Boko Haram Poised To Outsmart Federal Government - Dr. Lionel Rawlings

Dr. Lionel Rawlings

Head of American University of Nigeria - AUN Department On Security, Dr.  Rawlings shared his view on the recent release of the 21 Chibok Girls which has drawn a lots of debates round the country Nigeria and beyond.  

Rawlings who spoke TheScopeNewsOnline thinks that Boko Haram is not thinking of losing any ground but rather to use the pressure on the federal government to secure the release of the girls to up their killing game. Excerpts:

As security strategist, could you hazard what Boko Haram is up to in the on-going negotiation  with the Federal Government?

Boko Haram will be trying to see how much they could gain from the Federal Government. They will try to either  get money or they will try for the release of more of their top commanders, specifically, those who can really help them such as, bomb makers. Either way, whatever they get from the Federal government, they will use against the people. For example, if they receive money, they will use it to purchase weapons and if they negotiate the release of their top commanders, those commanders will be used to kill more innocent people. But rest assured, Boko Haram is only looking out for their own interest and not those of the Chibok girls, the Federal Government, nor the Nigerian people.

What should Federal Government do and not do?

The Federal government should not give in to the demands of the insurgents. The government should negotiate from a position of strength and power, which they have at the moment. The government should also not allow the release of too many dangerous commanders. For example, do not release too many with knowledge of bomb making. The government should seek to get the release of as many of the girls as possible; the government will not get back all the girls, but should try to get as many as possible. Some have already been radicalized, some have been killed, and some have been married off to top commanders; those will not be returning on their own free will unless a rescue mission.

Boko Haram has not renounced violence, what do you predict would happen with the swap of the high profile commanders I mean, do we expect the sect stepping up their game?

Of course, they are not expected to stop killing innocent people because they are such lovely people. They will definitely “up their game”. They are asking for the release of their people so that they can use their knowledge of killing to kill more of the innocent. They are not asking for their release because they love them or love us.

Are you satisfied with the present security arrangement of the country in terms of co-operation and coordinated efforts with neighboring countries of Cameroun, Chad and Nigeria?

Yes, I am satisfied. Of course, anything can be improved upon but the current state of affairs as it relates to the war against Boko Haram has shown significant success, not failure, and as such, the success means that the system and cooperation among the Multinational Task Force is working. This is a regional and international war against the insurgents and it will require a regional and international response to defeat it. No man is an Island.

What about the role of your country America in collaboration effort to defeat Boko Haram?

The US is doing its share in helping in the fight against terrorism. They have provided drones and other forms of intelligence and information gathering equipment to the Multinational Task Force as well as expertise in those areas. The US has also provided other forms of assistance to the Task Force and in particular, Nigeria, that they do not want to talk about.

Is there anything the Federal Government has got wrong in the present negotiation with Boko Haram?

I believe the Federal government has done well in gaining the release of 21 of the Chibok girls and expecting the release of 83 more; that is great for them. I would caution however, that they do not give the perception of deceiving the people by making false statements. For example, if they did in fact swap prisoners for the release of the girls, they should say so. Do not tell the world that they did not engage in any swapping deals because the people will never trust or believe anything the government says. On the other hand, I should also caution that we should be mindful of what we say in the news because we still have other girls who are yet to be rescued and statements uttered by the ill-informed could jeopardize the release of the remaining girls.