In Nigeria, the bullets of (calamitous movement) insurgents, bandits, and assassins have cut down the low and the mightiest in cold blood, more often than not, without an iota of provocation. Sometimes, a whole village is sacked, tortured, maimed, killed and their women raped for just a “heck of it” making one wonder and ponder about the purpose and the aim.
Three groups of terrorists are holding and squeezing the nation making it move in a calamitous movement (manner). In the northeast, Boko Haram is calling shots. With the possible exception of Maiduguri town, no town or village is safe in Borno state. There are several “no-go” areas in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states. From 2011 to date, about 37,500 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced people in the Chad Basin and the entire northeast (https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/boko-haram-nigeria).
Among the high-profile personalities claimed by Boko Haram insurgence was Lt. General Major General Mamman Shuwa, (Rtd.), he was gunned down in daylight on Friday 2nd November 2012 at his Gwangwe Area 1 residence at the time he was moving out for Jumma’at prayer. General Shuwa was a first-class soldier who gallantly commanded the Second Division of the Nigerian Army that fought, captured, and won several war fronts during the Nigerian Civil War. General Shuwa was 70 years old at the time of his gruesome murder. A young Army Officer Lt Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali was another high-profile victim. On November 4, 2016, Boko Haram in Fatori, Borno State, killed him in an ambush. At the time of his death, he was Commanding the Army’s 272 Tank Battalion. Other important personalities were Lt. Col. Shonba, Lt. K. I. Salisu, Sheik Jafar, and Sheik Albani among many others.
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On the part of low-profile personalities, from 2011 to date, the killings of such category of people were in the hundreds, if not thousands – acts of calamitous movement. The climax of Boko Haram’s brutal killing of citizens was that of Zabarmari on 2nd December 2020. The killing was mercilessly done and in the most gruesome manner. Killing through bullet was considered merciful and more expensive as human life was taken less valuable than a bullet. Hence, the victims had their throats slit with sharp knives saving the bullets for another time. Over a hundred farmers working on their rice fields lost their lives in that single incident.
In the northwest, bandits seem to be in control of the region. The daily prayers of the residents in prominent towns within the region are seeking God’s protection against an encounter with bandits. There are many hotspots in Katsina, Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto states where people hardly sleep with their eyes closed for fear of banditry. There are flashing points, kind of ‘no-go-area’ to ordinary citizens except one wants to ride on the back of a tiger. Killing, maiming, raping, agony, and other calamities mated on people become weekly statistical variables of our dear nation, which pushed it to the ignoble position of the third most terrorized country in the world. Nigeria scored 8.314 Global Terrorism index after Afghanistan and Iraq who scored 9.595 and 8.682 to occupy the first and second positions of the 2020 ranking of Global Terrorism. This most unfortunate position being occupied by Nigeria is the direct result of the combined effects of insurgence, banditry, and kidnapping.
While northeast and northwest are being grounded by insurgence and banditry, kidnapping is affecting every corner of our motherland. No state is spared of kidnapping. The most embarrassing kidnapping incident was that of 304 male students of Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State. It happened less than 24 hours, when Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari came to Katsina state for a weeklong private vacation. The dastardly act was meant to instill fear in citizens as it took place where the President was taking the end of the year (2020) rest and refresh for the New Year. Fortunately, there was no fatality and the kids were released “unharmed” after six days of captivity but no person was apprehended or reprimanded for this ungodly act. The nation just moved on with prayer against similar occurrence(s). Yes, we are a prayerful nation; can we combine prayers and actions?
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As a nation, we must wake up to squarely face these despicable acts; insurgence, banditry, and kidnapping. The perpetrators of these acts and indeed the whole nation are the losers from these acts of terrorism. The bandits, insurgents and kidnappers are living in the forest, living a life of anxiety, fear and uncertainty. Living by the hour, as they are uncertain of what may happen in the next hour. Many of them may be craving to live a normal life but cannot with the blood of their innocent victims hanging on their heads. They should stop these atrocities against their kith and kin, and fatherland and surrender. The nation cannot survive these acts for a long time, as every citizen is a potential victim of this terrorism. No nation can develop under the yoke of terrorism. What do we do?
The Nigerian leadership has the sole responsibility to initiate a permanent solution to address these acts of terrorism. The government can use both carrots and sticks in tackling the issues. Provision of soft landing to insurgents, bandits and kidnappers who genuinely want to repent should be considered. To use the stick, Nigeria must be well prepared to acquire adequate security personnel, equipment, and prerequisite manpower development. Right now, there are less than 500,000 police officers in the country. They are grossly inadequate to police over 200 million people. There are several strategies; short, medium, and long terms to address these acts of atrocities to save the country. We must be honest with ourselves to address this calamitous movement of our nation and make it safer for all and sundry. As of today, no one is safe.
This part was first published on May 26, 2021, in Blueprint newspaper
