BY: IFEANYI IZEZE<\/p>\n
No matter how anybody wants to paint the picture, it can no longer be
\ndisputed that Nigeria now faces one of her worst periods of insecurity
\nmanifesting in violent extremism, rampant cases of kidnapping, cattle
\nrustling, herder\/ farmers violent conflicts and murderous campaign of
\nbandits across Nigeria particularly in the Northwest.<\/p>\n
Does anybody still doubt that the body language of this government is
\nshowing that either it is complicit in the spate of massacres in the
\nNorthwest and elsewhere across the country or has no iota of idea on
\nwhat to do and how to do it and do it well? Meanwhile, President
\nMohammadu Buhari came with a three point agenda topmost of which was
\nensuring security of lives and properties across the country. How he has
\nimplemented this remains at best blurred and at worst obscured.<\/p>\n
Adding to the absurd, the Nigerian Army now do more in gathering
\nintelligence on politicians that want to scuttle the May 29th
\ninauguration of Buhari\u2019s second tenure than think of gathering
\nintelligence on the various terrorists miscreants that have taken over
\nthe Northwest and the rest. So if a foreign country has cogent
\nintelligence on any Nigerian politician trying to cause trouble in this
\ncountry, is it the Army they would pass on such intelligence to announce
\nto the public through press statements or the DSS, Police and\/or NIA? Do
\nwe still need any convincing to know that something is happening in this
\ngovernment that the ordinary Nigerians are not paying attention to?<\/p>\n
When the massacre by Fulani bandits was localized in Zamfara, it was
\ndescribed as fallout of the activities of illegal mining mafias
\npillaging the abundant heavy minerals: gold, diamond and maybe Uranium
\nin the area.<\/p>\n
The criminality gradually crept into Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and now
\nKatsina. So do we still believe the illegal mining mafia conspiracy
\ntheory by the government? If our leaders could only stop deceiving
\nthemselves by giving us these explanations that could best be described
\nas stupid and call the spade what it really is, we will well on the road
\nto genuine and effective solution to the problem.<\/p>\n
Now Miyetti Allah has been clearly identified by top managers of our
\nsecurity agencies to be responsible for the spate of killings, massacre
\nof scores of villages, kidnappings, rape etc in the Northwest and across
\nthe country but rather than carry out mass arrest of both their leaders
\nand the foot soldiers, our government is talking of giving them over a
\nhundred billion to pacify them while the group is insisting on N160
\nbillion or nothing as widely reported. You see the country we call
\nNigeria?<\/p>\n
For the Presidency to muster the audacity to equate Miyetti Allah with
\nAfenifere, and Ohaneze Ndigbo and even PANDEF is the peak of callousness
\nby this government. do they think before they even talk? So Miyetti
\nAllah has replaced Arewa Consultative Forum? Haba maigaskiya!<\/p>\n
The Buhari administration is on record as having paid billions in both
\nNaira and Dollars to the terrorists\/bandits in ransom and protection
\nmoney over the last four years and what did it achieve? Only one thing
\nand that\u2019s grossly strengthening the marauders and assisted their
\nmutiny and armed banditry against the Nigerian state. No wonder they are
\nbeing emboldened more and more everyday.<\/p>\n
Who actually thinks for this government? Does it occur to the hollow
\nheads manning our security agencies that the mere idea of proposing such
\n\u201cdole\u201d has already created a problem for this country as several
\nother groups will now spring up over night to visit our people with
\nunprecedented mayhem that will attract and force this same government to
\nalso negotiate their own largees?<\/p>\n
Hear the President of Miyetti Allah, Muhammad Kiruwa: \u201cThis is the
\nfirst of its kind in the history of this country for a president of the
\ncountry to direct his security aids to interact with an aggrieved party
\nto air their views. This meeting will serve as a foundation for peace
\nbetween the Fulani herdsmen and farmers, and amongst the Fulanis
\nthemselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without mincing words, the top command of the current national security
\nteam made up of mostly one ethnic affiliation same with the armed fulani
\nherdsmen and bandits, have always made decisions that reflects their
\nbiasness and inclination to pamper and protect these armed bandits who
\nought to be dealt a heavy blow in line with the constitutional
\nprovisions. Why are the pythons not dancing and crocodiles not smiling
\nin those areas of the Northwest?<\/p>\n
Is it not clear that either the people at the top echelon of our
\nsecurity apparatuses may be behind this problem or they know what the
\nrest of us don\u2019t know? There is something the government people know
\nthat they are not telling us. How can we continue like this as a country
\nof serious- minded people?<\/p>\n
It will be an obvious tramadol trip in self deceit for anybody including
\nthe service chiefs and those politicians that run the government to
\ncontinue to delude themselves that they are safer than the rest of the
\npeople. The Daura kidnap incident is a clear case at hand except it was
\nstaged managed.<\/p>\n
Just look at: it started as a local banditry in Zamfara, gradually it
\ncrept to Sokoto, Kebbi and Kaduna up to the extent that even top
\nmilitary and government officials and their families can no longer go to
\ntheir homes in the entire Northwest except by train to Kaduna. Is it
\nwhen the criminals get to Abuja and the Presidential Villa that Buhari
\nand his security Chiefs will know that there is a problem?<\/p>\n
Kaduna especially the southern parts is terribly decimated as villages
\nwith its peoples are wiped -off almost on daily basis and nobody
\nincluding the state governor is doing anything serious and sincere to
\naddress the spate of mayhem aside organizing arrangee visits with the
\nmilitary top commanders to establish \u201cit was an inter-tribal conflict
\nbetween the Fulanis and the indigenous people of Southern Kaduna.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Abuja Kaduna road spate of kidnapping and armed robbery, is also as
\na result of the activities of the illegal mining mafias of Zamfara or
\nthe inter -tribal conflict between Fulanis and the indigenous people of
\nSouthern Kaduna, abi?<\/p>\n
The situation in the Southern parts of the country is not better either
\nas kidnapping has become the new hobby of miscreants including security
\nofficials as Port Harcourt and Benin people can boldly tell you.<\/p>\n
Frankly speaking, Fani Kayode hit the nail on the head in one of his
\ncomments as he said: \u201cOur country is now exhibiting all the basic and
\nfundamental characteristics of a classic failed state where, in parts of
\nthe north, the Federal Government and its security forces no longer have
\nany control and can no longer claim to exert a monopoly of violence.<\/p>\n
If this is not the case why would the Federal Government be offering
\nMiyetti Allah and the terrorist Fulani herdsmen billions of naira to
\nstop butchering, maiming, kidnapping and tormenting the Nigerian people
\nand stealing their land and mineral resources. Governments are meant to
\nfight and crush terrorists and terrorist organisations and defend their
\npeople and not beg or negotiate with them but this is the opposite of
\nwhat we see today in the North. How long can we continue like this as a
\ncountry? God help Nigeria!<\/p>\n