Boko Haram can’t bomb Lagos

monjola sotubo

October 19, 2015 12:10 PM

Despite the obvious allure of using an attack in Lagos to gain even more attention and strike fear in hearts worldwide, Boko Haram hasn’t attacked Lagos, because it can’t.

Boko Haram terrorists

On August 26, 2011, Boko Haram carried out its first notable bomb attack on the United Nations building in Abuja.

Four years later, the sect has almost perfected its explosion technique and has graduated to using young, innocent girls to carry out the evil act.

However, despite the obvious allure of using an attack in Lagos to gain even more attention and strike fear in hearts worldwide, Boko Haram hasn’t attacked Lagos, because it can’t.

If Boko Haram could attack Lagos, if such an attack was even part of the grand scheme of things, it would have happened by now.

Security in Nigeria is a joke and Lagos is no exemption. Hence it’s very easy for any group that genuinely wants to carry out an attack to do so.

The only anti-bomb measures visible to the naked eye in most areas of Lagos are metal detectors being used by people who are not ready to find what they’re looking for.

If the lady checking handbags at the entrance of a thousand-strong church finds a bomb in one such bag, what would she do? Definitely run for dear life and leave everyone else to their fate.

Therefore, there’s only one reason why Boko Haram hasn’t bombed Lagos; it doesn’t want to.

There’s a lot of money going into funding Boko Haram and a lot, if not all of it, is Nigerian money. The headquarters of Nigerian money is Lagos so it is safe to assume that some of the sect’s financiers have interests in the commercial capital, interests that can’t afford to be tampered with by the fears and uncertainty that a bombing would raise.

It has always been perplexing to note that Boko Haram has no interest in attacking Nigeria’s sources of wealth. The best way for any group to get attention is to threaten the rich and riches of a nation.

ISIS has commandeered oil wells and is as such being rewarded with the attention of several world powers. Boko Haram, however, is content with staying in the far-flung areas of Nigeria where there is no oil or actual wealth to speak of. That’s why it’s not getting as much attention.

It’s a tragedy that the poor people of the North-East are being forced to endure the loss of loved ones caused by a sect without a clear set of demands.

There’s no doubt that Boko Haram is trying to make some kind of statement, but whatever that is, Lagos is obviously not part of the plan.

monjola sotubo