Boko Haram launching psychological warfare on Nigeria through Northern politicians

Boko Haram launching psychological warfare through Northern Politicians

Psychological warfare is a major war tactics and has become a major ingredient in modern warfare. The aim is usually to attack the mindset of individuals, government or a state in such a way that they are defeated before elements of conventional warfare are launched. In a nutshell, psychological warfare is used to water the ground for ground troops.

This is what the voices of high ranking Northern politicians such as the former vice president of Nigeria, Abubakar Atiku, Borno State Deputy Governor, and recently the Governor of Adamawa State, James Ngilari has been doing for Boko Haram. They are launching psychological warfare on the mindset of their people in preparation for the eventual capture of the Northeast region by Boko Haram terrorists.

"Since prehistoric times, warlords and chiefs have recognised the importance of inducing psychological terror in opponents and currying favour with supporters." Key practitioners of the tactics of psychological warfare were Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan, leader of the Mongolian Empire in the 13th century AD. Alexander the Great used the tactics to successfully conquer large parts of Europe and the Middle East.

Khan was notorious for his use of the tactics to provoke mass terror among his enemies, "Defeating the will of the enemy was his top priority, and before attacking a settlement, the Mongol generals demanded submission to the Khan, and threatened the initial villages

with complete destruction if they refused to surrender. After winning the battle, the Mongol generals fulfilled their threats and massacred the survivors. Tales of the encroaching horde spread to the next villages and created an aura of insecurity that undermined the possibility of future resistance.

Genghis Khan also employed tactics that made his numbers seem greater than they actually were. During night operations he ordered each soldier to light three torches at dusk to give the illusion of an overwhelming army and deceive and intimidate enemy scouts. He also sometimes had objects tied to the tails of his horses, so that riding on open and dry fields raised a cloud of dust that gave the enemy the impression of great numbers. His soldiers used arrows specially notched to whistle as they flew through the air, creating a terrifying noise.

The Muslim caliph Omar, in his battles against the Byzantine Empire, sent small reinforcements in the form of a continuous stream, giving the impression that a large force would accumulate eventually if not swiftly dealt with.

Borno State deputy governor, Alhaji Zanna Umar Mustapha, couple of days ago stated  that with the way the Boko Haram insurgents are capturing territories in the northeast region, Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, would be captured by Boko Haram in a couple of months.

According to Mustapha, “If the Federal Government does not add extra effort, in the next two to three months, the three North-Eastern states will no longer be in existence.

“The Federal Government has tried its best but their best is not enough, because rather than going after the insurgents, it is the insurgents that are going after us. It is a big crime that the criminals are better equipped than the military and they are just few kilometres from the Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states capitals.”

He said the continuous occupation of more towns by Boko Haram had confirmed the Borno State governor’s statement that the terrorists possessed superior weapons. 

He further disclosed that 13 local governments in Borno, three in Adamawa and others in Yobe were currently under the control of Boko Haram.

He said, going by intelligence reports, if the Federal Government did not step up its security measures the fall of the three states would only be a matter of days or weeks.

Zanna Mustapha's statements closely followed Abubakar Atiku's . Atiku earlier this  week announced that  Boko Haram could overrun Nigeria. The above comments were reechoed today by Adamawa State governor, James Ngilari. Ngilari statements confirmed the psychological warfare is working. If the governor is already shaking, consider how the hearts of the people must be trembling. Reading through Zanna Mustapha's above statements some psychological war elements are obvious. Mustapha made it clear that Boko Haram has superior firepower than the Nigerian Army. This is a warfare against the morale of the soldiers and civilians. He is also striking fear in the minds of the people highlighting the inevitability of the fall of the northeast region. Despite how the politicians have tried to mask their real intentions, they are out to make the fall of the region easy for Boko Haram.