Assistant Politics Editor, Daniel Kanu, argues for firmer legislative empowerment in the fight against insurgency
Senate President, David Mark, cut a pathetic sight recently, as he received Muslim women who came on protest to the National Assembly over the recurrent massacre of Nigerians by terrorists, in some parts of the North. The latest attack, on Tuesday, March 25, 2014 on Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, triggered the angst in the women.
The women, under the aegis of Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), stormed the National Assembly to stage the protest in reaction to the incessant attacks on communities and towns in the North East and beyond.
The group, led by its spokesperson, Hadijat Suleiman, had expressed worry that as mothers, their hearts bled for the unceasing massacre of innocent Nigerians and pleaded with the government to take a decisive step against the menace.
Suleiman said they came with “bleeding hearts of Nigerian women, the agonising pain and feeling of despair which the womenfolk have been made to face in recent times,” adding that, “FOWMAN mourns with the rest of humanity over the inhuman destruction of the creations of Allah and the wanton bloodshed of innocent citizens in this country.”
According to the group, “We view with sadness, trepidation and a deep concern the continuous escalation of violent attacks on innocent lives and property in multiple locations.
“We are mothers, wives; we are nurturers of life, nurturers of families; we are builders and sustainers of nations, not destroyers.These killing of our children, our men and indeed women must stop.
“We urge the National Assembly to make a loud and resounding statement and stand up to be counted for the benefit of posterity. Government should explore all avenues to determine the source and sustainers of this phenomenon. It is a crime against humanity.”
The group also used the occasion to plead with the appropriate government agencies to provide relief materials to all people affected by the violence.
Mark, despite the heavy burden on his hands, gave cheering words to the distraught women, assuring them of the resolve of the federal government towards ending insurgency in the country. For Mark, capital punishment was the antidote to the menace.
The senate president had flayed the killings under the guise of religion, insisting that such reason was totally unacceptable.
“My faith does not accept capital punishment, but as an individual, I believe that if you kill, you should be killed as well,” Mark said.
According to Mark, “We are as pained as you are; I think there is no one who is not feeling the pain. In those days, you could travel anytime. Anywhere and any village you went to, you were always welcomed and secure.
“But today, the reverse is the case. We must rise up and collectively condemn this dastardly act in our society. It must also be noted that besides insurgency, kidnapping and armed robbery go on in other parts of the country.”
The protest by FOMWAN has raised critical questions on the battle against terrorism and how well efforts are made to put a stop to it.
An assessment report released recently by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on the humanitarian situation in the State of Emergency (SoE) states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa has shown that from January to March 2014 alone, insurgency and other humanitarian challenges left 1,000 people dead and 250,000 displaced.
At the initial stage, the National Assembly appeared to be slow in its passage of the anti-terrorism to an extent that President Jonathan had to write the House.
In a letter titled ‘Re: Urgent passage of Anti-Terrorism Bill and the Anti-Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill’ dated August 6, 2010 to the Senate president, President Jonathan stressed the need for the immediate passage of the bills as a demonstration of the country’s commitment to the global fight against terrorism and corruption in the country.
Finally, Jonathan signed the Terrorism (Prevention) Bill 2011 and the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Bill 2011 into law.
Both bills were passed by the sixth National Assembly and conveyed to Jonathan for assent on Thursday, June 2, 2011. He signed them on Friday, June 3, 2011.
The new Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 establishes measures for the prevention, prohibition and combating of acts of terrorism and the financing of terrorism in Nigeria.
It also provides for the effective implementation of the Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism as well as the Convention on the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, and prescribes penalties for the violation of its provisions.
The Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011 repeals the Money Laundering Act 2004 and makes comprehensive provisions to prohibit the financing of terrorism, and the laundering of the proceeds of crime or illegal acts.
In October 2012, Nigeria escaped by a hair’s breadth being blacklisted as a terrorist country which is not doing enough to amend its money laundering and terrorism laws in line with international expectation and insistence.
Then in far awayParis, France, a group of 180 countries, under the aegis of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), had met to decide on Nigeria’s fate.
Surprisingly, at the end of the one-week gathering which rounded off on October 19, 2012, Nigeria survived through the benefit-of-doubt posture extended to the country because of time constraint to assess efforts the country had made to amend its money laundering and terrorism laws.
FATF had observed in a statement at the end of the meeting that Nigeria had taken steps towards improving its Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime, including the adoption by parliament of both the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Amendment Bill and the Terrorism (Prevention) Amendment Bill.
Critical observers believe that rather than having a typical haphazard approach, it is high time Nigeria articulated a coherent and unified strategy towards countering terrorism and insurgency.
The United Nations Counter-terrorism Committee advocates countries to have comprehensive national strategies that include countering incitement motivated by extremism and intolerance.
Some critics are of the opinion that it is not enough for the National Assembly to pass law criminalising acts of terrorism and apportioning punishments/penalties, arguing that the prospect of a punishment does not necessarily deter an individual or a group bent on breaking the law.
For political observers, a well-thought out counter-terrorism strategy/policy is a necessity if Nigeria must win the war on terror, rather than an entrenched proclivity for setting up committees/panels. There is also the suggestion that a security-conscious citizenry with the willingness to volunteer information remains vital in addressing the guerrilla nature of insurgency attacks by Boko Haram.