The Islamic State (ISIS) activities has gotten it world attention good enough to convince the most ridiculous doubting Thomas of the reality of the threat pose by these groups on us as a people. The question then is how to fight it!

1. FIGHTING TERRORISM WITH A LEAN PURSE
Apart from those who witnessed the Mallam Muhammadu Maitasine riots
in the ’80, many would have beaten their chests that terrorismcannot be an
issue in Nigeria as we know it today. These people have obvious reasons to
support their optimism. It is no longer news that terrorismis now an, if not
the main, issue in African politics. The terrorists did their very worst in
early 2015 attacking GarrissaUniversity in Kenya leaving 148 innocent
students dead in the process. The al-Shabab has since claimed responsibility
for the attack and has grown even bolder and more daring that ever. The
Boko Haram has constituted itself into a regular menace in Nigeria’s north
eastern region gaining notoriety for the death of tens of thousands and
injuring more others. The Islamic State (ISIS) activities has gotten it world
attention good enough to convince the most ridiculous doubting Thomas of
the reality of the threat pose by these groups on us as a people. The
question then is how to fight it!
The threat of terrorism is one that transcends what any conventional
solution. The military alone cannot, just as I have posited in the past, win
the war against terror, in this case Boko Haram. Supply of Westernarms
has proven to be useless as the rise of ISIS attests to. Improved budgetary
allocations to the military and joint military actions against terror without
corresponding support of the “Civilian sector” will just be as futile as
pouring water into the basket.
As hard as this may sound, it is true. What we must understand is that funds
allocated to fight against terror more often than not find their way into
private pockets as the #DasukiGate has proven in Nigeria. If they are not
syphoned, they often turn out not to be enough, no matter the face value of
the currency. If it were for huge allocations, the United States will not be
spending millions maintaining their soldiers in Afghanistan fighting a lost
war against the Talibans. What about the Vietnam debacle in the ‘60s?
If we are truly serious about winning or sustaining the victory against Boko
Haram and other terrorists, there is need for a strong civilian component in

2. the fight. By “civilian component”, I mean thoroughly-oriented, organized
and systematic efforts at integrating the public in the fight against
insurgency while in the process improving Civil-Military relations.
Improved image of the Nigerian Army and its Civil-Military relations will
do a lot of good in the fight against Boko Haram. This is where, I think, the
media is going to play a key role.
Presently, there seem to be a major disconnect between the Army on one
hand and the public on the other hand. My best guess is that this gap is
what insurgents are taking advantage of. Even in conventional wars, the
Army still needs the civilians. This may be why there are often militias who
are themselves not professional soldiers but trained by the military during
conventional wars. If the military needs civilians during war; why then the
disconnection in the fight against insurgency? The truth of the matter is
that it is cheaper to engage the civilians in our efforts at sustaining
momentum and hopefully the total eradication of terror in our land!
During one of his visits to the Theatre Command of the Operation Lafiya
Dole in Maiduguri, Bama, Konduga, and other areas affected by the crisis,
Nigeria’s Minister for Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, recognizing the
need to civil engagement, spoke about the need to have his ministry to
inaugurate a national security campaign against insurgency to sensitize
Nigerians to the need for active participation of individuals in security
matters. In the minister’s own words, he said, “No nation succeeds in the
fight against insurgency without the civilian component; so, we will let
Nigerians know that the fight against insurgency is a national issue…’’
Before I proceed, let me be clear that I am not a fan of Lai Muhammed as
Information Minister, though I once applauded him as APC spokesman and
in that capacity alone. But even if I don’t agree with his appointment in that
portfolio, I have to on this matter.

3. Many people tend to have forgotten the fact that Britain once had the
challenge of terrorismlike Nigeria. NorthernIreland used to be a troubled
spot thanks to the violent activities of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and
its affiliates. The group terrorizes people in the region with reckless
abandon in the 20th
century. This is where I propose “Attrition by Charm”
launched by the Royal Irish Regiment to seek a permanent solution the
Irish problem in the late ‘90s.
What did they get right? First, the British anti-terrorism strategists
understood the fact that the regiment, which is an amalgam of the Royal
Irish Rangers and the Ulster Defence Regiment, had a particularly poor
image among nationalists making them vulnerable to attacks in spots with
strong Dublin or Catholic attachments. Second, the fact that the soldiers
were largely seen as “foreigners” which reminded the locals of colonialism
(which most Irish resent) led to a decision by a number of soldiers to take
lessons in the Irish language and the Gaelic culture to improve their image
in the nationalist community.
If we adapt this into our own fight against terror, we can achieve similar
result with minimal budget. What we need to do are the simple, minutest
things. Our soldiers fighting in the northeastern part of the country should
be made to take lessons in Kanuri language. I say this because it is spoken
by about 500,000 people who use it as a second language. Since the most
troubled areas are Borno and Yobe, speaking the language of the locals,
other than simply Hausa will make the soldiers no longer look like
strangers who the locals should not trust. When this is done, our anti-terror
strategists should consider seeking the support of local opinion leaders and
farmers and make them see “feel” being part of the solutions to the
challenge of Boko Haram. The support of media platforms like Aboki News
and the likes may also be sought on behalf of the military.

4. As useless as dirty water is compared to tea, so is media without a message.
The message in this regard should be simple, easy to understand and
ruthlessly effective. We can have a message as simple as making the locals
and civilians to be “part of the solution, not the problem”.
Civilian engagement can help the military in identifying insurgents,
providing critical intelligence reports and spotting supplies and logistics to
the insurgents. This is why many nations during war engage is powerful
propaganda just to mobilize their people to support the military efforts.
They do this because they know the military alone cannot win the war. War
can be costly in terms of human and material resources, but if we adopt the
right tactics and strategies- two key elements of any successful war- we can
see the end of terrorism in our nation.
NOTE OF CORRECTION: I quoted Matthew 34: 10 instead of Matthew
10:34 which is the correct quote in my last piece, Why Should I Cover My
Hair?Error regretted and great appreciation to those who wrote me on the
matter.
Olalekan Waheed Adigun is a political risk analyst and independent
political strategist for wide range of individuals, organisations and
campaigns based in Lagos, Nigeria. Email: olalekan@olalekanadigun.com,
adgorwell@gmail.com. Follow me on
twitter: @adgorwell