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The north is on fire! by Lateef Adewole

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President Muhammadu Buhari is still battling insecurity in Nigeria Shekwo farmers bandit

“Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.” – Albert Einstein

On daily basis for the past weeks and months, hardly can one tune to a radio station or television channel, open a news paper or an online news site, that one will not be confronted by a heartbreaking news about killings in one part of the country or another. It has become so preponderance that many people no longer pay attention to their details.

When many see ‘Breaking News’ of an attack or a massacre somewhere, with huge figure quoted as casualties, they simply flipped to the next channel or news page. Only a few will want to know more like; what actually happened, how it happened, the people involved, what steps are being taken by the government to protect the rest of the indigenes, and what actions have been taken to apprehend the culprits?

We simply read the figures of the dead bodies in the State where it happened and move on. In Nigeria, life no longer has serious value attached to it. People have seen one killing too many in the past few years. And it is not that Nigeria is at war with any other nation, but with itself. The situation has become overwhelming to the people who have become helpless. Everyone simply takes whatever happens to them in good or bad faith now, as the case may be. Put simply, many have lost their faith in their governments to protect them.

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What makes it more worrisome is the seeming incapacity of the government. It looks like the government and leadership of the country have also given up on finding permanent solutions to these killings. The danger is that, government, with all the instrumentality of power and coercive forces, cannot afford to get to the state of helplessness like the people. Otherwise, the country is doomed.

Governor Babagana Zulum's convoy was attacked

Governor Babagana Zulum’s convoy was attacked

Previously, it was usually the ordinary people who cried to the governments about these challenges, while prominent people, especially those in government, kept quiet. However, the situation seems to be changing now, if the various scenarios that have been playing out in recent times are anything to go by.

Just last Wednesday, Senator Ali Ndume, the Senator representing Borno South, said he could not travel to his home town because it was no longer safe. He reported that 75 people were slaughtered by Boko Haram in their homes in Gworza in one night. Many of these victims are elderly people, women and children. This is just one of many incidents he has complained about in the past few years.

Let us not start with the countless alarms and concerns that the governor of Borno state has raised since he took over in 2019. Since his inauguration, Professor Zulum has prioritized keeping his people and state safe. He has been seen all over the place, travelling to the ravaged communities to restore life to them and give hope to the displaced people.

Senator Ali Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume

At the early stage of his government, he began with robust engagements with the security agents, providing them with needed supports within the state capacity and so on, but that seemed to be falling apart, given the level of acrimony that entered into their relationship, to the extent of him accusing the military of sabotage in his recent ambush on his way to Baga and Munguno towns. He escaped unhurt by the whimsical.

Before then, he has continuously cried out about what he considered the inadequacies, ineffectiveness and poor performances by the military operations going on in Borno state. This has pitched him against the leadership of the military.

Understandably, every part of Nigeria is battling with one insecurity or another. Kidnappings, armed robberies, and ritual killings are still rampant across the states in the south. But when these are juxtaposed with what is happening in the Northern Nigeria, they will pawn to naught. The kind of casualty figures that we usually read as consequences of attacks in different parts of the north are alarming. They are unbelievably outrageous.

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The roll call of states enmeshed in these killings is shocking with each state at various degrees of attack. The one that generated so much noise is the endless killings going on recently in Kaduna south in the past weeks and months. Not that they were new but the more vicious dimensions they have taken are scary. Everyday, we read of news of how bandits entered villages in droves on motorcycles and vehicles, wielding sophisticated weapons. They massacred people in their sleep, burn down their homes and farmlands.

Different reasons have been adduced to these incidents. Farmer-herder clashes, reprisal attacks, bandits invasion, etc, are among many given. Whatever the case, many nigerians were always left dead in their wakes. Government’s claims of making efforts at stopping them always look too little too late. They have not been effective. Curfew was imposed, Special Forces were deployed, but killings were still happening. What’s really going on?

The situation might have been responsible for the “no hold barred” interview on an Abuja radio granted by Dr. Obadia Mailafiya where he made weighty allegations. He has since tried to modify his statements after his invitation and questioning by the DSS. He must have realised the gravity of his allegations. As a protest, he resigned his appointment as a directing staff in National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), with effect from 18th of August, 2020, claiming he could not continue to serve in that position in good conscience while his people from Southern Kaduna were being killed on daily basis. That was an honourable thing, rarely in our country.

Dr Obadia Mailafiya once claimed a northern governor is part of Boko Haram

Dr Obadia Mailafiya once claimed a northern governor is part of Boko Haram

Many have questioned many excessive worries about the killings and general insecurities going on in the north, given that I have written a few times about it. The opinions of such people were based on the fact that, majority of the people in that region, who are directly victims, whose husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters were being killed on daily basis, are less concerned. I was often asked if I have heard any ferocious attacks on the Buhari administration by many of these northern socio-cultural organisations, who were “tigerish” during Jonathan administration.

Questions like; where is Northern Elders Forum (NEF)? Where is Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF)? Where is Northern Youth Forum (NYF)? Where are Borno Elders? Where is Professor Ango Abdullahi? Where is Governor El-Rufai? (His case is peculiar. He is now neck-deep in the crisis. The table has turned on him and he is at the receiving end now). This is because, all these organisations and individuals were vitriolic and aggressive their commentaries and attacks on previous administration because of the boko haram insurgency then. There were no vicious banditry and kidnappings across the north and has not escalated like this then. It was majorly Boko Haram.

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In fact, many often cited some “strange” communication from groups which sometimes surfaced to attack whoever is raising such concerns as I usually do. Those who consider all complaints against the anomalies happening under this administration as “wailing or anti-Buhari” are wrong. I have not heard anything more stupid thing than that. People are being killed for heaven’s sake!

There is one group that called itself; “The Coalition of Friends and Supporters of Buhari”. They rose in attack of Governor Zulum because of constantly crying out about the killing of his people in Borno state. How do we explain that?

The worst is that, no state is spared now. Even the president’s state of Katsina has been constantly under attacks. Governor Aminu Masari made a lot of efforts to end it, including signing a peace-deal with the killers. Something similar to what El-Rufai told Nigerians in 2015 that he paid off the attackers from Niger republic, who were killing his people in Southern Kaduna. Where did that leave us? It failed woefully, just like how Masari’s own failed.

They kept off only for a short period and people had reprieve, only to come back more deadly. The deal collapsed. This was because, criminals will always be criminals. A leopard cannot change its spots. Other states like Zamfara, which got better after the change of government at the state level happened, has started experiencing a resurgence.

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On Wednesday, Governor Bello Mattawalle came to brief President Buhari at the villa. He was reported as saying that the illegal mining going on in the state is still fueling the attacks. And that those illegal miners collect arms and ammunition in exchange for gold. With such revelation from such quarters, we are getting somewhere.

Other states include Sokoto, Niger, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba. They are all embroiled in one insecurity challenge or another.

Honourable Ghali Umar Na’abba also spoke up recently. While addressing the press in his capacity as the Co-chairman of their newly formed National Consultative Front, he said Nigeria is a “failed state” and accused the federal government of “incompetence”. What followed? An invitation for questioning by the DSS.

The trend now is to silence any critical voice. The people are being gagged from publicly expressing their feelings and opinions about their governments under a democracy. Some days ago, the Bishop Abiodun Ogunyemi has been arraigned in court for saying that Governor El-Rufai will never be president of Nigeria in November last year. A penalty of five million naira for “hate speech” has been “smuggled” into the NBC codes by the Ministry of Information. Who defines what “hate speech” is?

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In the course of my life, I lived in different parts of the northern Nigeria for ten years. My work took me on numerous trips by road to various locations. I drove myself all those years, most times alone. There was never fear of any attack, abduction or robbery in most parts of the north then. That region was the safest. How then should I not be bothered? Is it because I no longer live there or I am not from the north?

As a concerned Nigerian, I feel sad knowing many of these areas are no-go areas now. I still travel regularly to the north. Many of my great friends are northerners. I have relatives still living up north. So, it is expected that whatever is happening there are my concerns. Am I not a Nigerian again?

Unfortunately, all clamour for the president to rejig the security architecture fell on deaf ears. Many have stopped calling for him to change the service chiefs who seem to be at their wit’s ends. All of them reached retirement age few years ago, but the president has refused to let them go, despite the worsening security situation in Nigeria. What else should we do now?

People should take their person securities more seriously. The people should continue to support the security agents by giving them information and intelligence. The security agencies should be better equipped, trained and remunerated. Criminality should not be condoned by the people and should expose any among them. Silence is no longer golden for the northern leaders and people, they need to speak up. Why should it be that it is others who are crying more than the bereaved? The president should heed to the call of the people. He should change the service chiefs. That will breath a new lease of life to the fight against criminalilities. Nigerians are dying. Act now, Mr. President!

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God Bless Nigeria.

Lateef Adewole is a political analyst and social commentator can be reached by email lateefadewole23@gmail.com or via WhatsApp +2348020989095 and @lateef_adewole on Twitter

 

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