DAN FODIO,BOKO HARAM'S TACTICS LOOK SIMILAR

DAN FODIO,BOKO HARAM'S TACTICS LOOK SIMILAR

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU

Who is a terrorist  you may want to ask?

Perhaps the usage of that word is actually relative and may be only those who live in the past 20 to 30 years that have showed a greater propensity for violence than the rest of the populace that are tagged as either militants or terrorists depending on the level of agitation and the level of collateral damage the agitators  unleash in their struggles which they are always quick to justify no matter the level of opposition and condemnation trailing them.

Truth is bitter but it has to be told anyway as that is the only thing that can eventually heal the world .

In  a fact finding mission  recently, The News office Desk of the Paedia Express Multimedia Group in Lagos, Nigeria had asked a commentator on the difference between Usman Dan Fodio's military tactics and that of Boko Haram's current ideology and the response was swift and damning: They are the same the source said

He however pointed out that the difference between the duo is that both lived in different generations .The source had explained to this reporter that at the time of the revered Islamic Teacher ,Usman Dan Fodio lived ,the world had not matured in terms of civilization to the extent that it will tag some behaviors as militancy and others terrorism unlike the world we live in today.

Looking at the blueprints of Dan Fodio 's jihadist army at the time in history and Boko Haram's 21st century troops ,the duo started as open air preachers who were preaching against social injustice of their respective days.

They soon graduated due to several waves of circumstances to a fully inspired and resistive group who moved from one location to another waging a war of conquest on people perceived as spiritual enemies.

Dan Fodio's sons had foot prints in Sokoto and Bornu 's Elk Kanemi's empires where their father  had asked them to have a dominion .

The News office Desk of Paedia Express Multimedia Group in Lagos,Nigeria ,dare say that it is likely one of the off springs of Usman Dan Fodio   that have struck in the North East in two ways since 2009 through Mohammed Yusuf who had started as an open air crusader  and loved by the people  and  Mallam Abubakar Shekau who took over the baton of leadership from him and became very violent .

Strangely ,Dan Fodiois highly respected not just in Northern Nigeria but beyond  and even have several monuments named in his honour ,amongst which includes a Nigerian Federal university in Sokoto.

So who is a terrorist?

Recently,The Defence Information Department of the Nigerian Army had told Nigerians that a socio-economic and cultural platform has allowed Boko Haram to continue to thrive in the North Eastern parts of Nigeria as parents who believe that the latter labelled officially as terrorists were actually doing them a favor have no qualms with donating their children to them to be employed as suicide bombers.