Media blackout against Boko Haram a necessity, long overdue, interlocutors say in Facebook discourse

*As citizens hold social media talk in support of military

*Media blackout in UK against IRA was “denying terrorism the oxygen of publicity” – Journalism Teacher

“I am not a force man but I would not pretend not to know, like Dr. Kola Adesina rightly said above, that ‘denying terrorism the oxygen of publicity’ is one of the best ways to overcome this war against Boko Haram in Nigeria. It is then, whether they are being fueled by “irresponsible politicians” or they are the same ones only operating within the enclave of the Chad Basin, we can move forward.  I don’t think this matter, which is strictly national security, should be debated. What we need as contributions to the post I made here is for us to suggest to ourselves how to help the media to support the military.”

A Nigerian pharmacist, Jibreel Adebayo Olaniran along with some journalists, has warned against what he described as unnecessary publicity regarding the war against insurgency in Nigeria.

Olaniran, who was taking part as an interlocutor in a Facebook discourse initiated by a journalist, Prince Bashir Adefaka, asking for a blackout against Boko Haram’s insurgencies and promotion of military actions towards quick end of the war, said the media blackout is of necessity and long overdue.

Olaniran was speaking just as another Nigeria’s professional and journalism teacher, Dr. Kola Adesina said, “It’s possible.  Margaret Thatcher ordered a media blackout in the UK against the IRA which she described as “denying terrorism the oxygen of publicity””

Adesina was reacting in the post by Prince Bashir Adefaka to one Salawudeen Sulaiman, who said: “Let media do their work. Let us all stop being needlessly petty and fussy about so called media war. Let the army do its homework very well. War is war, and it should be fought with every ounce of the country’s brutal might. Change of tactics will do, not media blackout at all. OK?”

Appreciating Sulaiman, the post author, Adefaka, said: “I love your very strong position. But how much do you know, I am only asking Sir, about fighting conventional war where media reporting anything like they did before I was born in Nigeria’s Civil War, and fighting gorilla war? You want the media to do its work giving prominence to whatever “hit and run” tactics the insurgents are using to create impression that they are more overpowering than our STRONG MILITARY FORCES yet you want the military to fight with every ounce of the country’s brutal might?  I can’t get you. And you want them to change tactics.

“I am not a force man but I would not pretend not to know, like Dr. Kola Adesina rightly said above, that “denying terrorism the oxygen of publicity” is one of the best ways to overcome this war against Boko Haram in Nigeria. It is then, whether they are being fueled by “irresponsible politicians” or they are the same ones only operating within the enclave of the Chad Basin, we can move forward.  I don’t think this matter, which is strictly national security, should be debated. What we need as contributions to the post I made here is for us to suggest to ourselves how to help the media to support the military.

“Just imagine how LEAH SHARIBU remained with Boko Haram today. They read in a particular newspaper, while President Buhari was on the final stage of negotiation to get the DAPCHI schoolgirls released by the insurgents, how Christian leaders including Primate Sunday Ola Makinde and other CAN leaders were celebrating the little girl as “GIRL WHO DEFEATED BOKO HARAM BY REFUSING TO BE FORCED TO CONVERT TO ISLAM”.

“They even published front page declaration of the girl as Christian Heroine for so defeating Boko Haram and declaring for her scholarship till the end of her study in life. Now, Salawudeen Sulaiman, Sir, tell how that this example has nothing to do with the problem of the girl. Do you remember how America’s intelligence officers that came to help Nigeria against Boko Haram during Jonathan era went back in anger? Because the Boko Haram had acted in waiting for what they wanted to do to them.

“Those guys are educated terrorists and are using our own media reports to monitor our (Nigeria’s) strategies against them. If you are bothered about deaths of our soldiers, please join in the advice to our media and NGOs particularly the one named Amnesty International to tarry a while and sit with the military to see who to collaborate against this terrorists. You will gain nothing to continue to fire the military for not doing well when you do not see sense in what I am suggesting here.”

But in his long contribution titled, “The media blackout is of necessity and long overdue”, Olaniran called on government and members of the public to stop unnecessary publicity in a way he believes has helped the war against insurgency drag beyond necessary.

“It’s still fresh in memory during the era of Boko Haram bombing spree, each time an arm of Government, individuals or groups pronounced that we “are now enjoying relative peace” or “Boko Haram is defeated or decimated”, that day or the following day (s) there would be spot bombings to discredit such statements.”

“Security officers should stop publicity”

He went on to advice the security forces fighting the war to be mindful of what publicity they do and what photographs and videos they send across to the press.

“The Security Officers most of the time are strangers to their duty post not knowing the terrain very well, the Terrorists are in the Sambisa forest for more than 9 years, any photo or video post from the Security Officers is an indirect way of telling the Terrorists their possible locations.

“Another area of concern is the use of Phones by the Security Officers, for the Terrorists to successfully lay ambush and execute their plans against NIGERIA Security forces confirmed that there are loyalists, informants, Sympathisers to the Terrorists as the black sheep in the Security Officers that needed to be tracked down and punished. This can be achieved by bugging all the Security Officers phones or channeling all the phones to the same call exchange system.

“At a time,I suggested that the Military in conjunction with the NIGERIA Airforce should comb the Sambisa forest from Nigeria end, and force the Terrorists towards the plains of the Chad where there’s no hidden place for the Terrorists which will incapacitate the Terrorists.

“Aside from the Politicians using the threat of Boko Haram as the working tool and the only weapon left to discredit PMB Administration, the beneficiaries of conflict will never want it to stop or come to an end, it’s just like you are asking them to close Shops. These categories of People should be tracked, arrested and charged for treasonable felony,else Terrorism will linger on.

“I fault Human rights provisions, that support releasing Boko Haram ex-convict back to the Society,once a Criminal is always a Criminal. I pray that there’s a review of the provision.

“All said, if the Security Officers are conscious of monitoring of their phone calls, Terrorists getting accurate information to lay successful ambush will disappear while Media blackouts on what happened in the Sambisa forest for 6 months will do the magic of winning the war against the Terrorists. God bless us all.” He said.