Lukmon Olabiyi
Foremost security professional, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has written a book on the Boko Haram insurgency, which has ravaged some part of the country for over two decades. The book is titled, Boko Haram (Security considerations and the rise of an insurgency).
Ekhomu, who is the president of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), said: “The book is aimed at covering the knowledge gap that I believe exists right now about the Boko Haram jihadi problem. We have a major insurgency on our hands here, which has caused hundreds of deaths.
“As a policy scholar, I feel that the policy pronouncements of government show that they don’t even understand what we are dealing with. I was trained in policy sciences and my training says to solve a problem, you must understand what you are dealing with, and you must try to get away from the type 1 and 2 errors.”
According to the synopsis, Boko Haram (Security considerations and the rise of an insurgency) “analyses the activities and atrocities of Nigeria’s Jihadi terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the context of global religious fundamentalism and extremism.
The book traces the early beginnings of the religious sect, the conversion of its leader to radicalism in 2002, and the group’s campaign of violence beginning in 2009 and continuing to the present.
“The group’s attacks against a variety of targets are examined in detail as are their general tactics and strategies. The Nigerian government response is also examined in order to provide critical lessons to counter-terrorism planners, policy and government officials, and scholars.
“The initial military response was hampered by capability and legislative constraints including lack of arms and ammunitions, lack of modern counter-terrorism equipment, training gaps, leadership issues, intelligence gap, politicization of the conflict, and limited support to the Nigerian military led by the international community.
Book Haram looks at the work that has been done thus far, and what work needs to continue, to make gains to combat, marginalize, and ultimately defeat Boko Haram and resolve the conflict facing Nigeria.”
Divided into three parts, the book has 15 chapters. Part one talks about the history of Boko Haram, reign of terror, Boko Haram reloaded, prelude to war and funding of Boko Haram.
Captioned choice of targets, part two discusses targeting military and corrections, targeting law enforcement, targeting of schools and students, infrastructure attacks, divine targets and targeted assassinations.
The book will be presented to the public March, 26.