Former United States Ambassador to Nigeria and Nigerian, Ambassador John Campbell, has argued that militarily counter terrorism approach is not the solution to the Boko Haram Islamic insurgency.
Campbell added that dialogue would be the ideal way to tackle the complexities of the problems instead of military actions, saying that the US government must compel Nigerian authorities to embark up on dialogue.
In a statement sent to LEADERSHIP, Campbell, who also said that it was misleading to say that Boko Haram is an organised terrorists organisation, argued that “On August 26, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden Honda into the United Nations headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 23 people and injuring 81 more.
“ Boko Haram, a shadowy radical Islamic movement that has been waging daily attacks in the north of the country, claimed responsibility. Some have argued that the sophisticated tactics are evidence of Boko Haram establishing links with international terrorist networks, most likely al Qaeda in the Maghreb or al Shabab in Somalia. Even before this attack, the US, Britain, and Israel had publicly supported providing counterterrorism assistance to the Nigerian government. Now, momentum for such a solution is growing.”