Some days, you wake up in Nigeria and wish you were numb and unaware of happenings around you. The security situation has become so bad that if you manage to be alive at the end of every day, you must give thanks to your God for surviving another day.
On television the other day, 15 minutes of a 30 minute news bulletin was used to talk about insecurity. On radio talk shows and in newspapers, it is the same.
If one was to do a content analysis of media reports, news about insecurity, banditry and kidnapping would definitely take the cake.
Monday April 26, 2021 is one day Nigerians will not forget in a hurry. It is one of the worst days yet, this year. It is the day nearly every part of the country felt the pangs of the insecurity that is threatening our continued existence in the geographic space called Nigeria. From the North to the South, to the East and West, no region was spared.
While we had yet to come over the incidents of the weekend, including the overrunning of the hometown of the acting inspector-general of police, Geidam, in Yobe State and killing of nine farmers in Doma area of Nasarawa State, the news broke on Monday that several ground troops in Mainok, Borno State had been killed in an attack by insurgents. The Nigerian Air Force later claimed responsibility for the attack. It was an accident, they said.
On the same day, three students of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, Benue State, were reported kidnapped and fears about their fate heightened when it emerged hours later that two more bodies of the kidnapped students of Greenfield University, Kaduna State, had been discovered, bringing the number of the abducted students killed to five.
That’s not all.
In Niger State, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello confirmed the presence of Boko Haram terrorists in the state, and that they had taken over and hoisted their flag in Kaure, Shiroro local government areas of the state. He said the wives of the people of those villages had been taken from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members.
In Kebbi State, bandits attacked a police division in Sakaba local government area and killed the divisional police officer (DPO), eight personnel and two vigilante members.
In the evening of the same day, Boko Haram terrorists invaded Gwoza community in Borno State and shot sporadically at residents who scampered into the mountains for safety.
In the South East, nine persons were killed by unknown gunmen at the Igbariam campus of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University.
Two soldiers and a civilian were also killed on Monday night at a checkpoint around the Timber Junction area, in Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Also, unknown gunmen on Monday killed five police officers during an attack at the Okigwe South zonal area Command in Ehime-Mbano council area in Imo State, Nigeria’s South-east and also abducted one officer.
In the midst of all these, the lack of coordination among the security agencies leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
Yes, accidents do happen and the Nigerian Air Force had one recently, when its fighter jet accidentally hit a truck conveying soldiers to Mainok for reinforcement which led to the killing of no fewer than 20 soldiers, by its account. The Nigeria Army however, in another press statement, said only one officer and six soldiers died while five other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries.
Now, if these two arms of the military involved in tackling insurgency cannot agree on something as straightforward as the casualty figures in an accident, it can best be imagined, the bigger issues they disagree over and how that has impacted the security situation in the country.
The way I see it, the government cannot continue to play the ostrich and act like all is normal. Things are spiralling out of control and there is need for a change in strategy for this battle to be won, as current strategies appear to have outlived their usefulness in dealing decisively with those troubling the country.
If the people in Abuja think they are safe, what they experience is the peace of the graveyard. It is only a matter of time before they begin to feel the heat too.
Abuja is sandwiched between two states now confirmed to have Boko Haram presence – Nasarawa and Niger.
And as the Niger governor said, “Sambisa is several kilometers from Abuja but Kaure is less than two hours’ drive from Abuja. So nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja. This is the time to act. All hands must be on deck. It is not a fight for Niger State alone. I am not waiting for anyone anymore; I am going to take action.”
