Fighting Insecurity and Terrorism_Lessons From The Boston_Marathon_Bombing

7/30/2019 Fighting Insecurity and Terrorism_Lessons From The Boston_Marathon_Bombing

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Fighting Insecurity

and Terrorism:

Lessons from the

Boston Marathon

Terrorist Incident

By

Don Okereke(Security Analyst & Consultant)


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Fighting Insecurity and Terrorism: Lessons from the Boston

Marathon Terrorist Incident

By

Don Okereke

Sequel to the Boston marathon terrorist incident and the manhunt, arrest and sw

prosecution of the surviving suspect, there is no doubt Nigeria has a long way to go

her so-called fight against Insecurity and Terrorism. Yes the context may be different b

we can safely make some inference and learn some lessons.

For starters, one striking thing about the whole scenario was the seamless inter-agenc

synergy between American Security establishments and the cooperation, resilience

Bostonians and the American people generally. Close coordination among federal, Sta

and local officials led to the arrest of the surviving suspect. The FBI took over th

investigations when it was established it was an act of terrorism. Report indicates thCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA) may have added the name of the Boston Maratho

suspect(s) in its database of suspected terrorists some 18 months ago.

CCTV Surveillance Cameras played a major role in identifying the suspects; innoce

people were not intimidated, arrested or killed in the catch-me-if-you-can manhunt th

ensued. In the United States, if you do the crime, you must be ready to do the time

Right now Federal Prosecutors have commenced prosecution of the surviving suspec

sooner than later you will hear that the guy has either been convicted or acquitted.

Of course the United States have a Counterterrorism Policy which explicitly stipulate

specific roles for all the Security agencies. The United States has zero tolerance fo

negotiating with terrorists. The leading framework of the deterrence policy of the Unite

States is encapsulated in the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act gave new powers fo

Intelligence-gathering, authority to intercept communications, creation of a terrori

exclusion list. It also spells out assignments to specific agencies- the FEMA has th

responsibility of developing an overall federal response plan while Delta Force and Se

Team Six are the muscles of the US counterterrorism. Other sister agencies like th

DCI counter-terrorist centre, the CIA and the FBI have varied roles.

After the incident, President Obama promised that the perpetrators will be fished out an

brought to book and that is exactly what happened. Obama directed the full resource

of the Federal government to be made available to help local authorities. Obama

message to Americans and particularly to Bostonians was to say the least, comfortin

and uplifting.


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Sometimes when suspects are arrested, their trial will drag for several months, yea

and before you know it, the detention or prison facility harboring the suspects have bee

attacked by sympathizers of the suspect and the suspects are set free. The recent Yo

prison break and the scenario in Delta State where a suspect undergoing trial was s

free by his crew are few classic examples.

Masterminds of the recent Boston marathon bombing reportedly shot and killed a 2

year old Police officer-Sean Collier but this did not prompt Boston Police officers to vetheir anger on innocent citizens. Obama and the family of Sean rather praised him fo

dying bravely in the line of duty, doing what he committed his life to doing

serving and protecting others. United States security agencies were meticulou

and ensured that at least one of the suspects- 19 year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wa

captured alive. This will enable authorities to extract useful information from him

Juxtapose this with how Mohammed Yusuf, the erstwhile Boko Haram leader wa

allegedly brazenly executed by officers ofNigerias Security Agencies without extractin

useful information from him.

It seems our Security Agencies unconsciously have a penchant for going on rampage t

avenge the death of one of their own. Inter-agency rivalry and superiority complex

deafening, if it is not the Army against the Police, it is the Police against the NSCD

officers. Two wrongs dont make a right.

Nigerias public space is currently awash with the alleged indiscriminate extra-judici

killing of probably 185 or more people including women, children and the burning of ov

2,000 houses at Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Bornu State, Nigeri

However military authorities and the federal government contend that the collater

damage aftermath of the clash between the Transnational Joint Force and suspecte

Boko Haram members may have been grossly exaggerated. Whether 185 or mo

people as reported by the media or a smaller number as agreed to by the Milita

authorities, the bottom line is that the sanctity of human life has been basterdized here

While we strongly condemn the despicable killing of a soldier or alleged harboring

terrorists that the Baga community is accused of, which may have prompted th

retaliatory rampage, there is no justification whatsoever for the alleged wholesa

killings. What happened to the rules of engagement?

Nigeria is steadily drifting, life is ceasing to have meaning in this country; life expectanc

is depreciating in geometric progression. People are arbitrarily hacked to death lik

chickens, the issue is talked about for a couple of days, a committee or panel

assembled to look into it and the whole episode fizzles out sooner than later.

Canadian authorities recently foiled a major terrorist attack in the countrys capita

Toronto. They reportedly thwarted an attempt to bomb VIA rail line. Canadian Police an


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intelligence agencies said the cooperation of the United States Department of Homelan

Security and the FBI and a tip off from a member of the Muslim community led to th

arrest of the suspects. The terror suspects are said to have been under surveillance fo

about a year. This was possible because members of the public cooperated with th

security agencies. Imagine a potential terrorist being watched and trailed for a yea

Nigerias Security Agencies must take a cue from their Western counterparts. They mu

carry the citizenry along and earn their confidence or risk members of the public seein

them as enemies. This onslaught has the potency to jeopardize or derail the wishwashy and haphazardly packaged amnesty exit strategy.

A penchant for indiscriminate killing of suspects and innocent people invariably creates

dichotomy between the security agencies and the citizenry that are supposed t

volunteer nuggets of sensitive information. Such a proclivity is definitely counte

productive to the fight against insecurity and terrorism. The Security Agencies must n

metamorphose to terrorists in the guise of fighting terrorists. An accused is considere

innocent until found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

We appreciate the sacrifices, unconventional and precarious nature of the onerous tas

bedeviling the Security Agencies in their fight against insurgents and terrorists. W

implore them to be less pugnacious, be more surgical, proactive and invest mor

resources in intelligence gathering so as to nip insecurity and terrorism in the bud. The

should tone down their notoriety for a kill-and-go mentality, bravado and gung-h

approach. The United States ambassador to Nigeria in a recent interview succinct

underscores the importance ofhuman element in the fight against terrorism.

A couple of years ago, arguably the biggest robbery in the history of the United Kingdo

was pulled in broad daylight in a London Jewelry shop. The robbery probably lasted

few minutes and the assailants had prosthetics (face mask). It was a successf

operation except that the long arm of the law caught up with the masterminds. I gues

the blokes gave themselves a pat on the back for the stunt they pulled. However,

couple of days after the incident, footages of the coterie of CCTV Cameras in the stree

of London were meticulously pieced together and analyzed. The culprits were eventual

fished out. If this had happened in Nigeria, its a done deal; there will be no trace o

those guys, the police will probably tell us it was evil spirits or something.

Sometime last year some major streets in Abuja were adorned with 2015 re-electio

posters of President Goodluck Jonathan. As usual there was so much brouhaha an

finger pointing flying around sequel to the poster thing. The Police said they w

investigate and fish out the culprits, till date no one knows the outcome of the

investigation. With CCTV Cameras, it is not difficult to solve this riddle because picture

of the people that pasted the posters would have been captured by CCTV cameras.


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Recommendations:

At the risk of over-egging the pudding, permit and pardon me for reiterating this aga

and again; I will continue bringing it to the fore until the right thing is done.Rather than

fire-brigade approach and mentality, Nigeria without delay, badly needs a Cohere

and Comprehensive Terror ism , Counter-terror ism Pol icy& Strategy. We can

fight Insecurity and Terrorism by blowing hot and cold; its high time we took a definit

stand. Nigeria is in dire need of a sweeping National Security Reform that embraces anemphasizes on human capital development and state-of-the-art infrastructure.

In addition to the foregoing, this writer also believes that an Extensive Vulnerability o

Resilience Test/Audit of Strategic Public Infrastructures in Nigeria is crucia

Juxtaposing ourselves in the position of the bad guys, our Security Agencies an

government think-tanks must brainstorm on worst-case scenarios and have answers

them. Every thoughtful and security-mindedcountry or individual, hopes for the best b

prepares for the worst.

Special attention must be paid to adequately patrolling our extensive and porou

borders. According to Punch Newspaper of February 6, 2013, immigration uncove

1,487 illegal entry routes to Nigeria. I think this figure is a conservative estimate. Wi

our huge budgetary allocations to Security and Defence, I think we have the resource

to deploy Unattended Land/Ground Sensors in our borders. This is one of the state-o

the-art gadgets that provide enhanced protection for Border Security, Infrastructure an

Force protection. Otherwise deporting so-called arrested illegal migrants will just be

mirage as they will return to Nigeria sooner than later if they so wish. Unless Nigeria

Immigration and Security officials implanted RFID chips on the deported blokes prior t

their deportation. I chuckle each time I hear that illegal immigrants from Chad, Niger e

in Nigeria have been arrested and deported.

With Oil Pipeline and Maritime Protection contracts in their kitty, many of the ex-Nig

Delta Militants have metamorphosed to nouveau-riche multi-billionaires. Since what

good for the goose is sauce for the gander, OPC is said to be angling and are on th

verge of getting their share of the federal government largesse. Persistent Oil Pipelin

vandalization and Bunkering calls to question, the competence of ex-militants o

Vigilantes in protecting our Oil installations and maritime waterways. Right now Niger

is said to lose about 150,000 barrels of crude oil daily no thanks to the nefariou

activities of pipeline vandals and oil bunkerers.

Rather than awarding multi-billion naira Pipeline protection contracts to inept vigilante

it is high time Nigeria deployed Satellite technology and Internet Protocol (I.P

Networked CCTV Cameras to monitor our Oil Pipelines and Critical Nation


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Infrastructures. One believes that NigeriaSat-1/NigeriaSat-2, NigComSat, NX Niger

inter alia, has the capability to monitor Pipeline and Oil installations across Nigeria.

Please let us give peace a chance. No individual or country will make meaningf

progress and impact in an atmosphere of insecurity and unpredictability. Peace is a sin

qua non for personal and national advancement.

Nigerians Unite Against Insecu rity and Terrorism . See it, hear it, say it, stop it!!!

God bless Nigeria and Nigerians!

Don Okereke(Security Analyst & Consultant)Abuja, [email protected]

Documents

Fighting Insecurity and Terrorism_Lessons From The Boston_Marathon_Bombing