By Uzodinma Nwaogbe
Just few days back, the President, Bola Tinubu and others visited Benue State over rising killings in that state. This is making some of us to say that the visited should not go down in history without permanent solution to killings across the country.
Recall also that in the last couple of months, there have been hundreds of avoidable deaths across the country and it is still continuing. Yet, Nigeria is not in a state of war and, there’s no epidemic ravaging the land.
The deaths are caused by renewed incidents of banditry, terrorism, insurgency and kidnappings that have brought misery, tears, sorrow and blood in many homes and communities.
Nigeria has an elected Executive President. We have the Military, Police, DSS and other paramilitary services with huge sums of money at their disposal yet, it is extremely difficult for these agencies to come together and dismantle this cankerworm.
Nigerians are wondering why the Presidency and all the security agencies have not been able to dislodge these bandits. What is the problem?
In Africa, Nigerian security agencies are judged to be one of the best. They are highly respected and feared. But not anymore. We are now ridiculed and laughed at by even smaller countries.
Once in Nigeria, we had a religious extremist group called, Maitatsine. When they came up, caused confusion and tension in the country, it was our Mobile Police Force that was drafted to tackle the group and rest their case.
It was not the Army nor combined efforts of the military. It was the determination and patriotic zeal of the government and security forces that conquered that evil.
It was the government’s desire to keep the unity of the country that propelled the wiping out of the sect. It was the determination to maintain peace, law and order that guided the resolve to end the group’s existence.
Insecurity of any place or murderous groups are never approached with a lackadaisical attitude. No life threatening ailment is cured with Vaseline.
All over the world, murderous groups are approached by every government department and security efforts is at optimum to eliminate such deadly groups.
The Presidency, indeed the Federal Government and its security organisations cannot fold hands and watch helplessly. This government must move decisively to decimate these boys.
It is baseless seeking foreign support to cure this malady. The cure of this madness is local. It is Government’s ineptitude, refusal to act over the years that has allowed this evil to fester.
By now, the government should have met with all the past Generals of the Military, DSS and Police for a crucial meeting aimed at proffering solutions to the insecurity in the land.
The government can assign a meeting place for them at the Presidential Villa. Task them to think critically, intelligently, administratively and militarily for a quick solution to the wanton and dastardly killings.
I may sound radical, but Mr. President should suspend all promotions for serving senior officers of the Military, Police and DSS until they succeed in eliminating banditry, kidnappings and insurgents completely.
Let’s begin to have Generals and Senior Officers who conquered the battlefield, decorated with ranks, not merely by long years of service.
Long years of service to merit a General’s badge do not beautify military history.
The President should quicken state and regional police. It is time for the states and regions to effectively mobilize and organize their security. Communities can defend and protect themselves with the full support of the State or regional police.
Nigerians cannot continue to be rounded up and slaughtered in hundreds by these criminal gangs with no security outfit coming to their rescue. Enough is enough.
Allowing these hoodlums to gain ground is not healthy for the country. Gradually they are expanding, taking over the forests. They are gaining ground and inviting more of their comrades within and outside Nigeria to join them.
They have access to very sophisticated weapons. They are bold and courageous in their evils. They dare our people, commonize our security forces. It is the height of insult. A ‘see finish’ scenario.
Are we no longer Nigerians? A country of highly determined people, with plenty of zeal and courage? People that are not easily conquered. People of great minds. How did we really get here?
If the FG cannot counter the insurgents, then, let them grant our communities the right to fight back. Let the FG encourage Nigerians to face the criminals man to man, cutlass to cutlass and gun to gun. Surely, the bandits, kidnappers and insurgents cannot and will never defeat Nigerians in their communities in an open and fair battle. Not possible.
It is the governments over the years, especially President Muhammadu Buhari’s that, permitted and encouraged these murderous groups to gain ground.
He played dirty politics. He caved in for religious and ethnic considerations to cloud his sense of reasoning.
But it is not too late. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs to write his name in bold letters. The heavens won’t fall.
He must bury his fear, damn the consequences and save further lives from elimination. Some other countries, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, etc., chased away these murderous groups to secure their country. Nigeria should not be an exception.
Nigerians are not impressed with President Tinubu over the senseless killings all over the country. This is the area he needed to have declared a state of emergency.
The Rivers political disagreements didn’t warrant Mr. President’s illegal declaration of state of emergency.
He merely declared to the world where he belongs in the Rivers saga. But he scored a lone goal as he has been roundly condemned.
He should buckle up and find speedy means to end this growing butchering of his citizens. He is the President and Commander in Chief, he should act in a timely manner.
In the midst of these killings, after the visit of Mr. President, The Vice President, President of the Senate and The Speaker of the House of Representatives, were do we go or what next.
Sometimes, I wonder how they sleep at night? Any leader who cannot guarantee the safety of his people, cannot lay claim to having scored a pass mark.
