As is usual for Nigerians, a lot of emotions, feelings and sentiments have been expressed on the import of the United States bombings which occurred on Christmas Eve in the very heart of the Sokoto Caliphate.
While many clap that afterall all a saviour has come in Donald Trump, others watch with cautious optimism.
Only a few border to look at the historical importance of the issue both from the Nigeria-America relations, the strategic importance of Nigeria to America’s interest not only in West Africa but also in the surreptitious decapitation of the strength of Islamic insurgency both in Nigeria,Sahel and indeed the whole world.
More importantly is the spiritual significance albeit negative of the strike at the very heart of Islam propagation in Nigeria and a town regarded as the spiritual and political headquarters of Islam movement in Nigeria.
Since the birth in 1804 of the movement to purify and revive the Islamic faith and spread in the geographical space ,Uthman Dan Fodio has spread his tentacle to the then seven Hausa states capturing both its faithfuls and adherents and also till date establish political rule over them.
Nobody has ever questioned the audacity and Supremacy of Sokotos Sultan as leader of Islam faithful in Nigeria.
Even the South West which accepted Islam before his conquerors mission of purification, defer to the Caliphate regarded as spiritual headquarters of Nigerias faithfuls.
But then very little activity of the militant Boko Haram insurgents took place in Sokoto but rather limited to Borno and other North East states where Mohammed Yusuf launched the Boko Haram sect in 2002 and reigned for 15 years before his demise in the struggle 2017.
Historically, North east people by the Kanuris was the only state nit conquered by Fodio and his crusading Moslems.
The decision to strike Sokoto this time was taken not because of it being headquarters but also for being home to the new Lakurawa sect which has become more deadly in operation than Boko Haram and using Sokoto as the rallying point and Training ground for new fresh breadth to conquer by sheer violence the Sahel and Nigeria in particular.
Hence destroying Lakurawa from is base is far more fundamental to the United States according to Riley Moore member of United states House of Representatives than taking the attack to theatre of operation in North East,Middle Belt states of Benue, Plateau ,Kwara. and Kogi.
Perhaps Unknown to Moore, striking at Sokoto before the Lakurawa offensive amounts to defeat of the hitherto invincibility of Sokoto in Islam’s political domineering of Nigeria.
It was in Sokoto that late Ahmadu Bello, Premier of defunct Northern Nigeria declared and reaffirmed Fodio and Caliphates desire to dip the Koran into the sea in Nigeria.
It was also in Sokoto that the plot to stop late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola’s declaration as winner of June 12 1993 presidential election was hatched and executed by military officers who pointed their gun at General Ibrahim Babangida daring him to declare Abiola as President even after he has won fair and square.
By bombing the Lakurawa in Sokoto,the United States has helped both Nigeria compromised military leadership and also pave way for its decision to stop the spread of the Islamic State of West Africa in its spread in the Sahel.
Trump’s decision might also pave way for Nigeria’s acceptance of United state to establish its full presence in Nigeria as a base to oversee its strategic military presence in West Africa as a counterpoint to Russian growing influence among the Sahel states of Mali,Chad,Burkina Faso and Niger which military rulers have displaced French influence in preference to Russia.
Since Trump hinted of the continuation of attacks in Nigeria, the next port of call may be Kwara and Kogi- two fringe states in Northern Nigeria prelude to terrorists spread to South West.
The United States next port of call may be Plateau and Benue which has witnessed renewed onslaught of terrorists funded by ISIS and ISWAP of late.
Since Sambisa forest is the biggest theatre of war, it may be the last striking point of the US to decimate and wipe out the terrorists.
The onslaught by the US acting for its strategic military and economic interest presents an opportunity for President Bola Tinubu to recruit more soldiers,equip the military with latest weapons using US renewed interest to mop up remaining insurgents after the Strikes.
It also presents an opportunity for the Tinubu regime to speed up the creation of state police, Forest Rangers and retrain the men of Nigeria Police Force on fighting insurgency to enable it to maintain peace within Nigeria while the Army concentrates on deterring threats to the nation’s territorial integrity.
For the Tinubu administration, there is no better time to speed up the process of Restructuring the country using the control of the National Assembly for it is in Restructuring that the internal peace and stability of the nation lies.
Since Nigeria has entered election year, the issue of security will be in the front burner of agitation in the polity for which none of the contesting political parties dare not play with.
As a result, policing of the defence ministry and judicious use of budgetary allocation is crucial to the sustenance of peace in the nation as Nigeria has entered period of renewed peace building the lack of which gave rise to the emergence of terrorists group which activities has compromised the military and by extension the nation’s stability.
A period like this calls for strong decisions by the Tinubu government so Nigeria can turn the bend in its war against internal insurrection inimical to its push for Direct Foreign Investment, FDI, which has started manifesting having stabilized the economy.
