Nigeria archbishop laments failure to stop Boko Haram
Feb 20, 2014: Amid continuing attacks in Nigeria attributed to the Islamic militant
group Boko Haram, one of the country's leading bishops has grieved the inability of
government authorities to stop the violence.
“Unfortunately, the authorities
have so far failed to fulfill their task of ensuring peace and security to Nigerians
in every area of the Country,” said Archbishop Ignatius Ayau Kaigama of Jos, president
of the Nigerian Episcopal Conference. He said policymakers and the Nigerian military
“have not yet managed to get to the bottom of the problem,” Fides news agency reported
Feb. 17.
“Despite the efforts and significant resources invested to combat
these fanatical groups, policy makers and the Nigerian military “have not yet managed
to get to the bottom of the problem” despite the “efforts and significant resources
invested to combat these fanatical groups. His comments followed a Saturday attack
on the village of Izghe in the northern state of Borno allegedly committed by a Boko
Haram group. Over 100 civilians were killed by several men dressed in military uniform.
After the attackers killed the people and raided shops, they fled towards the forest,
Fides reports.
On Feb. 19, suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers took part in
a major attack in the town of Bama on Nigeria’s northern border, the Nigerian army
said. Details about the five-hour attack are scarce because the insurgency has severely
affected the phone network, BBC News reports. Wednesday's attack followed Tuesday
remarks from army spokesman Doyin Okupe, who said the army was “on top of the situation.”
He said Nigeria is “already winning the war against terror” and the insurgents’ activities
will be “terminated within the shortest possible time.”
Archbishop Kaigama,
who spoke to Fides before the Wednesday attack, said he was no longer surprised by
the massacre because of Boko Haram’s “regular pattern” that is “aimed at terrorizing
the population.” He said Nigeria needs to address “ the root of the problem,” saying
he thinks that groups outside Nigeria are offering “sophisticated assistance” to the
radical groups.
The governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima, has said the
insurgents were “better armed and better motivated” than security forces, the BBC
reports. He said that without reinforcements the defeat of Boko Haram will be “absolutely
impossible.”
Suspected Boko Haram attacks have killed over 245 people in 2014.
The group is blamed for several thousand deaths since its insurgency began in 2009.