Amid what seems an upscale in the insecurity situation in Nigeria and the apparent frequent mourning by the powers that be, some concerned citizens have asked the Federal Government to save its tears and go beyond lamentation to providing solutions to the ravaging menace.
In recent times, bandits, kidnappers, herdsmen, ritualists, cultists and members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, have upped their orgy of bloody campaign across the country, leaving tears and blood in their trail. Government’s efforts at reining in the monsters have not yielded much fruits, fueling fears and apprehension across the land.
Cases of kidnapping, killing and other bestial atrocities have become commonplace. No day passes without sad stories of armed attacks on communities and missing people, creating legions of widows, widowers and orphans.
The concerned Nigerians strongly believe this is not the time for the Federal Government to throw its hands in the air in utter hopelessness and helplessness because they believe there is so much the government can do if the will to do is there.
There have been cases of kidnap victims who never rejoined their families or “regained their freedom” for reasons of their inability to pay for the outrageous cost of their freedom from their abductors.
On the contrary, there have also been cases of the rich and powerful people in society and their children who regain their freedom just some hours after their abduction either because they can quickly meet the demands from the kidnappers or state security apparatus are mobilised to tighten the noose around the abductors and force to let go their victims.
The most recent case of this state-induced or forced freedom is the abduction and prompt release of Adedayo Adewole, the farmer-son of the immediate past minister of health, Isaac Adewole, who was taken away from his farm by kidnappers whose focus is now more on farmers, posing serious threat to the federal government’s diversification programme and food security.
The activities of these people, terrorists, insurgents, kidnappers, bandits, among others, are constant reminders to the government that it will only take conscious efforts to rein in the dragon and that no amount of security meetings and recourse to mourning can do any magic.
They also believe that continued buck-passing and finger-pointing would only amount to surrendering to bandits and announcing to the citizens that government can no longer perform the basic function for its existence which is protection of lives and property.
Those who spoke to BDSUNDAY expressed shock that despite series of security meetings that have been held in Abuja, and despite the recent vote of confidence passed by President Muhammadu Buhari in the Service Chiefs, warranting the extension of their tenure of office, Nigeria has continued in a “low-grade war.” But truth is constant. In spite of the president’s praise singing, Tukur Yusuf Buratai, the country’s chief of army staff was blunt enough when he admitted recently that his men, the soldiers, have not lived up to expectation in dealing with challenge of the moment.
The level of insecurity in Nigeria today with the attendant fear, apprehension and trauma can only be likened to the experience of people in countries embroiled in wars and conflicts. But Nigeria is at war.
“Frankly speaking, I am not sure that the Federal Government appreciates the trauma people go through in the country at the moment. How can one feel protected in a country where herdsmen and bandits have taken over the entire place and all that government does is to wail, moan and convene endless security meetings?
The last time I checked, weeping was not known to deliver anybody from problem. Weeping does not save anybody. It is only conscious efforts and determination that help a nation to achieve greatness,” Bode Olayinka, a legal practitioner, noted.
In the last five years, Nigeria appears to have fallen under the activities of killers who go about and systematically slaughter and burn down residential houses, rendering people homeless in their ancestral communities. Within this period, hundreds of innocent people have been killed in Benue State and other parts of the country where several hundreds of others have been rendered homeless.
Plateau State has lost uncountable number of people through the murderous activities of herdsmen. Zamfara, Niger, Taraba, Adamawa States, among others have all lost count of indigenes that have been killed by Boko Haram, bandits and herdsmen. Blood is flowing all over the place under the watch of an elected government.
Nigerians and their friends are bewildered by the seeming insensitivity at quarters where care and succour is expected. They are all the more perplexed that common herdsmen hitherto known to ply their trade of guarding and herding their cattle with stick, have now turned to using guns, yet law enforcement agencies are looking the other way, instead they are asking those who with licensed guns to surrender them.
It is a bizarre situation which appears to have worsened in the last one year. It is estimated that over 1000 lives have been lost these marauding killers. In some cases, the killers are said to harvest important organs of their victims for money-making purposes. And this is happening in a country that is not in a conventional war.
As a country, Nigeria has seen hypocrisy at its worst level. This is, perhaps, the only country in world where government always comes up to express sadness at every attack resulting in mass murder. It has always mourned, but that that is where it ends. Government always “condemns these dastardly acts” and thereafter, promises to “fish out the perpetrators and bring them to book.”
But no sooner are these statements made than the government retraces to its cocoons of inactivity, until there is another episode that triggers the circle which has continued for too long.
Expressing disappointment over the seeming lack of commitment to the fight against insecurity in the country, a Lagos-based private security expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “I so much doubt the sincerity of the Federal Government in its avowed war against bandits in the country.
“Do you know why? I will tell you. No reasonable government will tolerate what is going on in the country for a week, but we have been here for over five years and the situation is only worsening.”
According to the expert, “You cannot claim to be in charge of security, yet, you have a situation where over 12 people are being slaughtered in your country on a daily basis. In places where governments work, heads would have rolled in government. But what do we have here- promotion without performance; extension of tenures in the face of failure. Here we reward mediocrity. It is very, very unfortunate. If government is crying, what does it want the citizens who look up to it for protection to do?”
When people raised alarm over the way and manner security chiefs were appointed by the federal government, their apologists explained that the president needed to go for people that he trusted and could vouch for. Indeed, they said the president went for with both competence and integrity.
But over the years, Nigerians can tell better. Even the government itself should be worried at the turn of events in the country for the worst which is why a social commentator, who asked not to be named, blamed the Federal Government for the unfortunate state of affairs in the country.
FG blamed for insecurity
“It is not surprising that we are where we are today. When killings were going on in Benue State, the people cried out but the Federal Government never listened to them. Government even appeared to be on the side of the herdsmen who were carrying out the killings.
“The hypocrisy was what drove Governor Samuel Ortom from the APC, you remember? The Fulani herdsmen that have taken over the country with their bloody campaign are the same group the Federal Government recently approved N100 billion for, for God-knows-what. So, when you take a critical look at what is happening in the country, you will see that the end to this malady is not near,” the commentator said.
The expert noted that in the African culture, fathers don’t shed tears before their children, no matter the pain. It is his belief that if a father resorts to shedding tears, such a father would have lost the confidence of his children as a protector and guardian.
“That is exactly the situation we have found ourselves in. Government is openly weeping and mourning instead of crushing the enemies of state. They appear not to have any clue to any situation. They are simply telling us that they cannot protect us and that ‘we are on our own.’ So, you can appreciate the seriousness of the matter,” the commentator asked rhetorically.
Insensitivity of the ruling class
Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria, speaking to BDSUNDAY on the seeming unconcerned attitude of the ruling class to the plight of the masses of the country, said: “There’s a very big disconnect between our rulers and the ruled. It is quite a wide gulf that sometimes I ask myself, do they even know what the people are going through?
When I see the Inspector-General of Police on TV very smartly dressed, I ask myself, does this man know how tattered and ragged an ordinary constable is on the street? He pretends to be their boss. Now, what’s going to make this tattered and haggard-looking constable to take pride in his job when he has no uniform? This is because it is that ‘es spirit de corps’ that is generated by the rules of engagement of where you work that gives you the swagger.”
According to Agbakoba, “nobody is interested in the security situation. Those whose responsibility it is to quell the insecurity are not interested. They pay lip service. You see them on TV talking; they give lip service. Nigeria is a very fragile country, held together by force of arms. Things are so bad in Nigeria today that if President Buhari were to bring 100 million passports and said, ‘ah, who wants to be a Nigerian?’ nobody is going to come. If President Donald Trump were to bring 100 million passports and said ‘who wants to be an American?’ One billion people would come. There is no country here. I don’t know why it is not realised. We don’t have a country.
The blowout in the northeast which has been going on; which we thought was going to stop, has just suddenly spread. It is now in the north west; north central. North central is not too far from Lagos and before you know it, it spreads everywhere because Nigeria is in law grade civil war. And when you see all these people in Abuja completely unconcerned, you know that they are not addressing the problem. So, the spate of insecurity will continue to grow.”
A wake up call
The insecurity situation in the country has become so serious that the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Office last Tuesday warned its citizens against travelling to 24 out of the 36 states in Nigeria. The UK’s alert of terror attacks, contains some damning report on the scandalous level of insecurity in the country. The report noted that “the security environment in the northeast has deteriorated since 2018 and there is heightened risk of kidnap.”
The travel advice should be a wakeup call to the Federal Government that seeks foreign investments in the country. What amount of business can a nation do with foreigners when such foreigners cannot feel safe to go to 24 states of that country? The escalating insecurity in the country is like a pregnancy that can no longer be hidden. The only solution is to be pro-active. Shedding of tears and wearing mournful mien would only embolden the bandits.
ZEBULON AGOMUO and CHUKA UROKO
