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ORIGIN OF TERRORISM
BY
OGBAJI UDOCHUKWU A.O
LECTURER,
DEPT OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC OKO
ANAMBRA STATE
08033486531
INTRODUCTION
HISTORICAL ORIGIN OF TERRORISM
The history of terrorism goes back to Sicarii Zealots, Jewish
extremist group active in Iudaea Province at the beginning of CE. After
Zealotry rebellion in the 1st century AD, when some prominent
collaborators with Roman rule were killed, (Hoffman, 1988 and Chaliand,
2007), according to contemporary historian Josephus, in 6 AD Judas of
Galilee formed a small and more extreme offshoot of the Zealots, the
Sicarii(Chaliand, 2007). Their terror also was directed against Jewish
"collaborators", including temple priests, Sadducees, Herodians, and other
wealthy elites (Hoffman, 1988)

2. The term "terrorism" itself was originally used to describe the actions
of the Jacobin Club during the "Reign of Terror" in the French Revolution.
"Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible," said
Jacobin leader Maximilien Robespierre. In 1795, Edmund Burke
denounced the Jacobins for letting "thousands of those hell-hounds called
Terrorists...loose on the people" of France (Burke, 1795 cited in www.
econlib.org).
In January 1858, Italian patriot Felice Orsini threw three bombs in an
attempt to assassinate French Emperor Napoleon III (Crenshaw, 1995).
Eight bystanders were killed and 142 injured. The incident played a crucial
role as an inspiration for the development of the early Russian terrorist
groups. Russian Sergey Nechayev, who founded People's Retribution in
1869, described himself as a "terrorist", an early example of the term being
employed in its modern meaning.
Terrorism is the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear for
bringing about political change. All terrorist acts involve violence or equally
important, the threat of violence. These violent acts are committed by non-
governmental groups or individuals, that is, by those who are neither part of
nor officially serving in the military forces, law enforcement agencies,
intelligence services, or governmental agencies of an established nation-
state.
The word “terrorism” was then used in France to describe a new
system of government adopted during the French Revolution (1789 –
1799). The regime ‘de la terreur’ i.e. Reign of Terror was intended to
promote democracy and popular rule by ridding the revolution of its

3. enemies and thereby purifying it. However, the oppression and violent
excesses of the ‘terreur’ transformed it into a feared instrument of the state.
From that time on, terrorism has had a decidedly negative connotation. The
word, however did not gain wider popularity until the late 19 th century when
it was adopted by a group of Russians revolutionaries to describe their
violent struggle against tsarist rule. Terrorism then assumed the more
familiar anti-governmental associations it has today.
The world of the 21st century, in which we are today, is more
precarious, unpredictable and more dangerous than at anytime in the
history of mankind. The spectre of terrorism is haunting the world. The
times have changed throughout the world as a result of the activities of
people, who willingly destroy, maim and kill in order to score political, or
social points or goals. Terrorism, therefore, has become such a world-wide
phenomenon that only recently, a respected and highly placed Vatican
official, Cardinal Renato Martino, described terrorism as the 4 th world war,
the 3rd world war being the cold war, which ended with the demise of the
former Soviet Union. Martino, who was the Pope John Paul’s Ambassador
to the United Nations, and the head of the Vatican’s Council for Justice and
Peace said:
“We have entered the 4th World war…. I believe we are in the midst
of another world war… and it involves absolutely everyone because
we don’t know what will happen when we leave a hotel, when we get
on a bus, when we go into coffee bar, war itself is sitting down right
next to each and everyone of us” (Okeke, 2005).

4. However, terrorism challenges the assumption that any nation could
guarantee absolute security to its citizen without collaboration with the
larger international community. The bombing of vacationing youth in Bali in
Indonesia, the bombing of train stations in Madrid, Spain and hostage
takings which led to over 300 people among them several school children
in Baslam, Russia, years ago, the bombings in Abuja-Nigeria and the
kidnaps especially in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria are clear
demonstrations of this fact.
Inspite of the fact that terrorism is generally accepted as a world wide
problem, more than any other terrorist incident so far, either in terms of
casualty or weapon used, the September 11, 2001 attack on the United
States of America will remain a turning point in the history of terrorism. It
was after it that the issue of terrorism acquired greater attention and
created necessary awareness among the populace and governments all
over the world, and this made everybody to know that the issue of security
is not only the business of the security agents alone, but requires concerted
efforts of everyone to effectively deal with.
MEANING, DEFINITION AND CONCEPT OF TERRORISM
The first analytical fact facing commentators on terror is to define
their subject matter. Because terrorism engenders such extreme emotions,
partly as a reaction to the horrors associated with it and partly because of
its ideological context, the search for a definition which is both precise
enough to provide a meaningful analytical device yet general enough to
obtain agreement from all participant in the debate is fraught with difficulty.
Many experts believe that there is no need laboring to define terrorism.

5. According to Jonathan Barker, a leading researcher in Political Science,
“people understand that the planners of the political violence carried out by
non-groups or by government agencies or their proxies claim their cause is
just”. Similarly, regimes that employ murder and sabotage never admit that
what they are doing is terrorism.
Thus, at various times in history and even today, most state
government overtly or covertly support and even aid illegal use of force
groups to achieve some objective in a manner that would otherwise be
regarded as terrorism by those opposed to it. In the 1980’s, the CIA
attempted to overthrow President Fidel Castro of Cuba, at the same time
too, it attempted to overthrow the Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
Also on many occasions, America used right-wing elements in those
countries to illegally kill a lot of people. In Angola, the US actively
supported the UNITA rebels against the MPLA and it was only a few years
ago that such support stopped and UNITA was defeated.
On the other hand, many African, Arab and East European Countries
supported the Liberation Movement that fought the Apartheid regime in
South Africa, the white minority government in now Zimbabwe and the
Portuguese colonial administration in Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau,
Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe. They also supported and some
still support Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in its struggle for
self-determination. In Africa, like Cote d’Ivoire, since December, 1999 to
2011, there have been political killings (terrorism). Gbagbo and Quattara’s
self interest have taken a lot of lives and property.

6. It is on this account of these contradictions that some observers
argue that a comprehensive definition of terrorism does not exist and
cannot be found in the foreseeable future. Because of these problems,
many analysts have tried to shrug them off with an obligatory reference to
that famous phrase “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’.
This phrase, trite though it may be, does encapsulate the difficulties facing
those who wish to delimit the boundaries of terrorism either for purposes of
international action or academic research. Reference to it should not,
though, persuade the reader of the futility of searching for a working
definition of terrorism. Without a basic definition it is impossible to say the
whether the phenomenon (terrorism) is a threat at all, whether it is a
phenomenon of a different nature to its predecessors, and whether there
can be a theory of terrorism.
According to the United Kingdom legislation titled Terrorist Act 2000;
terrorism means the use or threat of action…. designed to influence the
government or to intimidate the public or a section of the public for the
purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological course.
On the other hand, the United States Federal Statutes defines
terrorism as “violent acts or acts dangerous to human life that appear to be
intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the
policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to effect the
conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping “(US Code, title
18, section 2331).
Canada’s anti-terrorism Act (Bill C-36) designates terrorist activity as
“an act or omission…. that is committed in whole or in part for a political,

7. religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause and in whole or in part
with the intention of intimidating the public, or a segment of the public with
regard to its security, including its economic security, or compelling a
person, a government or a domestic or an international organization to do
or to refrain from doing any act, whether the person, government or
organization is inside or outside Canada….”.
CONCEPTUALIZING TERRORISM AS A MORAL PROBLEM
A major problem to the study of terrorism is that, at base, terrorism is
a moral problem. This is a major reason why the concept faces much
definitional problem. Attempts at definition often are predicated on the
assumption that some classes of political violence are justifiable whereas
others are not. For a definition to be universally accepted, it must transcend
behavioral description to include individual motivation, social milieu, and
political purpose. The same behavior will or will not be viewed as terrorism
by any particular observer according to differences in these other factors
(Wardlaw, 1989).
According to Wardlaw, just as an increasing number of commentators
seem to be able to even-handedly apply the term “terrorist” to non-state
and state actors they will have to apply it even-handedly to those groups
with whose cause they agree and those with whose cause they conflict. He
affirmed that the difficulty is that different groups of users of definitions find
it more or less easy to utilize definitions which focus on behaviors and their
effects as opposed to those factors tempered by considerations of motives
and politics. Thus, many academic students of terrorism seem to find little
difficulty in labeling an event as “terrorist” without making a moral judgment

8. about the act. Many law enforcement agents, government officials,
politicians, citizens, and analysts find themselves unable to take such a
detached view. For this reason, it may not be too difficult to construct an
acceptable definition within a given reference group. The problem arises
when that group attempts to engage in dialogue with others. The definition
of terrorism on moral grounds rests, then, on moral justification. Grant
Wardlaw warned that the proper study of terrorism should seek to explain a
phenomenon, not justify it. And it must be realized by all that explanation
does not entail justification.
THE SOCIAL DEFINITION/MEANING OF TERRORISM
Greisman (1977) used this to analyze the way in which social
meaning is assigned to terrorism. He argued that to make the term
“terrorism” useful, it is necessary to see how moral meanings are ascribed
to terrorist acts so that we can see what variables make one act terrorist
and another a mere function of foreign policy. It is however easier for
governments than for terrorists to legitimate their activities, terrorists often
strive for legitimacy. Often, though, such an endeavor is as much an
attempt to legitimate their activities in their own eyes as it is to convince the
public of their worthiness. In such cases, according to Wardlaw (1989), the
motivation for legitimation is more psychological than tactical.
In order to appreciate the nature of terrorism, it is necessary to look
at the definitions and concepts of terror, and terrorism and examine their
often ambiguous relation to other forms of civil, military, and political
violence and to criminal behaviour. Wilkinson (1977) notes that one of the
central problems in defining terrorism lies with the subjective nature of

9. terror. Due to the complex interplay of the subjective forces and of
frequently irrational individual responses it is very difficult to accurately
define terror and to study it scientifically.
Thornton (1964) defines terrorism as the use of terror as a “symbolic
act” designed to influence political behaviour by extra normal means,
entailing the use or threat of violence. The emphasis here is on its extra
normal quality. To Wilkinson (1977), political terrorism is the systematic use
of murder and destruction, and the threat of murder and destruction in other
to terrorize individuals, groups, communities or government into conceding
to the terrorist political demands.
In summary therefore, we submit that terrorism is violence for effect,
the threat of violence, individual acts of violence or a campaign of violence
design primarily to instill fear. The violence is aimed at the people watching.
The fear is the intended effect, not for the victims but the people watching.
Infact the victim may be totally unrelated to the terrorist cause. Fear is the
intended effect not by the product. It must be understood that terrorism is a
means to an end and not an end in itself. It has objectives although those
who carry out acts of terrorism may be so dedicated to the violent action
that even they, sometimes seem to miss the point. Unless we try to think
like terrorist, we are also likely to miss the point. The objectives of terrorism
are often obscured by the fact that specific terrorist’s attacks may appear to
be random and directed at targets whose deaths or destruction does not
appear directly to benefit the terrorist’s cause.
TYPES OF TERRORISM

10. Different types of terrorism have been defined by lawmakers,
security professionals and scholars. Types differ according to what kind of
attack agents an attacker uses (biological, for example) or by what they are
trying to defend (as in eco-terrorism).
Researchers in the United States began to distinguish different types
of terrorism in the 1970s, following a decade in which both domestic and
international groups flourished. By that point, modern groups had began to
use techniques such as hijacking, bombing, diplomatic kidnapping and
assassination to assert their demands and, for the first time, they appeared
as real threats to Western democracies, in the view of politicians, law
makers, law enforcement and researchers. They began to distinguish
different types of terrorism as part of the larger effort to understand how to
counter and deter it. They classify the forms or types of terrorism as thus:
(i) State Terrorism or State-Sponsored Terrorism
Two forms of state-sponsored terrorism exist at the beginning of the
twenty-first century: governments that carry out terrorism acts against their
own citizens, and government support of groups who carry out terrorism
against other governments. Many definitions of Terrorism restrict it to acts
by non-state actors. But it can also be argued that states can, and have,
been terrorists. States can use force or the threat of force, without declaring
war, to terrorize citizens and achieve a political goal. Germany under Nazi
rule has been described in this way. It has also been argued that states
participate in international terrorism, often by proxy. The United States
considers Iran the most prolific sponsor of terrorism because Iran arms

11. groups, such as Hizballah, that help carry out its foreign policy objectives.
The United States has also been called terrorist, for example through its
covert sponsorship of Nicaraguan Contras in the 1980s. Iran accused
Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria of supporting terrorism.
The Abu Nidal organization is an example of state sponsored terrorism.
(ii) Bio-terrorism
Bio-terrorism refers to the intentional release of toxic biological
agents to harm and terrorize civilians, in the name of a political or other
cause. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has classified the viruses,
bacteria and toxins that could be used in an attack. Category A Biological
Diseases are those most likely to do the most damage. They include:
• Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis)
• Botulism (Clostridium botulinum toxin)
• The Plague (Yersinia pestis)
• Smallpox (Variola major)
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• Hemorrahagic fever, due to Ebola Virus or Marburg Virus
(iii) Cyber-terrorism
Cyber-terrorists use information technology to attack civilians and
draw attention to their cause. This may mean that they use information
technology, such as computer systems or telecommunications, as a tool to
orchestrate a traditional attack. More often, cyber-terrorism refers to an

12. attack on information technology itself in a way that would radically disrupt
networked services. For example, cyber-terrorists could disable networked
emergency systems or hack into networks housing critical financial
information. There is wide disagreement over the extent of the existing
threat by cyber terrorists. Cyber-terrorism is a type of terrorism that uses
computers and network. Usually, small terrorist groups use cyber terrorism.
Experts have only identified Aum Shinrikyo and the Tamil Tigers of using
cyber terrorism so far. These two terrorist groups usually use cyber-
terrorism to fail the computer security, or to show off their technical abilities.
Cyber-terrorism can allow disruptions in military communications and even
electrical power. Some ways cyber-terrorism can be used is by destroying
the actual machine that contains the electronic information. Experts
recommend individual computer users to use virus protection software and
also to stay away from strange emails and computer programs will lessen
the vulnerability to cyber-terrorism.
(iv) Environmental Terrorism or Eco-terrorism
Environmental terrorism is commonly referred to as "eco-terrorism,"
a combination of the terms ecology and terrorism. Eco-terrorism is a
recently coined term describing violence in the interests of
environmentalism. In general, environmental extremists sabotage property
to inflict economic damage on industries or actors they see as harming
animals or the natural environment. These have included, for example fur
companies, logging companies and animal research laboratories.
(v) Nuclear Terrorism

13. "Nuclear terrorism” refers to a number of different ways nuclear
materials might be exploited as a terrorist tactic. These include attacking
nuclear facilities, purchasing nuclear weapons, or building nuclear weapons
or otherwise finding ways to disperse radioactive materials. Two chemicals
associated with terrorist activity that was in the news worldwide in the late
1990s and early 2000s were sarin and ricin. Sarin is a man made
chemical warfare agent that acts rapidly against the nervous system,
making breathing difficult or impossible. Ricin is a clear, colorless, tasteless
liquid that does not smell and tiny amounts are deadly.
(vi) Narcoterrorism
Narcoterrorism has had several meanings since its coining in 1983. It
once denoted violence used by drug traffickers to influence governments or
prevent government efforts to stop the drug trade. In the last several years,
narcoterrorism has been used to indicate situations in which terrorist
groups use drug trafficking to fund their other operations.
INCIDENCE/ EFFECTS OF TERRORISM
Terrorism has had some obvious effects in the country or countries
of the world. The most common is that it diverts resources into internal
security functions instead of diverting such into developmental projects.
These resources are used also in protecting political leaders,
guarding vital locations, screening people at airports, and hardening targets
all require increasing amounts of money, labour and time. The screening of

14. passengers at airports, apart from the time and inconvenience costs to the
public, the financial costs of screening precautions have been enormous.
However, for clarity and proper understanding, we will discuss this
subheading under three different subtitles: The social/psychological effect,
the political effect and the economic effect.
The Social/Psychological Effect
The incidence and changing significance of terrorism culminates into
loss of life and property. In Nigeria, the bomb blast of October 1 st 2010
killed a lot of people at Abuja. In the September 11 attack of the United
States of America killed more than three thousand people (3,000). The
Kenyan and Tanzanian attacks killed more than two hundred people (200).
The October 12, 2002 bombing of a night club in Bali, Indonesia killed (200)
two hundred people. The Baslam school siege in September 2004 in
Russia ended tragically with the death of about three hundred (300)
persons, half of who were children. Affected people and victims who
escaped with injury from the terrorist act may live with psychological trauma
for the rest of their lives.
All over the world, the greatest concerns and fears that exist is that
terrorists could go beyond ordinary explosives and find a way to deploy
nuclear weapons (uranium and plutonium bombs), biological and chemical
weapons which we now call Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The
fear of the outcome of this act of terror has a serious social and
psychological impact on the citizenry.
The Political Effects of Terrorism

15. The political effects of terrorism can be long-term or short term
depending on the nature. The ruling party in Spain lost power two days
after the march 11, 2004 Madrid train bombings which killed one hundred
and eighty one innocent souls (Okeke, 2005). The set back recorded by
U.S and its allies by the decision of the newly elected Prime Minister to pull
Spain out of the coalition forces in Iraq is another political incidence of
terrorism. The problem encouraged others, including the Philippine
government, a close American ally, to pull out their non-combatant troops.
Although the withdrawal by the Philippines was in exchange for the release
of a Filipino taken hostage by a group of Islamist militants who threatened
to behead him, the Filipino action did not please the United States and its
allies (Okeke, 2005).
The Economic Effect of Terrorism
The analysis on the incidence of terrorism in the first paragraph of
this part fall under the economic effects of terrorism. However, with the
ever-present fear of attacks from terrorists, governments and organizations
are compelled to spend huge amounts of money to develop anti-terror
infrastructure. Such monies could otherwise be used for more beneficial
infrastructural and developmental services to the people. Since the
September 11 attacks and the subsequent responses by the international
community, including the use of military force and full scale war in
Afghanistan and Iraq, the cycle of violence that the situation has
engendered, governments, companies and organizations have had to take
painful economic measures. These range from reorganizations leading to
retrenchments of workers, increase in air fares, and withdrawal of
subsidies, which also invariably lead to inflation and further insecurity.

16. Moreover, Investors stay away from targeted states or regions
perceived as potential source of terrorist activities. In Nigeria for example,
the Niger-Delta areas has been deserted by the oil companies and
construction companies due to the terrorist attacks. The increasing high
cost of oil as direct consequence of terrorist activities and the unending
insurgency against the coalition forces in Iraq is another blow on world
security in its entire ramification (Okeke, 2005).
On the whole therefore, terrorist attacks have scaled back in number
in recent year, even though more casualties have occurred. The late 1980s
were a high point for the number of terrorist attacks, with the incidence of
attacks exceeding 600 annually in the year 1985-1988
(http://library.thinkquest.org). With the exception of 1991, the number of
terrorist attacks after 1988 decreased to fewer than 450 every year,
reaching their recent low point in the years 1996-1998, when the number of
attacks was about 300. The number of attacks has increased slightly since
1998, when there were 274 attacks, but the level has not reached the
number realized in any of the years of the 1980s. This report is not a linear
progression from a large number to a small number of attacks, but the
trend revealed is one of the decreasing incidence. Yet even if the frequency
has decreased, the danger has not.
The practice of terrorism has undergone dramatic changes in recent
years. The categorical fanaticism that is apparent in terrorist organizations
across a spectrum of belief systems is a major part of this change. In the
past, terrorists were more likely to be dominated by pragmatic
considerations of political and social change, public opinion, and other such
factors. Today, a phenomenon that was a minute rarity in the past terrorists

17. bent on death and destruction for its own sake is more common place than
ever. In addition, the statelessness of today’s terrorists removes crucial
restraints that once held the most extreme terrorists in check or prevented
them from reaching the highest levels in their organizations. Terrorists can
still enjoy the funding and shelter that only a national economy can
mobilize, but they are on their own to a greater degree in greater numbers
than in the past. Organizationally, terrorists are using the non-hierarchical
structures and systems that have emerged in recent years. Finally, the
potential availability of nuclear, chemical and biological technology provides
the prospect that these trends could result in unprecedented human
disasters.
SOLUTIONS AND THE WAY FORWARD
Different organizations, with help from terrorism consultants, have
been able to develop terrorism solutions. Many agencies that are charged
with fighting terrorism have reviewed the way they operate and share
intelligence. This change has opened the communication between these
agencies and has reduced the chances of another attack happening due to
lack of communication. There is therefore need to move towards a
comprehensive approach to fighting terrorism. Okeke (2005) has advanced
three broad approaches against terrorism so that the so society and its
state institutions could be protected against terrorist attacks. These are:
a. Anti-terrorist measures to ensure that people, public life, buildings
and infrastructures are less vulnerable.
b. Counter-terrorist measures to prevent terrorists from attacking by
identifying and neutralizing or stopping them.

18. c. Crisis-management aimed at resolving and stabilizing the situation.
The measures advanced above could be carried out through the
under listed (Okeke, 2005).
i. International Cooperation: it is evident that no single nation can
fight international terrorism successfully without the cooperation of
others. Hence, there is need for cooperation among all nations at
all levels, namely global (UN) continental (AU) regional
(ECOWAS) etc, multilateral and bilateral levels, by way of
exchange of information on the movements, profiles, methods, and
plans etc of terrorists to facilitate their neutralization.
ii. Strengthening of intelligence organization to procure timely and
credible intelligence: International terrorism organizations operate
in a clandestine nature akin to intelligence organizations. It is far
better and safer to neutralize terrorists’ plots than to reach to them
and this can only be achieved through empowering and enhancing
the capacity of intelligence and security services.
iii. Cooperation among intelligence and security outfits at National
organizational levels: There is need for cooperation among various
intelligence and security outfits in every nation, so that the bits and
pieces of information available to each could be well harnessed
and analyzed towards combating terrorism. Analyses and
assessment should however be objectives and not be influenced
by motives, prevailing wisdom and pressures from governments
for information. As much as possible, governments should tailor
their actions based on available intelligence rather than on a

19. predetermined desired contrary to available intelligence as this
may embarrass the nation and cause more problems.
iv. Continuous capacity building for intelligence and security
operatives and agencies.
v. Concerted international efforts to combat drug, arms and people
smuggling: These are crimes that are often committed to prop up
terrorism. With regard to money laundering for instance, individual
government could oblige their banks to disclose to authorities all
financial transactions, that exceed certain amounts in respects of
individuals and corporate organizations. Banks and governments
should also create more effective financial intelligence units.
vi. Strengthening of national statutes, laws and regulations against
terrorist offences and strict enforcement of existing laws.
vii. Enhancing physical security around facilities and infrastructure that
are commonly targeted for terrorist attacks.
viii. Provision of effective protection of VIPs and their movements at all
times.
ix. Control of sale of dual-purpose devices or substances that can, for
instance be used to fabricate bombs, dynamites etc.
x. Monitoring the activities of religions organizations to curb the
emergence of religious fundamentalism, which often breed
terrorism.

20. xi. Eradication of poverty and unemployment particularly in Africa
which often lead the youth to embrace religious extremism or
make them amenable to recruitment by criminal groups.
xii. Creating anti-terror awareness among the citizenry.
xiii. Introduction of strong domestic measures: where strong measures
are demanded, governments many introduce regulations that are
akin to the U.S “Patriotic Act” which, among other things,
empower security and intelligence agencies to monitor the use of
internet by citizens, telephone lines, etc to detect untoward
exchanges that may be prejudicial to national security.
xiv. Enhancement and enforcement of aviation security and
immigration control: It is important for countries to adopt and
where applicable, reinforce global airport and aviation security and
safety standards. Airlines should also share passengers
information with authorities especially in suspicious circumstances.
Immigration control at all borders must also be strengthened.
xv. Institutionalization of good governance: individual governments,
especially in emerging democracies, should endeavour to manage
the affairs of their states in accordance with democratic tenets of
fairness, justice, equity and the rule of law, so as not to tensions or
conditions that lead to the emergence of dictatorships, civil crises,
armed opposition and resistance. These could be exploited by
terrorists.
xvi. Settlement of the Middle East crisis: One of the grouses of
international terrorists, particularly the Al-Qaeda, is the role the

21. U.S plays in the Middle East crisis. In order to take the wind out of
the soil of the terrorists, and more so as unilateral military options
have failed to address the issue, it is imperative for the
international community and the U.S in particular to seek for a
diplomatic solution to the lingering crisis in the region.
xvii. Establishment of efficient national emergency response
mechanism: It is imperative for individual states to establish or
strengthen existing national emergency response mechanisms to
adequately and efficiently respond to emergencies including and
particularly those arising from terror attacks.
xviii. There should be strict adherence to commitments made at world,
continental regional and bilateral levels. In this respect, all
countries should implement measures put in place by the U.N as
well as continental and regional bodies. Faithful implementation
will help make the world safer from the criminals and terrorists that
want to destabilize it.
CONCLUSION:
John Cage, the great composer, was once asked if there is too much
suffering in this world. This response was that there is just the right amount.
In a similar vein, one could argue that there is just the right amount of
terrorism, especially in Nigeria. While a number of states in west African
sub-region have been affected by the specter of international terrorism and
devastation wrought by it, Nigeria has not suffered as much as others. The
cases of sierra Leone and Liberia whose foreign adventurist mercenaries

22. ad illegal gold and diamond merchants combined with local bandits to bring
the countries to ruin are examples.
Following our analysis of terrorism in a world view, it would be clear,
we would hope, that terrorism, if not dealt with, could have a serious and
devastating impact on development approaches and on global security.
The above measures need to be considered in order to combat terrorism. It
is equally necessary to find out the major cause of terrorist acts which will
help the war against terrorism to thrive. For us in Nigeria, we have our own
peculiar problem. We need a sustainable agenda to deal with out problem.
We must be very vigilante about the infiltration of terrorist groups. The
threats from ethnic militias must be dealt with in a firm but just way so that
the havoc they are committing does not continue.
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