The news of the killing of Saifura Husseini Ahmed filtered in quietly in September and just as quietly, filtered out. The Red Cross community mourned, social media recognized her death for a few days and everyone went back to their activities like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Two days ago, the Red Cross pleaded with the Federal government to help save the lives of the other nurses, Hauwa Liman and Alice Ngaddah Loksha, as well as Leah Sharibu following the ultimatum given by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a splinter group of Boko Haram that they would be executed if the government did not intervene.

Over 7 months ago, our colleagues Hauwa and Alice were abducted in northern Nigeria. We have been told in 24 hours they will be executed. We issue an urgent plea for their lives. To their abductors: Please show mercy. Let them go home to their families.https://t.co/FubA6c9sTg pic.twitter.com/nbIGMPJ3K4 — ICRC (@ICRC) October 14, 2018

Now, the second nurse, Hauwa Liman has been killed. News of her murder was announced on Monday, the 16th of October, 2018. The lives of Alice and Leah hang in the balance, even though the group has gone back on its word to execute them within a month. It now says they would be made slaves of ISWAP based on their laws.

The beginning of the killings.

These are not the first killings carried out by the Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram. Since its inception in 2002, the group has been infamously responsible for the death of tens of thousands of people in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region.

Founded by an Islamist cleric, Mohammed Yusuf, from Borno state, the aim of the group is to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state with sharia criminal courts.

Boko Haram started by criticizing the socio-political and economic situation in the north, but gradually became radicalized with Muslims-Christians clashes, as well as worsening economic and political conditions. The added brutality of the security forces in subduing them only stoked the flames of extremism, and when in 2009, more than 800 persons were killed, including their leader, Yusuf, as a result of an infraction between members of the sect and the police in Borno, the radical character of the group exploded into full-blown terrorism.

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Abubakar Shekau rose in the ranks and became the leader of the movement, which later split to form the splinter group, ISWAP. The groups have continued to thrive in spite of military efforts employed to bring them to an end.

The efforts of the government to end the ‘war’

Over the years, the government has deployed soldiers to subdue the terrorist group and free the prisoners in their custody. Although there have been small victories recorded, security forces have been unable to successfully end the activities of Boko Haram and bring the men behind it to justice.

Worse still, there have been recent attacks on military bases in the north. These attacks have led to the killings of quite a number of soldiers and theft of their arms and ammunition, leading analysts and observers to suspect that the group is planning a deadly attack that would be more brutal than anything they have ever done.

However, they (observers and analysts) have noted that early on, there was a significant delay in the government’s response to the rise of the group and its terrorist activities. A notable voice in this area is that of journalist Ahmad Salkida, who was involved in negotiations to release the Chibok school girls captured in 2014.

He made a thread on the 4th anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok girls talking about his involvement in the negotiations for their release, and how it seemed like the government had ‘zero will’ in ensuring the girls were safely returned to their families.

Tomorrow, I will be tweeting rare insights on the rest of the #ChibokGirls in captivity. How many are alive and the need for the parents to know the truth, no matter how unpleasant the revelation is. — Ahmad Salkida (@A_Salkida) April 13, 2018

The government has also liaised with other African countries in the Lake Chad Basin region, as well as with the international community for war equipment and military might. Again, these solutions border on the ineffective employment of military might to ensure victory.

Is there hope?

I think this twitter thread by Ahmad Salkida says it all

Growing up as a child between #Biu and #Maiduguri in the 80's and 90's left me with vivid memories. There were clear memories of affinity, of love, of trust, of sharing and good neighbourliness. #Maiduguri, to me, is the only place I want to retire to. Thread — Ahmad Salkida (@A_Salkida) June 24, 2018

Yes, there is hope, but only if the government is ready to consider alternate solutions. It’s been said in similar variations that if A is not working, try B. The government, for now, seems unable to explore other solutions, choosing instead to rely on military force that escalated this problem in the first instance, and has proven time and time again to be as ineffective as it is counter-productive.

The first question the Nigerian government needs to ask is ‘why?’ Why did Boko Haram become a thing?’ Fortunately, that question has been asked on its behalf repeatedly and answers provided. The truth is, extremist movements such as this thrive in a place where nothing is working and the citizens are subjected to harsh and unfavourable living conditions. Where poverty thrives, common sense is absent. We cannot deny the fact that the government has failed to improve the quality of its citizens’ lives time and time again.

Failure, however, is not the end of the road. Nigeria is not the first failed state or the first country to have made grave mistakes. Therefore, hope abounds. We can rise up from this pain and distress. And so, the next question the government would need to ask is ‘how?’ How do we stop these senseless killings and mass destruction of resources?’

Again, thankfully, this question has been asked, and answers abound, but not in military might, even though, at this stage, it may involve it. The attention needs to shift from the more immediate need to subdue, to the long-term solution of rehabilitation, restructuring, restitution and prevention. When towns are rescued, instead of immediately arresting/killing the men and subjecting the women to all forms of hardship, efforts should be made to rehabilitate them and give them the quality of life they have missed.

Rescued towns/people should be ‘re-indoctrinated’ to purge out every wrong teaching passed down to them by the insurgents. Schools should be rebuilt and education made compulsory. By doing this, the children will become positively occupied and enlightened so that they do not fall prey to any other wrong teachings that may come up. These individuals will also need appropriate mental health care and counselling.

Economic empowerment should not be left to NGOs and volunteer groups. Most people in affected towns would have lost everything to the insurgents. The government would have to make sure that properly monitored policies and schemes are in place so that the people can begin to take care of themselves again.

The government would also have to be more proactive in preventing future attacks. Waiting for these attacks to happen before responding is not a solution. Creating local police to guard the people as well as setting up sophisticated and effective intelligence to gather information and stop attacks before they are carried out would help to weaken insurgent attacks in the north as well as drive them away from the area and the country.

We are sad that Saifura and Hauwa died this way. But their deaths do not have to be in vain. The government needs to wake up, not only to the Boko Haram menace but to the problems which have caused this sort of wickedness to germinate and thrive in the first place.