CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Terrorism is the exercise of violence
or the threat of violence against an unarmed and/or unsuspecting population to coerce it to meet the demands of the aggressor.
In this context, terrorists usually have as its target a civilian
population not a military force, unless the latter has had little or no reason
to anticipate hostile action against it. For example, suicide bombers exploding
their bombs in a crowded market place would be terrorists, but small boys
throwing stones or even gasoline bombs at tanks in a riot would not be, while
the tanks, themselves, could easily become instruments of state terrorism.
Alade, W. F (2010)
Schmid
and De Graaf, (2000) cited in Alade, W. F (2010) define terrorism as
"the deliberate and systematic use or threat of violence against
instrumental (human) targets in a
conflict between two or more parties, whereby the immediate victims who might
not even be part of the conflicting parties.
The United Nations General Assembly
quoted in (Koh; 2002). defines terrorism as a criminal acts intended or
calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons
or particular persons for political purposes… whatever the considerations of a
political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other
nature that may be invoked to justify them.
According to U.S. Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), as quoted by The Terrorism Research Center 2002).
Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property
to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment
thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.
Similarly, Nigeria as a nation-state is under a
severe internal socio-economic and security threat. As a more general level,
the threat has social, economic, political and environmental dimensions. Each
of these dimensions has greatly affected the nation‘s stability, and can be
traced to the ethnic militia armies, ethnic and religious conflicts, poverty,
terrorism, armed robbery, corruption, economic sabotage, and environmental
degradation (Ilufoye, 2009).
Boko Haram insurgence becomes the major problem
facing Nigerians in the recent time. These groups have perpetrated several
bombing that have killed millions of innocent citizens of this country Nigeria
and also caused the destruction of both private and public properties worth of
billion of naira. This derives from their bid to make people in the north east
geo-political zone of Nigeria to embrace their view on Islamic Nigeria code and
western education.
The predominant threat and security challenges in
the area are emendating from un-abating attacks on Nigerian citizens,
individuals, public and governmental installations, kidnapping and destruction
of properties. All these effect of Boko Haram activities are serious crime
against the Nigeria state, which has threatened its national security and
socio-economic activities. This has posed a great challenges to the ground
strategy for national security of which the primary aim is to strengthen the
federal republic of Nigeria to advance her interest and objectives, to contain
instability, control crime, quality of life of every citizens, improve the well
fare and the eliminate corruption. (Damba-zau 2007:51)
Boko Haram activities have destabilized
socio-economic activities. Increased crime and destruction of both life and
property of Nigerian citizens. This can be attested to by the mass movement of
people living in northern part of the country most especially Maiduguri, which
is the capital of Borno State. This situation has made it impossible for the
citizens in the Northern Nigeria to carry on their legitimate businesses. It is
also scaring foreign investors out of the country. Students have been forced to
flee their schools especially when chi-book girls were kidnapped and many
schools were set ablaze.
The gravity of the crisis has made some parents to
vow never to allow their children to go to the Northern part of Nigeria for
anything. Boko Haram activities have also affected the posting of students of
southern and eastern extradition on National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to the
north, to the extent that parents are strongly resisting the posting of their
children as copper to the north.
Boko Haram itself, is a fatal blow to the noble
objective of the scheme as a unifying strategy, the unity of Nigerian is
seriously threatened by Boko Haram fundamentalist sect and therefore,
considered to be a major potential terrorist threat affecting Nigerian mostly
on the part of socio-political, economic and nation sovereignty.
Therefore, the research examines Nigerian
newspaper and the coverage of Terrorism by Daily Trust newspaper.
