Imperatives of Being Firm, Swift, Decisive against Terrorists

RINGTRUE BY Yemi Adebowale

Fourteen days after the heinous murder of pregnant Harira Jibril and her four children by terrorists strongly believed to be IPOB in Isulo, Anambra State, their killers are yet to be apprehended. Daily, the lamentations of the devastated husband of Harira, reverberate in my head. “I’m now left with nobody; they have wiped out my entire family. I am so worried and in trauma, there is a need for the government to do something,” are some of his cries that remain indelible. Unfortunately, like most previous cases of attacks by terrorists across the country, the bastards that killed Harira and her children may never be caught. This is the tragedy of a country I persistently talk about. The message the Buhari government has been sending out to terrorists with this ineptitude is that they can persist with their odious crime with assurances by the state that nothing would happen to them.

Nigeria’s Commander-in-Chief has the military, police, DSS, NSCDS, NIA, yet, he has failed woefully to send the right messages to terrorists. There is a lot wrong with the ultimate commander. For me, there is no real war against terrorists ongoing in beloved Nigeria. Any government committed to taming terrorism must be firm, swift and decisive in tackling them. This is what has been missing in the last seven years of the Buhari government. This federal government that is in charge of all security agencies persistently fails to send out the right message to terrorists. This is why the killers of Deborah Yakubu are walking freely 24 days after they murdered her. Deborah, who was a student of Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto State, was killed and her corpse set ablaze by Islamic extremists for allegedly blaspheming Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh).

It is this same failure to send the right messages to terrorists that has kept 67 adducted Abuja-Kaduna train passengers in the dungeon of terrorists for 69 days. The terrorists boldly parade the abductees in videos while mocking government. I wept for this country early this week while watching a fresh video of the traumatised abductees appealing to the federal government to come to their rescue before they die in captivity. In the new video, a masked terrorist carrying an AK 47 was seen giving instructions to the captives, the men kneeling and the women sitting on a mat. Many of the abductees, elderly people, women and children are in very bad shape as confirmed by one of them who said, “Most of us here are sick and we are not in good condition and every day the situation deteriorates.” How can this be happening in a country with a government? The Nigerian state has failed these abductees woefully.

Let’s flip to the notorious Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway. Here, terrorists run a government of their own. They enjoy free rein and hardly hide. Everybody, except security agencies, knows that terrorists are on virtually the entire stretch of this road, killing and maiming. Just last Tuesday, the terrorists abducted scores of travellers (largely students) on this highway. The abducted students were heading to the School of Health, Kaduna State University (Makarfi campus), for admission examinations. 

During the attack that lasted over an hour, eight vehicles were set ablaze by the guerrillas after abducting their passengers. No help came from security agents while the attack lasted. The Chairman, Birnin-Gwari Vanguards for Security and Good Governance, Ibrahim Abubakar Nagwari, laments: “In the last four days, terrorists laid siege on motorists on Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway, abducting as well as killing and wounding many innocent citizens. The authorities have shown no interest in the deteriorating security situation on this highway. The political will by the authorities to honour their oaths of office to protect lives and property of our citizens remains a mirage.”

The Birnin-Gwari-Kaduna highway debacle is replicated on the Abuja-Kaduna road, where, daily, scores are killed and abducted.

Two weeks ago in Borno State, 32 young men were killed by Boko Haram while sourcing metals in a deserted community in Dikwa Local Government Area of the state. Security agents are yet to arrest a single one of the killers. I doubt if they will ever be arrested. This evidently emboldens terrorists. In the same Borno State, Boko Haram and ISWAP roam around with so much impunity because Buhari has not been firm and decisive. Some local government areas are under very strong control of the terrorists.

Extremists stroll in and out of Kafur Local Government Area of Katsina State, wreaking havoc. Few days back, they attacked St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Gidan Maikambu (Marabar Kanya) and kidnapped Reverend Father Stephen Ojapa and Reverend Oliver Okpara. Church members are still struggling to raise the N100 million demanded. Of course, the terrorists will eventually collect the ransom and get away with the crime.

When talking about a leader that has not been firm and swift against terrorists which bolsters them, the pathetic story of Shinfida community, in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State is pertinent. In Shinfida, no fewer than 13,500 people were sacked by Fulani militias from their ancestral homes early this year and are currently taking refuge in neighbouring Niger Republic. Yes, terrorists sacked and burnt almost all the buildings in the community. Till date, not one of the terrorists that carried out the atrocious crime in Shinfida has been arrested.

I guess that was why the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) declared after the murder of Harira and her children that “this cannot be the dream country of those who fought for Nigeria’s independence from the colonial masters,” adding, “it is disheartening and unfortunate that nowhere is safe again in the country, as killers, bandits, terrorists, and kidnappers are on rampage in every nook and cranny of the country and all the government is able to do is to issue periodic statements condemning them without any decisive action to bring culprits to book.”

The perpetrators of terrorism in Nigeria must be brought to justice by Buhari as recently demanded by the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. This is the only way to end killings in Nigeria. We must all continue to put pressure on Buhari to do the needful.

The contribution of Bamidele Salam, a federal lawmaker from Osun State, along this line last Wednesday, is quite commendable. He held a one-man protest walk against insecurity in Nigeria in Abuja. Salam, dressed in black, walked barefooted from the Unity Fountain in the Maitama area of the Federal Capital Territory to the National Assembly Complex. The lawmaker wrote on his placard: “President Muhammadu Buhari, please do more to secure freedom for the Kaduna train abductees and other citizens in captivity.”

The Commander-in-Chief should unflappably reexamine reports on killings, and if indeed he wants an end to terrorism, seek help in fruitful climes, to enable him act swiftly and decisively. Our security agencies lack the abilities to end terrorism.

Ike Ekweremadu is Indeed Honourable

I have always regarded Senator Ike Ekweremadu as one of the few politicians with conscience in this country. This former deputy Senate president ranks very high among the few with credibility and sense of decency in Nigeria’s political jungle. He is not in the club of bread and butter politicians that dominate our country. So, when Ekweremadu recently lost his bid for PDP’s gubernatorial ticket in Enugu State and rumours started flying around that he was planning to jump into another party to actualise his dream, I became worried. I could not understand why this man, who is indeed highly distinguished, would descend so low, to the level of disgraceful politicians without principles, who are dominating our country. I kept hoping that Ekweremadu would not join this huge reprehensible club of politicians without values. But the rumours persisted.

Well, Ekweremadu eventually did not disappoint me. I was hugely relieved when he released a statement last Thursday debunking all the claims that he was going to join the shameful club of “prostitute politicians without conscience.”

His statement, titled, “Time to Unite Ndi Enugu” shows that we still have men of honour in Nigeria’s murky political water.

Ekweremadu, in the thought-provoking statement withdrew from the Enugu gubernatorial race and gave his backing to the choice of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

The former deputy president of the Senate adds: “I have deeply reflected on it all (demands of supporters) with a good sense of history, including my political history, and the need for the unity and peace of our state. No sacrifice will be too much.

“Therefore, after consulting widely with the elders of our party as well as well-meaning friends and respected elders across the country and beyond; after a long and painstaking introspection on our contributions to the development of the PDP; after considering the current security situation in the South-east region and the need not to put anybody in any harm by a foreseeable combustive political environment, as my ambition is not worth the life of any Enugu son or daughter; after considering that the things that hold us together as Ndi Enugu will ultimately outlive the treacheries of the moment and after receiving assurances from the gubernatorial candidate of our party, Peter Mba, that he would integrate our ‘Pathway to a New Enugu State’ in his programme and his assurances of the participation of everybody in his campaign team and government.

“I, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, hereby formally withdraw from the 2023 gubernatorial contest in Enugu State. I congratulate Mba and wish him success. It is time to unite.”

Indeed, we still have honourable men in this country. Ekweremadu has proved me right. This man is not a desperate and greedy politician. Enugu State is certainly in the hands of God.

The Bala Mohammed Infamy in Bauchi

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has always been a crafty politician. He did not disappoint in the primary elections of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Kauran Bauchi paid N40 million and went into a presidential primary election he clearly did not have the slightest probabilities of winning.  He went for it just for reckless ego, while craftily keeping the state’s governorship ticket of the PDP.

How did he do this? Kauran simply gave money to the former Secretary to Bauchi State Government (SSG), Ibrahim Kashim, to pick the guber ticket and then he outlawed others from doing same.  So, Kashim went into the primary election as the sole aspirant and got 100 per cent votes. The instruction was to keep the ticket for Kauran Bauchi. When the Bauchi governor returned from the Abuja presidential primary empty-handed, Kashim popped out (some say he was threatened) and declared that he was no longer interested in the ticket. Of course, there was no runner up at the primary because Kashim was deliberately made the sole aspirant by Kauran Bauchi. So, a fresh primary must be held just after concluding one few days back. Kauran Bauchi will be the sole aspirant and will pick the ticket. What a cunning man! There is nothing that can’t happen in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, Kauran Bauchi’s performance as governor in the last three years has not been spectacular. He has very little to show for his three years of manipulative politics. Yet, he wants another four years. So far, the masses of Bauchi State have been the biggest losers.