Shekau Needs Physical, Psychological Help –Psychiatrist

 
Nigerians who watched Abuba­kar Shekau’s recent videos on the Chibok girls kidnap saga have expressed doubt over the mental state of the Boko Haram leader. In the last two videos, Shekau had come across a person who is mentally unstable. Sunday Sun sought to know from a Consultant Psychiatrist to as­certain, from his behaviour and actions, whether Shekau is a normal person and what would have prompted him to take action against his country.
Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri, a Con­sultant Neuro-Psychiatrist and Psycho­therapist here examines the character of the Boko Haram sect leader, Abubakar Shekau and concludes that the terrorist needs both psychological and physical help.
How would you examine the character of the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau?
There are many questions we seek to answer as we look into the case of the Boko Haram sect leader, Abubakar Shekau. Terrorism is an act of aggres­sion. By killing innocent civilians and destroying property, terrorists attempt to impose their own political, religious, or ideological points of view on society. Unfortunately, such aggression is not new; terrorist acts have been and will contin­ue to be committed throughout human history.
Various thinkers, philosophers, and psychologists have advanced possible explanations of human aggression in their attempts to make sense of such extreme behaviour. Recent developments in psychiatry and in the understanding of neurotransmitters, the chemicals produced by the human body which affects ones be­haviour, have provided a great deal of insight into aggressive human behaviour. So, yes Shekau has character problem.
What factors may have pre­disposed Shekau to terrorist acts?
There are some factors that could have contributed to his ending up as a terrorist. Severe psychological and emotional trauma and abuse in the formative years of an individual’s life can lead to severe injury to that person’s self esteem. This can cause anger and bitterness towards society, instil a desire for revenge, and make a person very vulnerable to the message being offered by terrorist groups.  Such abuse could include family violence, violence in the community, bullying in schools etc.
Some other factors may include a sense of deprivation and desperation, a lack of opportunities for advancement, and the feeling of disadvantage. These can aggravate an individual’s feeling of vulnerability.  The identification of a perceived or real injustice that one is unable to correct may also lead a person to extremist organizations.  An extreme ideological upbringing or tendency to see things in black and white, normally present in younger generations, can also lead to enrolment in extremist organizations. Of all these individuals who are vulnerable, an extremely small minority resort to violence and killing.
Group dynamics are the most import­ant factor in determining whether such feelings will be translated into action.  A very charismatic group leader, an extreme level of group cohesion, indoctrination, the displacement of the responsibility for violent acts from the individual to the group, the dehumanization of victims, and the promo­tion of a higher goal are all methods used by terrorist groups to achieve their desired ends.
From the way he moves his body in his videos; do you think Shekau may be on some kind of hard drugs?
His speech and mannerism on most of his videos suggest that he may be on some sort of drugs, but in science, this cannot be con­clusive. Evidence based medicine suggests a thorough mental health assessment and investigations to ascertain what he may be suffering from.
Does he need help?
The answer to that question is a re­sounding yes. He needs both physical and psychological help. The good news is, he can be helped by his fellow Nigerians that have the core competence with regards to their various area of expertise.
Additionally, I will like to add that terror­ism is a very complex phenomenon. What causes humans to resort to such extreme acts of killing members of their own community still eludes us. Psychologists and psychia­trists are just beginning to understand the causes of such aggression.  We can create psychological profiles of terrorist groups and individuals after the fact, but it is impossible to predict who or what group will commit terrorist violence and when. After a profile is created, the terrorist group can change the modus operandi, and we will be back to the square one.
On the contrary, understanding human psychology will help the terrorist groups to recruit vulnerable individuals and to groom them, indoctrinate them, and use them to ef­fectively achieve their goals.  The complete elimination of terrorism seems impossible to achieve. There will always be disenfran­chised people and groups who will resort to terrorism. It can however be minimized by removing the injustices and abuses that can be psychologically afflicting at the individu­al, family, societal, institutional, governmen­tal, national and international levels.
Source:sunnewsonline.com