The Nigerian State Has Never Been This Weak

Ringtrue BY Yemi Adebowale  Phone 0805469953 Email: yemi.adebowale@thisdaylive.com

Last Saturday, Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists gleefully released pictures of two Nigerian soldiers captured on the Damaturu/Maiduguri highway. Bello Abubakar and Oyediran Adedotun of the Nigerian Army were seized with two other civilians who are protocol officers with the Yobe State Government. The notorious Damaturu/Maiduguri highway is controlled by the terrorists. Here, scores of people are abducted daily, yet, security agencies have not responded appropriately. The terrorists were seen taunting the captured Nigerian soldiers with their posts because they know there are hardly penalties.

This is the level the Nigerian state has degenerated in the last six years. Civilians, gallant men and officers of the Nigerian Army are captured and killed by terrorists without repercussions. They even kill senior officers and get away with it. In the last six years, some of the senior officers who lost their lives to Boko Haram without repercussions include Colonel D.C Bako, Lt. Colonel O. Umusu, Lt. Colonel K Yusuf, Lt. Colonel Abu Ali, Lt. Colonel B. U. Umar, Lt. Col. Yusuf Aminu, Lt. Col. A. E Mamudu, Lt. Col. Ibrahim Sakaba, Lt. Col. Azubuike and Captain Victor Ulasi.

I will never forget one of the deadliest massacres of Nigerian soldiers by Boko Haram in Metele, Borno State, in November 2018, when scores of soldiers were killed at 157 Task Force Battalion in the town. The terrorists that carried out the operation were never smoked out and slaughtered. I will also not forget in a hurry the massacre of soldiers in places like Sasawa, Magumeri, Malam Fatori, Gashigha, Rann, Kanama, Gamboru-Ngala, Mafa, Kunduga, Pridang-Bitta and the rest. The Nigerian state did not respond lethally.

Several days after terrorists downed Nigeria’s fighter jet in the Zamfara State forest, thus, threatening the sovereignty of this nation, there are still no consequences for the guerrillas. It’s so difficult to comprehend that several months after a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet was downed in Borno State, the military is still struggling to locate the crash spot. They can’t even account for the pilot and co-pilot on that crashed Alpha jet. Boko Haram’s claim that it shot the jet is looking real.
In beloved Nigeria, a serving Army General, Husseini Ahmed, is killed by terrorists. Weeks after, the killers have not been apprehended.

So sad, terrorists are on a killing spree in my cherished Nigeria. Boko Haram, bandits, Fulani militia and kidnappers are rampaging unhindered. Unfortunately, the security and welfare of the people is no longer on the priority list of this jaded federal government we have in place. The state governors collecting huge money as security votes have also been a huge disappointment. The statistics of killings by non-state actors are frightening. A mid-year report by Global Rights, an international human rights organisation based in the United States revealed that 3,868 persons were killed by terrorists in different states of Nigeria between January and June 2021 alone. This represents an increase of 54.5 per cent, compared to 2,503 cases recorded within the same period in 2020.

The statistics were compiled from reported killings. Hundreds of other killings by terrorists in Nigeria are unreported. Global Rights, which tracks daily incidents of mass atrocities across the country, also put the number of persons who were abducted within the timeframe at 3,016, a 79.6 per cent increase compared to 615 incidents recorded within the same period in 2020.

As at press time, 116 pupils, some of them as young as four years old, have spent 63 days in the dungeons of kidnappers in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State without repercussions. The pupils were abducted at Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School in the town. Parents and sympathizers have sent N50 million ransom, yet, the abductors have refused to release the kids. This is happening in a country supposedly with a government. Few days back, the terrorists called some parents and told them that three of the kids had died in their prison. They promised to send the burial videos to the distraught parents. Yes, just like that. Many of the remaining students are seriously ill resulting from hunger, cold and trauma; still, the terrorists will not release them. The abductors will not budge because they know there will be no repercussions.

Abductors of the Tegina pupils are still within Rafi. They call parents regularly using GSM phones and frequently come out to collect food and money from parents and supporters of the abductees. It can only happen in Nigeria.

In Kaduna State, terrorists have been holding 87 pupils of Bethel Baptist High School for 27 days. They strolled into the school, operated for over an hour unchallenged, and walked out with 121 children. In all, 34 pupils were either released or escaped from the beast. The office of the terrorists in Kaduna State is an open secret; it is along the Kaduna-Abuja highway. They saunter in and out of the forest unhindered. Notwithstanding, security agents are unwilling to storm the place. Abductors of the Bethel pupils have collected over N20 million in the last 27 days. This is in addition to the bags of food collected daily from the troubled parents. They are simply terrorising the parents and abducting pupils because they know that the Nigerian state is incapable of helping traumatised citizens.
No fewer than 83 students and seven staff of the Federal Government College, Yauri, have spent 31 days in the forest with terrorists, who abducted them within the school premises. Three of the students died during separate weird rescue operations. While on their way out of Yauri, the abductors ran into men of the Joint Taskforce of Operation Hadarin Daji in the North-West Zone, and still escaped with ease.

Terrorists roam in hundreds while state security agents move around in tens. So, how will the state curtail the terrorists? Rapid response to attacks hardly comes these days. That was what happened few days back when terrorists attacked Jaya settlements in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The terrorists invaded the village in hundreds, with 100 motorbikes counted; operated for several hours, killing many innocent people. There was no response to S.O.S messages from the villages by the Nigerian state. What a country!
The Nigerian state, under Muhammadu Buhari as leader, is a disaster. Nigeria can’t protect its citizens. Its weakness is unprecedented. Only a miracle can save this country.

Terrorists roam in hundreds while state security agents move around in tens. So, how will the state curtail the terrorists? Rapid response to attacks hardly comes these days. That was what happened few days back when terrorists attacked Jaya settlements in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The terrorists invaded the village in hundreds, with 100 motorbikes counted; operated for several hours, killing many innocent people

Time to Sack DCP Abba Kyari
The evidence against super policemen and leader of IG’s Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari is overwhelming. The transcript of his voice call with Nigeria’s serial internet fraudster, Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas is incriminating, embarrassing and indelible. How can a well-trained officer be this stupid? Twice, he provided account details for Hushpuppi to send money to. Indeed, Kyari had a secret relationship with the lawless Nigerian called Hushpuppi, who has pleaded guilty to numerous frauds in a United States court. According to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s court documents, Kyari abandoned his duties in Nigeria sometime in 2019 and flew to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to “enjoy a good time” with Hushpuppi, who lived at Palazzo Versace in the Emirati commercial capital. DCP Kyari has not denied this. He can’t deny this.

Because of this relationship, Hushpuppi in 2019 used Kyari to arrest and detain a co-criminal, Chibuzo Vincent, after a dispute arose from the $1.1 million fraudulent scheme the criminal and members of his gang committed against a Qatari businessman. It was a job for his man. Vincent was detained for over a month and Hushpuppi paid Kyari for the job.
Now, a United States District Court has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation to arrest Kyari and produce him in the US for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud perpetrated by Hushpuppi and his co-conspirators.

Kyari’s defence, posted on the social media on Thursday, was childish. With just a phone call from Husspuppi, alleging that somebody in Nigeria threatened to kill his family in Nigeria, he rushed to arrest Vincent, detained him and sent his pictures to Hushpuppi.
It’s almost impossible for Kyari to clear himself on the issue of money sent twice by Hushpuppi to account details supplied by Kyari. The policeman claimed one of the remittances by Hushpuppi was for local attires the fraudster saw on his page and liked, and that the money was sent directly to the tailor. So, DCP Kyari served as an intermediary between Hushpuppi and the tailor? How does this sound? When did Kyari become a style consultant to Hushpuppi? Wonders will never end in Nigeria. Kyari’s story is balderdash. He has soiled his hands in this Hushpuppi case. Kyari should be sacked and handed over to the FBI immediately. It is bizarre that this top policeman is often seen frolicking with suspicious characters. The other day, he was seen skipping with Obi Cubana and his gang who were abusing the Naira. You also need to see his video dancing at MC Oluomo’s party. The party is over for Kyari. He should just leave the Force.

Weird Stories around Rising Price of Cooking Gas
Most homes using Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, are groaning as the price hit a record high of almost N500 per kilogramme, amid raging unemployment and poverty in the country. People in semi-urban and rural areas, who are the main target of LPG expansion, have started dumping their cylinders. A 12.5kg LPG is now selling for as high as N6,500 in some parts of this country. The price of 20MT of LPG sold by terminal operators and importers surged by 30.91 per cent in six months to N7.2 million last week.

Here is the bizarre news on LPG. The bulk of the LPG used in Nigeria is imported. This is happening in a country that is a major producer and exporter of LPG. Is this not strange? The Nigerian LNG and other multi-national oil companies have the capacity to meet all the LPG needs of the Nigerian market, but they are not doing this. The NLNG provides about 40 per cent of the LPG needs in Nigeria. It pumps 450,000 mtpa into the local market and export the bulk of their LPG to meet commitments abroad. Domestic demand is about 1.125 million mtpa. Strangely, Nigerian businessmen will now import the same LPG from abroad to cover the supply gap in the Nigerian market. This is evidently weird.

One would expect the Nigerian government to ensure that NLNG and the other producers supply the local market in accordance with demand, rather than having a fixed quantity delivered per annum. This has not happened. For now, as the Naira continues to crumble against the Dollar, Nigerians will continue to pay more for LPG because importation is done with Dollars. Nigeria, a major exporter of LPG, imports the same product to meet domestic demand. This is another tragedy of the Nigerian nation.

Ikpeazu Should Pay College of Education Workers
Workers of the Abia State College of Education, Technical, Arochukwu (ASCETA), have not been paid salaries for 31 months. Strange things are happening in Abia State. These workers and their families have been going through hell. That was why the workers staged a number of protests in the last few weeks, hoping that God will touch Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to amend his ways and pay them.

The Chairman, ASCETA, Kelvin Onyema remarked: “We have just finished the part one at Arochukwu where the college is situated. So, next week Thursday, we will be coming to Umuahia to do the next protest. It will continue daily till July 29.”

The workers carried out the protests as announced, but Governor Ikpeazu’s heart is still hardened. ASCETA workers are yet to be paid. I guess the Abia State governor is so happy inflicting pain on innocent people. Well, it’s only for the moment. Most of these guys in power don’t learn from history. Ikpeazu will eventually account for the pain inflicted on ASCETA workers.