The Nigerian state is under siege. There is no region of Nigeria that is safe. Every part of the country is under the control of these criminal elements. They cause havoc, kill, kidnap, rape women and commit all manner of evil. The past and present governments have not carried out any solution to this banditry ravaging the country. It is not that the government do not know the existence and base of these hoodlums. It is just that, they are unwilling to rise up to the security challenges. But, if the government continues with this lackadaisical attitude towards dealing decisively with these bandits, we may lose Nigeria.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired General of the Nigerian Army, was thought to be a man that could have handled the situation more fiercely and, put an end to it. But he preferred to approach such madness with politics, religion and ethnic sentiments in mind. Thereby allowing these murderous groups to grow more dangerous. Today, these bandits have widened their scope and are contesting with our military man to man, strength to strength, gun to gun. This doesn’t occur in other climes. The government and military of other countries employ all it takes to dismantle these bandits.
Why our government think romancing with bandits is the solution troubles every discerning mind. Certainly, General Olusegun Obasanjo, former President, would not have tolerated these groups to berth and gain momentum. They would have been history because trust him, he would approach them without ethnicity, religion or politics in mind. It was during his time that the Odua People’s Congress, OPC, from his region, wanted to establish their own government. They caused panic, maimed and killed in the South West especially Lagos. But, Obasanjo moved in swiftly and ended their ugly reign.
Former President Buhari made several blunders in tackling the bandits. He failed woefully. He did not act like a General. These bandits have technically and militarily declared war against Nigeria. And, President Bola Tinubu must not follow the way of his predecessor. He must rise up to the challenge. He should declare war with these groups without looking back until they are defeated. He must ensure they have nowhere to hibernate. The gra-gra talk of the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu in his last public outing is not enough, Nigerians want to see actions speaking.
So far, the approach of this government has not shown any seriousness in ending this criminality soon. One year and six months of President Tinubu in power, he has not done much to tame the situation. Nigerians are worried and do not sleep with two eyes closed nor, walk without looking back. It is that bad! The problem was on ground before he came to power. So, it was expected that he should have prepared a full action plan on how to tackle and defeat this cankerworm.
The APC as opposition party then criticized the then PDP government for not tackling insecurity adequately. They held several programs then, played all kinds of politics, made several submissions on the kidnap of the Chibok girls and others. They have been in power since 2015, nine years down, yet, more Nigerians are being attacked, kidnapped and killed.
In the North West, these bandits practically call the shots. They operate freely in public. The government and military are aware but do nothing to confront the menace. It is same in the North Central where farmers have abandoned their trade for fear of been kidnapped or killed. The farmers cannot proceed to their farms because the bandits have taken over demanding for settlement before farmers gain access to their farmlands.
The South East is another area where ‘unknown gunmen’ operate and kill their victims at will. They have compelled the people to stay at home every Monday. In all these, our government and security agencies are not doing enough to recover the country from these hoodlums. There cannot be two governments in a country. It is an aberration. The Federal Government must arise and run these bandits out of existence. It is very possible if put on front burner.
These security chiefs are not dazzling. They are so relaxed. They are not eager to end banditry in Nigeria. It is a thing of shame that our military have in the last 12 years allowed these bandits to fester. There is no country that is crime-free, but serious countries tackle insecurity head on. They assemble all their arsenals to chase away troublemakers. Nigeria’s security is compromised. It is controlled by our personal emotions, ethnic, religious and political considerations, thereby allowing a very weak system to be in place.
The State needs to approach security without blinking an eye. The style adopted over the years by the present and past leadership will cause doom for the country. A country where armed bandits conveniently invade our territory, occupy parts, act like a government, issue out directives, arrest, torture and kill even our security men cannot be said to be a serious country. The Federal Government of Nigeria have abdicated their responsibility, lost power and control to these hoodlums. It is ‘see finish’ as we say in local parlance. Let President Bola Tinubu recover Nigeria.
May God bless Nigeria!
Uzodinma Nwaogbe
