United States of America’s Secretary of State, John
Kerry, made a two-day stop in Nigeria on Monday and Tuesday. His had meetings
with President Muhammadu Buhari, Northern governors and the Sultan of Sokoto,
Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III. Many Northern governors who had eagerly looked
forward to his visit were hoping he would unfold some goodies that could
increase American investment, especially in agriculture and mining in their
respective states, and some military and humanitarian assistance in the fight
against the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency. 
But at a media briefing in Sokoto,
Kerry chose to advise Nigeria not to use strong-arm tactics in dealing with
Boko Haram and other extremist groups disturbing the peace and stability of the
country. Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted him as saying: “In the wake of
terrorist activity, some are tempted to crack down on anyone and everyone. But
extremism can’t be defeated through repression or fear. Fear instilled through
repression invites not confidence but contempt, it creates terrorists.” Many
commentators descended on the top diplomat, accusing America of being up to its
old diplomatic hypocrisy.
They pointed out America’s adventures in terror-stricken
Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Libya and other countries where America
employed severe force in pursuit of Islamist terrorists, which culminated in
the dethronement of several regimes and the death of Saddam Hussein, Muamar
Gadhaffi, and Osama bin Laden. They pointed to America’s refusal to assist
Nigeria when the Boko Haram insurgency went out of hand and they started
acquiring territories for their “Islamic caliphate” and the bad international
image that Amnesty International (AI) tried to portray of our country. AI
seemed more interested in alleged violations of the human rights of the
terrorists than the heinous crimes the latter were perpetrating.
As much as we agree
that America has not demonstrated genuine friendship with Nigeria since the
Boko Haram phenomenon started in 2009, we still believe that Kerry’s message
was useful. It is especially more so in the face of an established track record
of harassment of civilian populations by our troops in areas where they are
involved in military operations. When you treat every young man as a terrorist
or extremist, it does not help the search for peace. It only worsens
situations. The military must take more care to sift the wheat from chaff and
ensure that innocent Nigerians are protected, not victimised. That way, they
will be more willing to cooperate and abandon their sympathy for the enemies of
the country. It is important for the armed forces and the local population in
operational zones to work together. Our gallant forces are here to defend us
and the nation, so it pays to cooperate with them.