zone for six years? If these people are known, or even suspected, why not round the bastards up and apologize later if found innocent? Another issue that is unclear was that, nothing of the benefits accruing to the so-called elites was revealed.  What are these 'elites' currently gaining and what do they hope to gain in prolonging the insurgency?

The army appears to have so much information on these elites; including their consultation with marabouts, clandestine meetings and deliberate false campaigns to discredit the military. But curiously, the spokesman appeared unsure of their identity by a deft generalization thus; “…therefore, such individuals and groups should be warned in unmistakable terms that anyone found would be dealt with accordingly" - I thought they had been found or are known already! The mischief and unseriousness of government and its officials when something of national emergency is happening knows no bounds - there is always room for sacred cows. Before making official statements of identifying 'highly placed individuals' as responsible for trying to prolong something as serious as the Boko Haram insurgency it is only proper to have your facts ready. In more advanced climes, the spokesman would have called a press conference so that pertinent questions can be asked, instead of issuing sensational statements that gets us no closer to the truth.

It is obvious that the real powers behind Boko Haram are known. But have been officially pampered [for some reason] for more than six years while innocent Nigerians wait in vain for true leadership. It can also be concluded that what we have as democracy is a feudal-fascist oligarchy that decides whether we live as men or die like animals. Their preference is obvious.