Last week, I started the process of asking about the ‘what, when and where’ of our red-line as it related to our audacious terrorists. At the core of the intervention was and is the question of ‘when should Nigeria strike the final and deadly blow on these deadly rascals, whom this government has now accepted that they are terrorists’?
I say ‘accepted’ because some of them are our misguided brethren; some are fighting liberation wars against the oppressive state structure, some are just trying to feed themselves while a good number of them have Repented and were speedily deradicalised and rehabilitated.
About 80,000 of them are now in military custody, including Bashir Bulabuduwaye, the chief executioner of BH, who surrendered with his family to the troops of Operation Hadin Kai in Borno State on 12/9/22. He has a very good professional testimonial, having executed about 1,000 Nigerians and abducted countless others more, including several security operatives. This is in addition to 1,600 ‘Repentant Terrorists’ whom according to the great Lai, had learnt trades and were released into the society.
I ask this question because these terrorists have crossed all reasonable boundaries and had breached the threshold of governmental leniency. We started from attacks on Kaduna Airport, Train AK9, coupled with the wholesale kidnapping, torture and retailing of the passengers, the embarrassing attack on Kuje Prison and the daring attack on the presidential advance party in Kastina two days before then.
There was the Owo massacre at St Francis Catholic Church, in which at least 40 were felled; the daylight attack at Shiroro, Niger State, killing 37 soldiers, seven mobile policemen and six civilians while four Chinese miners and other residents were abducted; the murder of 30 vigilante members in Gidan Dan Ina, Zamfara State, the kidnap of 80 people in Kwari village in JIbya LGA of Kastina State, and 29 wedding guests in Zamfara as well as the sacking of 30 communities in Zamfara.
The terrorists were audacious enough to ban political activities in some Kaduna communities, where farmers in Brinin Gwari had paid at least N400 million in taxes in the past two years. How much taxes did El-Rufai (who has become unusually taciturn of late) collect from them within this period?
There was a report that BH has killed at least 33,127 in 10 years, killed 7,222 and abducted 3,823 between January and July 2022 with North East, North Central and North West highest in that order, and killed 115 with 131 abductions in January 2022 alone with 15 killed on August 1.
The bandits had the audacity to serve a quit-notice on five villages in Wase LGA of Plateau State – (Sabon Zama, Gindin Dutse, Anguwan Tsohon Soldier, Anguwan Yuhana and Anguwan Mangu) failing which it would be war. A band of ‘good bandits’ had the liberty to abduct some Zamfara health workers, collect N5 million ransom, and eventually changed their minds and returned both the captives and the N5 million. By the way, the government needs to pay special attention to these good bandits of Zamfara.
Read also: Audacity of Nigerian terrorists: What, where, and when is our red-line?
Last time, some of them arrested a petty thief, lectured him on the illegality and dangers of thievery and handed him over to the authorities! Bandits also kidnapped 10 policemen returning from Osun elections, abducted 50 people at a sitting in Niger State and attacked the Kaduna Millennium City. They imposed a N12 million tax on farmers from Kwaga, Kwanan-Shehu, Unguwan Liman and Unguwan Shekarau in Kaduna State, and gave them a deadline, and collected about N19 million and a boat as a protection levy from residents of 14 communities in the Anka LGA of Zamfara.
The citizens probably took a cue from the state government which gifted 15 brand new Hilux vehicles and cash to leaders of different ‘repentant’ gangs of bandits in 2020. By the way, what do these bandits do with this cash? Who are their bankers? How is the money mainstreamed into the economy? These are just innocent questions from a professional banker.
Sometimes ago, Lai had accused the substantially defeated bandits of going after soft targets. In response, they restrategised and became daring enough to attack Nigerian army convoys in Zamfara and Kastina, and ambushed presidential guards in Abuja, all with casualties. They had also attacked several military camps and police formations across the land.
They abducted 40 people in Kaduna, collected a ransom of N9 million, changed their mind and upped it to N100 million, just as they demanded for additional N20 million for DPO Mohammed who received a baptism of fire on his way to assume duty on the Brinin-Gwari highway. In faraway Niger Delta, another band of bandits, probably the corporate and global bandits were also in operations, stealing about 100 million barrels (worth about N8bn) of crude oil, our national commonwealth daily!
It is another matter that while oil is our commonwealth, subject to FAAC (Federation Account Allocation Committee) horse-trading, the gold in Zamfara is a local affair, belonging to the government and its people as well as to other corporate bandits!
As all these were happening, the government, through its ‘yours obediently’ people (not OBIdiently!!) started assuring us stridently that the terrorists would be crushed by December 2022, that the security forces had done wonderfully well, that PMB efforts on security were unmatched and that he would leave Nigeria safer and more secure before 29/5/23. I was wondering what kind of magic they would perform to enable them to do in 7 months what they did not and could not do in the past 7 years.
Indeed, PMB gave those statements a presidential stamp when he declared during the 2023 budget presentation (which he turned into a valedictory speech), that banditry and kidnapping would be significantly reduced before 19/5/23. And then out of the blue, we were informed that the 23 passengers from the ill-fated ‘train-flight’ AK9 of 28/3/22 were free men and women. I share in the joys of the captives, who passed through the valley of the shadow of death; who were ensconced in the jaws of a lion and still live to tell the tale! I also congratulate the relatives.
But then, another crucial question has emerged. Were the captives released or were they rescued? Another question? Our people say that he who asks questions will never get lost on the way! I come in peace!!
