Boko Haram, #Bringbackourgirls, conspiracy theories, media and the mess called Nigeria.


I have so far refrained from writing about the Nigerian ‘missing girls’ for some reasons. Firstly, I wouldn’t want to cause any more pain to families of the missing girls, if indeed there are missing girls.

download (3) Secondly, I am not a fan of conspiracy theories.

I got a glimpse of just how much Nigerians love conspiracy theories when Lee Rigby was hatched to death on the street of London by Nigerian/British born Islamist fanatics, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale. Many Nigerians went into conspiracy frenzy on social networks. They claimed it was all a set up and made the murderers out to be victims of a twisted immigration plot! Surprisingly, many of the conspiracy theorists were self-identified skeptics and freethinkers. I got fed up of their conspiracy theories showing on my newsfeeds that I reached for the block button. One thing I emphasized was how much pain their insensitive posts were causing the bereaved family. So, let’s get this out of the way, I loathe conspiracy theories, not just because they are mostly misguided but because they do tend to cause pains to the victims and their families.

However, I know that silence in the face of oppression is never the answer. if things don’t add up in the Chibok kidnappings, better to voice concerns than keep silent especially since I can’t keep saying ‘No comment’ whenever i am asked to comment on the issue.

Fears and Suspicions

Boko Haram is real. It is a monster that has claimed many innocent lives and blown children up in their dormitories since it started its nefarious activities in Nigeria. However, the sad truth is that some prominent Nigerian leaders and politicians have at one time or the other befriended, dined and wined the monster called Boko Haram in an effort to score a point over their political opponents. It is now blowing up in their faces and unfortunately, it is taking innocent victims and casualties down with it.

When I first read that about 276 girls were kidnapped from Government Girls College, Chibok, Borno state by the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, I thought “oh no, not again!” but I was actually relieved that they were not murdered since Boko Haram is more known for blowing up children  in their dormitories than kidnapping them. To be alive is to have hope. However, as events unfolded, I started wondering if truly 200+girls were kidnapped.

When I saw the headlines by some newspapers and bloggers brandishing a purported interview with one of the 53 girls that allegedly escaped, I suspected foul play. Only a line or two was attributed to the girl and there were contradictions. It didn’t add up. It smacks of a badly written nollywood script.  At that point, I thought it was just some bloggers trying to get hits on their blogs with made up stories. However, recent events point to the possibility that this is beyond irresponsible journalism and overzealous bloggers. It seems in the case of the kidnapped Chibok girls, the more you look, the less you see.

A state of emergency was declared in Borno state before the girls were kidnapped. How come the insurgents did not encounter boko_haram561_2any police road blocks, especially when it is virtually impossible for civilians to go about their legal, normal duties without encountering police palaver? How did the terrorists operate for hours in the night with heavy weapons in a place where there is a curfew?  What is the use of declaring a state of emergency when trucks could be moved into a school to abduct 200+ girls without encountering security barricades?

It took a lot of questions and pressure before the principal of the school could come up with the names of  some of the missing girls. They were supposedly in school to prepare for their GCEs. I presume they are also registered to take the GCEs, so how difficult could it be to get their names and pictures? How is the public supposed to help alert police to sightings of missing persons when they have never seen their pictures? Did they not think that people are bound to ask for names and pictures of the missing girls? Why on earth did some people, especially northern leaders, take it as an affront? Why turn this simple, logical request into a political row?

Nigeria is a country where people can be paid to do anything or be anything you want them to be.  It is a country where unionists sometimes pay workers to join workers’ protests for minimum wage. Nigeria is a country where you can pay strangers to cry at a funeral and pretend they are relatives or friends of the deceased. The belief is that people wailing and crying their eyes out at a funeral is a sign that the deceased was a good person. Needless to say the cries of the paid strangers is a spectacle all on its own.

What is my point here? I was not surprised when it was pointed out that the woman who was arrested during the meeting with the first lady, had earlier claimed that her daughter was one of the abducted girls. It turned out this was a lie. While her arrest on the alleged order of the first lady (who actually has no such power but of course little facts like this won’t stop power drunk Nigerians from exercising powers they don’t actually have and won’t stop ass-licking police officers from doing the bidding of the rich and powerful) is despicable one must not lose sight of the damage false claims like this does to police investigations.

It is one thing to organise protests to demand the return of the abducted girls but it is quite another to give misleading information that could actually jeopardise the investigation. Her actions could very well be termed as perverting the course of justice, which is a very punishable offence in democratic countries. So while we condemn the actions of the First lady, do not forget to condemn the false information this woman fed the public. Which also begs the question, how many other women out there have falsely claimed that their children were among those kidnapped?

It was also reported that the President paid 1 million naira each to the parents of the missing girls. I doubt if this was true, but well, it is Nigeria and it could well be true.  If true, one must wonder, what is the payment for? How come we couldn’t have the names of the entire 276 missing girls but somehow, the president had names of their parents and paid out a million naira to each of them? Was it a death payment? If this was a case of fabricated lies, irresponsible reporting or more dirty politicking, there is a danger that this would cause more people to falsely claim that their daughters were taken. Yes, if money would be paid, many Nigerians would try out their luck to claim the bounty.

These children were missing for 3 weeks and little or no action was taken by the government. However, when the hashtag  #Bringbackourgirls went viral and international government got involved, seasoned and emergency activists started organising protests. Where exactly are the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends of the missing girls? We have not really read much or seen the faces of the 276 aggrieved parents of these missing girls. While doing a little online research on this, I stumbled on this post which said the villagers actually tried to ambush Boko Haram terrorists with sticks and machetes shortly after their children were kidnapped. If true, how brave of them!

Which again brings us to the question, where were the security force when this was going on? The villagers allegedly gave a statement at a police station when Boko Haram group was still very near, but nothing was done. Has the DPO been questioned about this? Has any punitive measures been taken against the officers or are they part of a higher conspiracy to protect Boko Haram whenever they operate?

A lot of security votes go to the area considered prone to Boko Haram attacks. Governors enjoy bounties in the name of providing security which judging by the deplorable state of security in their states, they never did. Is it too much to ask that these Governors account for the security monies allocated to their states? Or is it a case of ‘Touch not my anointed or else we will all go down’?

I fear that even if no one was kidnapped, if it was just a ploy to destabilise the election campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan by the disgruntled northern politicians and a ploy which was played to the fullest by opposition parties like ACN, in all this nasty politicking, we must not lose sight of what is at stake; innocent victims.

Yes, my fear is that even if no one was initially kidnapped, the terrorist group have been provided a goldmine to exploit in this tragedy. If they have not already done so, they are likely to kidnap some girls or who knows, come to some arrangement with some 10372590_633696880042163_1323557924011214755_nnorthern leaders to provide some girls as bait. I suspect that even the girls that were shown on the video reciting the Quran could just be an arranged political clip. Yes, Nigeria is in such a mess that its leaders wouldn’t hesitate to drag us deeper into their dirty politics.

The Governor of Borno state, Governor Shettima  ordered three days of prayer and fasting in the state and now he is suddenly receiving messages about the intentions of Boko Haram. I wonder why, after insistently claiming that they do not know the whereabouts of the abducted girls, Governor Shettima and the Northern Elders suddenly have information on the whereabouts of the abducted girls?

As #Bringbackourgirls went viral and international support grew, the northern leaders now have information materialising from thin air that Boko Haram does not intend to harm the girls but would consider trading the girls for imprisoned Boko Haram members. This is highly suspicious plus it provides a very dangerous if lucrative reason for Boko Haram to have some girls in custody to carry out the exchange.

Northern Elders have said that the Government ”should pay billions as ransom to Shekau and release all detained Boko Haram members” and that there must be ”no foreign forces in Nigeria”. They have also demanded that ”force should not be used” in securing the freedom of the abducted girls. Really, i mean really?

So yes, my fear is that even if they did not have any girl in custody, they have an excuse to want to kidnap girls or at least have girls they can bargain with. So in all these dirty politicking, there are bound to be innocent victims. And from all angles, the victims are bound to be innocent girls, forcefully kidnapped or actually pawned out by their parents or family members. Yes, I fear that this is about to get dirtier. And if children are not already the victims, they will be the victims.

International security forces

There is no gainsaying that Nigeria is a mess. I am happy that the international community is finally getting involved. However, we need to be clear on the terms of involvement. Is this a humanitarian intervention out of the goodness of the heart of the countries offering to help or is it purely a business download (1)transaction?

If it is a business transaction, how much exactly is it going to cost Nigeria if it accepts the help offered by USA, Britain and China to find the missing girls and fish out Boko Haram?

As I said about the Syria crisis, I do not care if the cost of saving lives involve paying with oil or diamonds because lives are more important than mineral resources. However, it would be helpful if the USA, Britain, China and whatever other international community offering to help would just state clearly on what terms they are offering the help.

These countries have an expertise Nigerian clearly lacks. The question is, are  they offering this expertise for free because they care so much about the missing girls and truly want to bring their abductors to book or is their expertise going to involve oil barrels and/or having a hand in choosing the next ‘elected’ Nigerian government officials? It would really be appreciated if Nigerians know the terms and conditions of this ‘generous humanitarian’ efforts to #bringbackourgirls and hopefully bring Boko Haram to justice.

Yes, Nigerian government is corrupt. Nigerians already know this, so US Secretary of State John F. Kerry is not exactly telling us anything new. I don’t think US is in Nigeria to do a survey of how corrupt the Nigerian government is. The mission is to help #bringbackourgirls. Nigerians already have a good idea of how corrupt our government is, thank you.

Nigeria, a hotbed of hypocrisy 

Nigeria is a mess. The northern leaders who are suddenly aghast that children are going to be sold as brides have forgotten that they are also the ones who introduced sharia law into Northern parts of the country with the hope that they could use it to justify their many child brides. Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima, who introduced Sharia law when he was Zamfara State Governor, is a known paedophile and he justifies his penchant for underage child brides using the Quran. Today, he is a serving Nigerian senator. The lawmakers that are today condemning Boko Haram for its threat to sell the missing girl as brides, were all guests at this paedophile’s wedding to the 13 year old girl he bought. The hypocrisy is truly disgusting.

Nigerian Lawmakers sit everyday with this known paedophile, making laws for the country. They lack the moral ground to cry wolf over the intention of Boko Haram to sell the abducted girls as brides. After all, when the paedophile in their midst bought his child bride, they all celebrated with him at the National Mosque and congratulated him on importing a beautiful 13 year old child to add to his harem of child brides. Yes. Nigeria is a hotbed of hypocrites

Media mob mentality

I wonder why it took the media and international community so long to eventually acknowledge that the abduction of three hundred imagesgirls was worth reporting. The kidnap was reported in all major Nigerian newspapers more than 3 weeks ago, some foreign newspaper also published it. The report managed to make the obscure corners of some international news and foreign papers.

However, the minute a deranged looking black man who calls himself Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, posted a video where he threatened to sell the kidnapped girls because, well, girls are supposed to be wives not go to school, this was all it took to incite the international community. Suddenly, the video raised the ire of civilised nations. “Who does this barbarian thinks he is?”, they asked. “Are Africans still this barbaric?”, many wondered. “Islam is really the religion of the insane”, many concluded. “Let us go as white knights in shining armours and rescue the girls!”, they screamed!

Hmm, the girls were not deemed newsworthy or worthy of rescue just three weeks ago, but well, post a video of a black Islamic terrorist ranting that girls should not be educated and threatening to sell the missing girls off as child brides,  and we suddenly have no shortage of white knights in shining armours.

Help is good, but it would be great to know one can get help without relying on media shock tactic.

My problem with the hastag ‘#bringbackourgirls’

The hashtag #Bringbackourgirls makes me cringe. ‘Our’ denotes property. The girls are not our property; they are humans withdownload names and faces. They don’t belong to us. They don’t belong to the terrorists. They are not even the properties of their parents because children are not properties.

It is a cultural language that I loathe so much. ‘Our wife’ is often used by the in-laws of a woman basically to denote that she is their property. When an African man takes his girlfriend home to meet his family and they start referring to her as ‘our wife’, beware. Although, most women see it as a sign of acceptance into the family, but underneath the facade is that patriarchal connotation that she is now their property. I loathe it when anyone refers to me as ‘Our wife’ or ‘OUR women’ because many tend to use this when talking about the ‘chastity’ of ‘their’ women, of ‘their’ African women.  ‘Our women’ or ‘our girls’ are words used to keep women in line, it says: You belong to us. You will do as you are told. You will keep the honour we impose on you. You will live up to the roles we set for you because you are OUR Woman.

Therefore, when I see the hashtag #Bringbackourgirls, I cringe. I cringe because it strikes me as yet another way of saying the girls belong to us. The girls are our property, not that of Boko Haram but are our own property, the property of Nigerians, the property of the world. No, they are not our property. They are their own person and they deserve our help whether or not they are OURS!

Some foreigners are leaving such comments like “No, these abducted girls are not our American girls. They are not our British girls. They are Nigerian girls, they are Nigeria’s problem.” Hmm, can we just pause a minute to recognise that it is not about whether they are our property or not, but that they are first and foremost vulnerable human beings in dire need of help.

Conspiracy theorists 

For the conspiracy theorists who are so opposed to America coming into Nigeria to provide the intelligence work needed in eradicating Boko Haram, because they are convinced the big old evil capitalist America is after Nigeria’s oil, I’d say, so what? Your ramblings about America coming into the country just for your oil are pathetic. It is pathetic not because it does not have a ring of truth to it, but because Nigerians might actually fare better economically if our damn oil was controlled by entities other than our corrupt government and its cronies.

All Nigerians have to show for the Federal government control of our oil is lack of stable electricity supply, deteriorating educational system, lack of basic amenities, no good water, no security. Many Nigerian families have lost a loved one to road accidents caused by bad roads. Access to good healthcare is nonexistent. Unemployment is so high that it is a surprise that the poor are not eating the rich in broad day light yet. What good thing do Nigerians have to show for government control of our oil? Misplaced pride, I guess.

Yes, I wouldn’t want America or any other country to come into Nigeria to play dirty politics, which is why I would rather all Nigerians make a loud call to ask America, UK or China to declare exactly what the payment for their help would be. Let us know, let all Nigerians know. Maybe this would stop the conspiracy theories. Maybe this would help save us from a corrupt government telling us in 10 years time that the money we think they are looting is actually going towards paying for America’s help in eradicating Boko Haram.

All I am saying is, as a Nigerian, I appreciate any help that would eradicate Boko Haram, but please state your terms very clearly. Let us know what we are paying and let us get our money’s or oil’s worth. Transparency and accountability are what we demand from the forces coming into our country. I know it is sad that we cannot even trust our own government to give us accountability and transparency. However, those are words American government throw around a lot, so maybe, just maybe, in this transaction to bring back the missing girls and help eradicate Boko Haram, America can please respect us enough to show accountability and transparency even when our own Nigerian government won’t honour us with such words or actions.

One thing that is unfortunately glaring is that children (if not already) will be the victims in all these dirty politicking. No child deserves to be used as pawn in the dirty mess that is Nigeria. Even if it was one child kidnapped, that child deserves to be rescued and if it takes the international community coming in to rescue that child, then so be it. Even if it takes paying with our oil to ensure that no child is ever put in danger by Boko Haram, so be it.  The life of every human being is worth more than oil. If What Americans want for saving the lives of the girls is oil, well, negotiate and give it to them. At least let us know it is a business deal and not a humanitarian crusade.

It is not my wish to add to the confusion out there or fuel the conspiracy theories. However, facts must be examined.  Boko Haram is an evil entity that must be wiped out. Right now, it is not about who created and fed the monster. If those who created the monster that has now grown beyond their control can be brought to book, that would be great. However, the most important thing is , if there are  kidnapped girls held by Boko Haram, let us do all we can to rescue them from the clutches of evil, and ensure no one is ever made a victim of the terrorist group again.

Comments

  1. says

    Thanks for an intelligent and well-researched and reasoned piece. I just unfriended someone on FB because they kept posting these idiotic 2 sentence conspiracy-mongering statements about this situation. Personally, I do believe that the girls have actually been kidnapped -- it wouldn’t be the first time there was a mass kidnap of this scale but agree that there are other murky details. However, most people who post the conspiracy slogans haven’t bothered to actually do any research and are just jumping on the bandwagon of whatever website they slavishly follow regarding politics. The one that really irked me was one of a photo of Michelle Obama with her “bring back our girls” sign and then next to it some ugly lookin’ dude meant to represent Islam I guess holding another sign saying “your husband has killed more Muslim girls than Boko Haram ever did”. I mean, what is the point there supposed to be? First of all, it extends the sexist notion that a woman is an extension of her husband, and then seems to suggest a logic of leaving these girls to rot because of US foreign policy in other situations? HUH? On the upside, my resulting irritation led me to do a bit of research of my own and I was delighted to find your website! Hello sister from across the world! I will check in on you from time to time. Dig your thinking.

  2. says

    Thanks for the insight on this; as always, Yemmy, can count on you for a deeper look at issues around Nigeria. It’s a perspective I hadn’t considered, that the kidnapping may not be what it seems, or as big as it seems. I’d recognized why we can’t just pay a ransom -- we’d be drawing a dollar sign on the forehead of every girl in northern Nigeria, for radicals and greedheads of all sorts -- but I hadn’t considered the possibility of that deeper deception.

    If my country takes part in helping to find the girls, assuming they’re really lost, I’ll make sure to speak to my member of parliament about giving any such aid string-free, the same way we’d help the UK or the US with a major abduction of children: because it’s the decent thing to do, not to get realpolitik favours over the bodies of little girls (possibly).

    You’re awesome.

  3. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    @Diana Trimble -- I am glad you found this piece helpful. I understand what you mean by these two lines conspiracy theory bandwagon jumpers. I have unfriended my fair share of conspiracy theorists on Facebook; very annoying lots. This is why I was reluctant to speak about my suspicions and fears concerning the ‘Kidnap’. I was afraid that they were going to just see it as another piece to buttress their conspiracy theory but I decided not to let them indirectly censor me from voicing my suspicions and fears.

    Yes, I also think some girls have been ‘kidnapped ‘,this could be before or after the kidnap alarm was raised. I definitely think it was not a solo Boko Haram act, I strongly believe Borno State governor, Northern elders and even the principal of the school should be thoroughly investigated. Did you know that the principal had two of his young girls in that same place when the kidnapping was going on but somehow; the kidnappers did not take his young girls along with the wards in his care? I am glad his girls were spared this horrendous ordeal, and his family was not harmed, but Boko Haram members are not known for showing mercy to their victims.

    Yeah, thanks for pointing out the sexism those irritating internet assholes project on Michelle Obama, I guess they only see her as an appendage of her husband and not as a human being with opinions.

    I think those fostering the conspiracy theories should stop being so concerned about feeding their theories and spare a minute to ask themselves ‘What if there are young girls who are right now held in captivity and are being sexually abused by Boko Haram members”? This is worth considering along with the available facts. And maybe if they approach the issue with more empathy than the need to be proved right, people might just take them seriously.
    And sister from across the world, feel free to check my blog often and leave your comments. 🙂

  4. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    CaitieCat, getaway driver

    If my country takes part in helping to find the girls, assuming they’re really lost, I’ll make sure to speak to my member of parliament about giving any such aid string-free, the same way we’d help the UK or the US with a major abduction of children: because it’s the decent thing to do, not to get realpolitik favours over the bodies of little girls (possibly)

    Thank you CaitieCat, this would really be helpful!

  5. says

    This is the third time I’ve been back to read this, and I’m delighted to see some comments on it now. I’m just trying to absorb it, somehow. But I haven’t known what to say about it, so I’ve taken a “shut up and listen” position.

    I think some of my vague feelings have crystallized a little, into this: Until it is known otherwise, treat the kidnapping as real and respond reasonably. That means getting all the facts; investigating. This serves regardless as to whether a whole school of girls was kidnapped, or if it was a 100% fabricated ploy. It helps to find the girls, or it helps to point out political or other scheming -- or mixtures of both.

  6. Kevin Danbaba says

    You just wrote what you felt like writing without having facts and figures. You are just trying to accuse northern elders of what they don’t know much about. Please point finger to where it is supposed to be pointed at…our clueless president. Although you are an aethist you may not care about this…do you think there would have been the international outrage and the action we are witnessing now if all the girls that were abducted were Muslims? Even the Lagos Ibadan axis press owned by Christians didn’t care much about the abducted girls issue because initially they thought they were muslims. Just imagine all the information we are getting now from cnn as a result of the attention are giving the issue I believe due to the presence of American troops in Nigeria.

  7. Meggamat says

    This was a really in-depth piece, the kind one rarely finds. It is clear that your agenda is to help kidnap victims, but there are so many agendas at play here that something could easily go wrong. I hope it doesn’t end in a shoot-out.

  8. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    @-F [i’m not here, i’m gone]- I started this post many times and it took many trials over a period of days before i could finally write the first paragraph. I probably wouldn’t have written about my fears and suspicions if not for the fact that I kept receiving requests for interviews and quotes on the ‘missing girls’ issues. So I understand what you mean by

    This is the third time I’ve been back to read this, and I’m delighted to see some comments on it now. I’m just trying to absorb it, somehow. But I haven’t known what to say about it, so I’ve taken a “shut up and listen” position.

    I also had to read many positions, do my research before i could finally put my thoughts on paper (or is it screen?) And yes, your position is very much what i have arrived at too. Help the missing girls , even if you think there are none, consider the possibility that there really might be missing girls. Also, point out political and other scheming. Speaking out is better than silence.

    Anyway, feel free to share your comments, it never hurts to be the first to leave a comment, it might just encourage others to share their thoughts. 🙂

  9. Bernard Bumner says

    Thanks you for your informative piece -- I must say that I took it as a given that the situation was as described because I had no idea that such corruption might exist.

    I found myself very frustrated by the lack of attention being paid to the story initially, and I think that international focus on this situation is not only good because it may mobilise the resources of states to intervene (if there really are hundreds of missing girls). This will also help to focus public attention on a country and a region where other attrocities committed by Boko Haram have gone unreported and unnoticed, and the misrule and corruption by the goverment have wasted wealth and reduced living standards.

  10. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    @Kevin Danbaba

    You just wrote what you felt like writing without having facts and figures.

    Kelvin Danbbaba, not everyone is like you. I did my research and took time to write a worthwhile piece. Definitely, same can’t be said of your ethnic incitement and religion fanaticism comment. You are an example of what is wrong with Nigeria, religious fanaticism and ethnic intolerance.

    Unfortunately for you, I am not one you can accuse of partisan politics or supporting President Goodluck Jonathan. I have written many times about the clueless and inept President Goodluck Jonathan. For example,see my post
    OCCUPY NIGERIA FOR A RESIGNATION OR A REVOLUTION?
    .
    If truly followers deserve the kind of leadership they get, then Nigerians deserve a Goodluck Jonathan.
    Now, let’s examine the lack of sense and the religious and ethnic intolerance in your comment.

    You are just trying to accuse northern elders of what they don’t know much about.

    I gave my reasons and evidence of why I think the Northern Elders know more than they are letting on about the missing girls and Boko Haram. What are your reasons for saying I am accusing them of what they know nothing about? What are your reasons and evidence for concluding the Northern Elders know nothing about the Boko Haram and the missing girls?

    do you think there would have been the international outrage and the action we are witnessing now if all the girls that were abducted were Muslims?

    Yes, there would have been, because not everyone is as myopic as you clearly are.
    Also, I clearly stated why I think there was media uproar three weeks after the girls were kidnapped and I condemned the media mob mentality. Below is an excerpt from my post, in case you missed it or glossed over it without bothering to comprehend it.

    Hmm, the girls were not deemed newsworthy or worthy of rescue just three weeks ago, but well, post a video of a black Islamic terrorist ranting that girls should not be educated and threatening to sell the missing girls off as child brides, and we suddenly have no shortage of white knights in shining armours.
    Help is good, but it would be great to know one can get help without relying on media shock tactic

    Obviously all you can think about is create more religious tension with your baseless accusations and religious sentiments.

    Even the Lagos Ibadan axis press owned by Christians didn’t care much about the abducted girls issue because initially they thought they were muslims.

    Do you have any data to support your rant? Lagos is the most cosmopolitan state in Nigeria with likely same numbers of Muslims as Christians. Ibadan is the largest city with about the largest concentration of Muslims in a Yoruba town, And the press ownership reflects this. We can accuse the Fourth Estate (Nigerian Press) of being corrupted and compromised by brown envelopes, but I don’t think favouring one religion over another is one of their ills (at least not yet). I, as an atheist can accuse the Nigerian press of not covering atheism or giving space to those who are non believers in organised religion like Christianity and Islam, and they definitely pretend as if Atheists do not exist in Nigeria. So what really are you running your mouth about?

    You see, this is how it works on my blog; you don’t get to run your mouth and spew your ignorance all over my blog. If you have something to say, it had better make sense, and try to back it up with evidence. I ain’t giving you a free space to spread your ethnic and religious intolerance.

  11. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    @Bernard Bumner- You are welcome. Yes, the international spotlight could help find the missing girls or at least protect potential missing girls. However, the spotlight won’t stop Nigeria’s corruption, make its government more accountable to the people or suddenly develop a conscience to spend the oil money on developing the country especially those areas like Chibok which still lack accessible tarred roads and with virtually no electricity. Still a shock in modern day, oil rich Nigeria.

    In the long run, only Nigerians can emancipate themselves from the shackles of their government.
    We have to do away with ethnic/ religious intolerance and practice democracy in its true form. When Nigerians stop caring about the tribe or religious affiliations of their president, Governor, Senator, Local government chairman and be only concerned about the integrity, credentials and manifestoes of those who want to represent them, only then can we expect a democratic Nigeria that could be a world economic power and a haven for its citizens.

  12. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    Meggamat- Yes, there is no simple solution to terrorism. If this particular crisis ends in a shoot out, I hope the girls (if any) don’t end up victims of a crossfire. And that the shoot out would be between Boko Haram members and the National/International rescue team .with the self acclaimed Boko Haram leader, Shekau and all his members die in the shoot out or at least put behind bars for life.

  13. says

    Thank you Yemisi Ilesanmi for your reply comment. But to clarify, I simply did not have anything particularly cogent to say, other than “wow, interesting”, which seemed a bit inappropriate and content-free to me. Still, I very much appreciate your welcoming response, and will re-consider commenting in the future, even if to say only that the article is interesting and that you have given me something to think about. : )

  14. Pierce R. Butler says

    Trying to find more information about this, I haven’t had much luck.

    I did find Wikileaks: Boko Haram Is A CIA Covert Operation from a site called Nairaland.com (of which I know nothing, but the sloppy spelling and failure to link to key sources does not encourage), which claims:

    According to wikileaks article on ACRI which potrays the ACRI as a counterweight which was set up by the US to instigate mistrust in Nigerian dominated ECOMOG…

    But I can’t find anything recent about Boko Haram at wikileaks.org, and searching for “ACRI” there produces references to the “Association for Civil Rights in Israel” -- which I doubt has much leverage in Nigeria. A web-wide search comes up with “Africa Crises Response Initiative”, a Bush (Jr) program started as an intervention in the Liberian civil war, a subject of many rumors and little reliable info (none using the full name from wikileaks.org).

    Nairaland.com also accuses the US embassy in Nigeria of sponsoring

    … wide and far reaching acts of subversion against Nigeria which include but not limited to eavesdropping on Nigerian government communication, financial espionage on leading Nigerians, support and funding of subversive groups and insurgents, sponsoring of divisive propaganda among the disparate groups of Nigeria and the use of visa blackmailto induce and coerce high ranking Nigerians into acting in favour of US interests.

    -- much of which is quite believable, though some may well signify statements favoring gay rights, energy conservation, contraception, or who knows what.

    It doesn’t help that the only US sites I found relaying these claims are wingnut venues such as dailypaul.com…

  15. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    @Pierce R. Butler- I wouldn’t advise anyone to rely on Nairaland for news or evidenced based gossip. According to some posts on that distasteful site, I am a devil worshiping atheist who is being sponsored by USA to promote gay rights in Nigeria. The site excel at conspiracy theories.

  16. Pierce R. Butler says

    Yemisi Ilesanmi @ # 16 -- If they “excel” in conspiracy theories, I’d had to see whatever it is they do poorly at.

    Meanwhile, the kidnapped girls have apparently disappeared from US news, and even BBC has moved on to new atrocities in northern Nigeria. The trend looks bad for Africans in general -- and the women and children most of all.

  17. Yemisi Ilesanmi says

    @Pierce R. Butler- They excel in fabricating conspiracy theories but do poorly at giving evidenced based reports, which BTW is why they excel in conspiracy theories.

    I think last I read, US intelligence said they are acting with caution when it comes to disseminating information because they aren’t sure just how porous the Nigerian security is, information wise.

    I wouldn’t say that BBC moved on to covering new new atrocities in Nigeria but more like Boko Haram provided the interested world new atrocities in Northern Nigeria to cover and talk about.

    I do hope the international collaboration help uproot the draconian Boko Haram tree as soon as possible.

  18. Kevin Kehres says

    The US already buys 38% of Nigerian oil. People either have zero idea how the oil markets work or they have zero idea of how the oil markets work if they think there is any US interest in Nigerian oil that isn’t already been captured by the current level of purchase.

  19. says

    Thank you so much for your insight as to what is really going on with the supposed kidnappings. However as an 57 year old American believe me my government is so full of lies and the rich run my country. Believe me if our troops are there it isn’t for Nigeria’s good being it is totally for some monetary/oil reason. I respect your trying to get the truth out to the world. Unfortunately my government plays right into it an wants us to believe the lies and that they are helping your country. Peace!

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