Geraldine Onyenweaku
It did not come as a shock when many Nigerians awoke Wednesday morning to the news of the attack on the military formation in Kaduna, the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, killing about three officers. Over the past two, three years there have been reports of varying attacks by the bandits around the military installation, and for the few discerning ones, it was only a matter of time before they, the bandits, would descend on the country’s seat of armory. There have also been reports of a group training in Sambisa forest with an instruction to stop attacking individuals but to go for military formations. All these happenings and reports went unheeded by those who should act on the intelligence. Consequently, the group became emboldened and more daring, raising fears of Nigeria becoming another Afghanistan, where the Talibans have taken over the government.
The reintegration of presumed repentant Boko Haram into the society and the army is to say the least ‘condemnable’ and of real concern to Nigerians. Government, from all indications, has no clear cut plan or system of de-radicalizing these repentant terrorists. And even as these terrorists turn themselves in as ‘changed’ men, there is no sign of them turning in their weapons or serving as informants to the Nigerian army to help in dismantling the terrorists group. So, it becomes ‘suspect’ to accept that they are truly repentant and changed people. It is for this reason that many have come down heavily on government for the haste in de-radicalizing these ‘repentant’ terrorists group and re-integrating them into the army and the society to continue perpetrating their crime.
Meanwhile, there are fears in some quarters that some of those who have been hurriedly trained and recruited into the security agencies will begin to act as informants to their terrorists group, thereby making it a lot easier for them to attack Nigeria from the inside and leaving everyone vulnerable to their evil intentions. People are right; and justly so, in fearing that the Afghan story may be re-enacted in Nigeria if we are not careful; where the then president of America, Donald Trump, had forgiven, released and re-integrated into the system the Afghan terrorists, believing that they were truly changed. These same forgiven terrorists clandestinely worked from the inside to aid the eventual takeover of Afghanistan state by the Talibans.
Over the past few years, Nigerians have consistently witnessed regular attacks and massive killings and kidnap of persons in various parts of the country. More disturbing is the fact that most times the authorities in charge have dismissed such heinous crime with a wave of the hand as ‘trivial’ or labelled them as ‘ethnic clashes’. Ironically, though, the same government who has shown so much understanding and leniency to crimes from a particular part of the country perpetrated by a certain group of people, will spew out fire and brimstone, threaten and at times go all out to carry out the death threat when a similar crime is carried out by people ostensibly not in their good books. For instance, the president’s swift reaction following the killing in Plateau State of 22 travellers returning from a religious event in Bauchi on Saturday, August 14, 2021 , he wasted no time in strongly condemning the action.
Similar actions were witnessed at the president’s handling of the Indigenous People Of Biafra, IPOB, of the southeast. In their case, the president mandated a ‘shoot at sight’, depicting his zero tolerance for people from that region. When scores of people were killed in Benue and Kaduna states respectively by these so called bandits, the president dismissed them as ethnic clashes. No other group or part of the country enjoys the level of sympathy that these bandits, Boko Haram , killer herdsmen, unknown gunmen or by whatever name you chose to call them, get from the authorities. Little wonder then that they had the effrontery to attack Nigeria’s military formation in Kaduna and kill some soldiers.
It is pertinent to ask, ‘how did these hoodlums get pass the seemingly formidable security before attacking the formation?’ Undoubtedly, security around and within the formation is lax. The chief of defense staff, Lucky Irabor, responding to the news said he is not ruling out compromise and insider assistance. If this is the case, then it only suggests that there has been some level of ‘infiltration’ of these bandits into the Nigeria military. This is really ‘scary’. Many Nigerians cannot understand why these bandits , despite the atrocities they commit will continue to be treated like ‘sacred cows’, especially as these hoodlums are known within their communities even as intelligence report reveal they have sponsors. These armed elements have continued to cause mayhem along the length and breadth of the country unhindered and with impunity. In the last few days, hundreds of students have been kidnapped from schools, disrupting their education without being apprehended. Just the other day, a petroleum tanker carrying fuel was set ablaze by these bandits ; properties were lost, people died and many more fled for safety. The problems are seemingly insurmountable and have become a source of serious ‘concern’ to many patriotic Nigerians.
Where do we start untangling the raveled spool of trends and forces that produce the current mess? Many have canvassed breaking up of the country and letting each region go its separate ways owing to the seeming irreconcilable differences; others have proposed ‘restructuring’ as the only way out. The temptation is to pull first on the ugliest and most obvious knots.
According to Navy Commodore Kunle Olawunmi [Rtd.} a professor of global security studies who on Channels Television, said the first step to tackling this insurgency will be to take on the sponsors, if those at the helm of affairs in the country have the political will to do so. Olawunmi claimed that this might be difficult for the government to do as he alleges that some of those in government who make policies are culpable. The government, he said, will have to put an end to its gerrymandering and summon up the courage to put an end to this menace instead of thinking about their partisan advantage. The commander-in-chief’s body language must be such that will give the army the courage to go after these bandits and get them, Olawunmi quipped, adding that the military has what it takes to crush these undesirable elements.
Action speaks louder than words. The president should be showing more commitment by taking practical steps towards bringing an end to these crises, so the country can move forward. Government ought to be more proactive on its intelligence approach to security issues. They should do the right thing if history will judge them fairly. Nigeria must not be allowed to descend to the precipice. The time to act is NOW.