I have for the past one week been forced to put off tweets about weapons systems and focus instead on the international conspiracy. I thought today would be different. Apparently not. Media outlets are saying its time for Peace Talks with Boko Haram. Are these people for real?

If this is coming from some mediocre outlet one can easily disregarded. But when mainstream media is saying things like

''With options limited for fighting terrorists negotiations may be the best remaining alternative. How stupid of an idea is that? First of all Boko Haram
is not winning. Their goal of Islamizing Nigeria or set up a caliphate has clearly failed. The more cowardly attacks they mount against civilians the more obvious their desperation. They know they cannot hope to win. The number of jihadi groups fighting to overthrow
national governments and setup a state has grown steadily over the past decade. Sitting down with a murderous jihadi group that does not recognize or abide by the Geneva Convention is as good as recognizing and legitimizing them. Its that simple. I sincerely hope the Nigerian
government do not yield to these carefully planted ideas. Yesterday Amnesty received a $750,000 warchest. Today Nigerian media is talking about negotiating peace talks with a non state entity. Lemme try and explain the dynamic implications of sitting down with terrorist groups.
I am yet to see an instance where talking and making concessions with jihadi groups has curbed terrorism. Lets not kid ourselves here. Hostage takers looking for ransom distinguish between the government that pays ransom and those that do not and make a point of
not taking hostages from countries that do not pay. We are in this shithole because for years France, Cameroon and Chad paid millions of dollars to Boko Haram terrorists in ransoms. They know their acts are no different than a declaration of war and did their best
to hide it from the Nigerian government. $3 million was paid to Boko Haram by France to secure the release of a French family taken hostage. How or where Boko Haram kidnapped this family was never revealed. Neither was there prior consultation with the Nigerian government.
In 2015 Cameroon paid $500,000 (facilitated by a French bank) to Boko Haram to secure the wife of a Cameroonian minister who was kidnapped. Till this day Yaoundé is yet to explain how Boko Haram kidnapped the wife of a Cameroonian minister. Neither was Nigeria consulted before
making this payment. $3 million dollars is close to a billion naira. Do you have any idea how far that goes in equipping these jihadi groups to continue their murderous campaign? Nearly $10 million was paid in ransom between 2013 and 2015. None of these countries was Nigeria.
I remember Goodluck Jonathan and Paul Biya invited by the French government to Paid to discuss bringing an end to Boko Haram. On the one hand Paris is hosting conferences seeking solution to the crises. On the other hand Paris is facilitating the payment of ransom to Boko Haram
Nigeria's no concession policy presents the families of hostages with a terrible reality. The Nigerian government was heavily criticized for this rigid policy. The United States itself pioneered this ''we dont negotiate with terrorists'' policy and stuck by it.
In 2015 however things changed. After sending $500 million to train ''moderate terrorists'' in Syria the Obama administration announced that it would no longer persecute families that paid ransoms to terrorists..and expected the rest if the world to follow suit.
Since the FAKE Ceasefire initiated by Idris Derby the Nigerian government have reiterated that Nigeria will not will not sit down with, pay ransom or grant concessions to terrorists. Countries that granted concessions encouraged over up to 87% additional abductions
Lets not forget who these people are. These are barbarians who use threats, blackmail and violence against non combatants to obtain political or social goals through sowing fear into the civilian population beyond that of the immediate victims.
Audience costs results when citizens pressure the government to settle with terrorists for their safety. One common romanticized line you here from people is that military action alone is not the solution bladabla...so what is the solution? recognizing the legitimacy
of a murderous group and making concessions? Since when has that worked? ISWAP maintains dozens of camps in Lake Chad and no action has been taken by our ''partner nations''. The media is not even talking about it. Instead they are trying to sow confusion and panic,
blackmailing military, threatening the government with sanctions, sowing discord and trying to make Nigerians lose faith in the military. All of which helps the jihadi group tremendously. The only solution to ending this crises is via brute force.
Boko Haram is yet to taste the full might of the Nigerian military. Nigeria has never really mobilized 100% for war because of the hybrid nature of the insurgency and our bizarre policy of trying to appease our neighbours. The last time Nigeria mobilized for 100% for war
was during the civil war. The closest Nigeria has come to mobilizing for war was during the Bakassi crises when Abacha incorporated the Nigerian immigration service into the military, gave them speedboats, deployed artillery and air defence systems to the Peninsula
A move that prompted Cameroon to drag Nigeria to the ICJ. Since nothing is being done about terrorist sanctuaries in Lake Chad Nigeria has two options. Secure our perimeter by mobilizing the Nigerian military for full scale war, occupy the Lake Chad islands
and prepare for the consequence from the belligerent nations who dont want ISWAP habitat disturbed. Nobody has the stomach for that. The second and most plausible option is to Isolate Boko Haram from outside reinforcement with a completely shut down of our northern border
kick out agents of destabilization like Amnesty International and other NGO's, dedicating enormous resources into border security and going scorched earth on Boko Haram remnants in Nigeria,, cut off from outside interference.
It might be tempting to take the easy war out but the Nigerian government must weigh the cost of holding firm its policy of no concessions to Boko Haram (e.g the pollical fallout from hostages desperate appeals) against the cost from caving in to terrorist demands

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