In a country in the throes of a security nightmare many years in the making, to be a security personnel is no mean fit. With security breaches occurring almost round the clock all over the country, Nigeria`s security forces, long the first responders, are usually caught in the relentless line of fire. Almost on a weekly basis, they are cut down as if their lives do not matter even when they are always called to make the supreme sacrifice which usually leaves families heartbroken, their loved ones taken.
In a country where the lines between heroes and fools is often so blurred, the question whether any sacrifice no matter how insignificant for Nigeria is worth it remains a burning one.
Defenses worn thin
In terrorism, Nigeria is battling a mortal enemy. If what started around 2009 was treated as a mere itch, it has since become a grave case of hives with Boko Haram since birthing many other terrorist groups and successfully wearing down the country`s security architecture to enable many other crimes to thrive. It has been a nightmare spun out of the darkest of nights.
As Nigeria has staggered from place to place showing a defiant determination to root out what has quickly become an existential threat, its resources have been stretched. This has invariably affected the men who defend Nigeria.
For long, there have been rumours of discontent and even disaffection within the ranks of the Nigerian Army. In the heat of battle, and given Nigeria`s notorious institutional problems, this is not unexpected. But the toll terrorism has taken on personnel is an especially worrisome one.
A heinous killing
On Friday August 19, 2022 Goni Aisami – Gashua, a Muslim cleric was killed by man he gave lift while travelling from Gashua to Nguru in Yobe State. According to reports, the killer who has since turned out to be Lance Corporal John Gabriel, a soldier with the Nigerian Army, had asked the deceased for a lift to Jaji-Maji but killed him during a stop-over on the way.
The killing has whipped up national outrage in a country that continues to record one death too many. The government must now heed the calls that have been growing for all those who have Aisami- Gashua`s blood on their hands to be brought to justice. The premeditated murder of an innocent man whose only crime was helping someone he thought really needed help must not go unpunished.
But,the case must also be made that the Nigerian Army must look within its ranks. Of course, there is no escaping the fact that the occasional bad egg is inevitable no matter how professional an organization is, to do nothing to crack them would be quite unforgivable.
If there are personnel within Nigeria who are not taking their duties as seriously as they should, then they have no business in whichever security agency it is that they are currently in.
For while it must remain the case that the war on terror continues, Nigeria must be especially wary of those who abandon protection and instead offer predation.
Kene Obiezu,
Twitter: @kenobiezu
