Despite repeated claims by the Nigerian Army that it has technically defeated the Islamist Boko Haram terrorists, the army on Monday declared a spiritual war against the insurgent group, provoking an admixture of shock, anger, laughter, and disbelief among Nigerians, who are perplexed at the spiritual connotation the army has given to what is supposed to be a practical war against an insurgency that seem to be regaining momentum in the war ravaged Northeast.
“We are an unserious people who think we can mock God! We indulge in corruption and war crimes against minorities but pray to God to help us defeat Boko Haram. Having failed to dislodge the terrorists with guns and armored tanks, the Nigerian Army has now declared spiritual warfare against Boko Haram. Maybe the government should also give the defence budget to spiritual heads since its spiritual intervention that the country needs to fight the war against insurgent,” were some of the cynical reactions that trailed the spiritual seminar organized by the army to counter Boko Haram ideology.
Under the theme: “Countering Insurgency and Violent Extremism in Nigeria through Spiritual Warfare,” the spiritual seminar which held at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja, was organized by the Army’s Directorate of Chaplain Services, Roman Catholic, Protestant and Directorate of Islamic affairs.
At the spiritual seminar, Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai said terrorism will wither and die if the ideology is killed.
Buratai who was represented by the Chief of Administration, Mohammed Yusuf, said the need to defeat the ideologies of the insurgents was based on the awareness that it was their ideologies that had enhanced their resources and help recruit new fighters. He said: “It is easier to defeat Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists than their ideology because while we degrade the terrorists and their havens, the narrative of the ideology grows the group.
“Therefore, communities, families, and groups should join in the fight and narratives to reject and prevent the ideologies of the terrorists and extremist groups. “By its nature, ideologies have the power to manipulate what people think, inform their opinion and direct their attitude. It is a well-known fact that terrorism and terrorist groups will not be totally eliminated by mainly military actions.
“This means focusing our effort on the under laying narratives through ideologies that are employed by these terrorist groups to lure innocent citizens into their fold. Communities and the states need to be joined with the common purpose of rejecting the ideology of this group and those who exposed them. This can be better achieved through the provision of appropriate counter narratives targeted at the ideology of the terrorist group.”
Buratai admonished religious leaders and clerics who regularly interface with members of the society must fashion out ways of stepping up their roles, remembering that the fight against terrorism is a collective responsibility.
