United States of America’s Secretary of State, John Kerry, made a two-day whistle-stop in Nigeria penultimate Monday and Tuesday. His itinerary included a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, Northern governors and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III.
Many Northern governors who had eagerly looked forward to his visit were hoping he would unfold some goodies that could increase American investment, especially in agriculture and mining in their respective states, and some military and humanitarian assistance in the fight against the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency. But at a media briefing in Sokoto, Kerry chose to advise Nigeria not to use strong-arm tactics in dealing with Boko Haram and other extremist groups disturbing the peace and stability of the country.
The AFP quoted him as saying: “In the wake of terrorist activity, some are tempted to crack down on anyone and everyone. But extremism can’t be defeated through repression or fear. Fear instilled through repression invites not confidence but contempt, it creates terrorists.”
Many commentators descended on the top diplomat, accusing America of being up to its old diplomatic hypocrisy. They pointed out America’s adventures in terror-stricken Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Libya and other countries where America employed severe force in pursuit of Islamist terrorists, which culminated in the dethronement of several regimes and the death of Saddam Hussein, Muamar Gadhaffi, and Osama bin Laden.
They pointed to America’s refusal to assist Nigeria when the Boko Haram insurgency went out of hand and they started acquiring territories for their “Islamic caliphate” and the bad international image that Amnesty International (AI) tried to portray of our country. AI seemed more interested in alleged violations of the human rights of the terrorists than the heinous crimes the latter were perpetrating.
As much as we agree that America has not demonstrated genuine friendship with Nigeria since the Boko Haram phenomenon started in 2009, we still believe that Kerry’s message was useful. It is especially more so in the face of an established track record of harassment of civilian populations by our troops in areas where they are involved in military operations. When you treat every young man as a terrorist or extremist, it does not help the search for peace.
It only worsens situations. The military must take more care to sift the wheat from chaff and ensure that innocent Nigerians are protected, not victimised. That way, they will be more willing to cooperate and abandon their sympathy for the enemies of the country.
It is important for the armed forces and the local population in operational zones to work together. Our gallant forces are here to defend us and the nation, so it pays to cooperate with them.
SOURCE: Vanguardngr
