A people trapped between government and bandits

The primary purpose of government is to protect lives and property and make things easy for the governed. Our government has glaringly failed us on this. To many Nigerians, governance seems to have been suspended in Nigeria. That, therefore, creates a vacuum. And because nature abhors vacuum, bandits now play the role of government in […]

The primary purpose of government is to protect lives and property and make things easy for the governed. Our government has glaringly failed us on this. To many Nigerians, governance seems to have been suspended in Nigeria.

That, therefore, creates a vacuum. And because nature abhors vacuum, bandits now play the role of government in some areas. But because they (bandits) think the Nigerian government they ‘replaced’ was/is merciless; their wickedness towards their victims knows no bounds.

Just to cite some recent cases from among scores of unreported cases. Just a few days ago, a professor from Usman Danfodiyo University was killed by bandits. A lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma in Katsina State was killed right inside his house while two of his children were abducted. A female judge was kidnapped in Kaduna State, including her four children. The eldest of the children was reportedly killed even as they demanded N300 million ransom. This is the sad fate of Nigerians. If government policies do not kill you, bandits are there waiting to do the killing.

The mother of a famous musician in the North, Rarara, was also kidnapped. The ransom demanded for her release was N900 million.

• Dundaye: Inside Sokoto community where residents rely on onions for livelihood
• Malnutrition: A case of grasshoppers and presidential jets

Observing Nigerian government and bandits critically, one can see some differences in their manners of inflicting harm. While bandits kidnap Nigerians physically, take them to the bush, inflict bodily pain on them, and kill those who cannot pay ransom, our government—which we elected—kidnap our present and our future; our conscience and our hope; our humanity and our essence.

If the controversial Samoa Agreement—signed by the Tinubu government—truly compels the Nigerian government to support the agitations by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT), it means this government has also kidnapped (or about to kidnap) our morality and our religion. I hope our clerics will wake up. Some have started kicking. We must all kick against it.

Again, while bandits selectively prey on their victims, the government makes no exceptions. Some still believe banditry is a northern thing, though that is not true. What is undoubtedly true is that every citizen knows that the soul-snatching-poverty engineered by some of the current administration’s policies is a Nigerian thing. It is all over. As Tinubu’s policy is dealing with the Hausa and the Fulani in the North, it does not spare the Yoruba and the Igbo in the South.

While victims of bandits can pay ransom and be set free if they are lucky, ours is a government that cannot be paid ransom (or so I think) to get relief—even if temporarily. Cost of living keeps deepening as the government insists on paying killing wage to workers who politely ask for minimum living wage. Government is neither willing to abate our pains nor is it willing to protect lives.

Despite the fact that bandits are generally known for kidnapping humans (Nigerians) like savages in the primitive age; they, at times, grant protection to whom they wish. Is it not funny that bandits’ leaders, not Nigerian government, are looked up to for protection in some parts of the country?

The notorious bandits’ leader, Dogo Gide, recently promised to grant protection to farmers, who would like to farm in some parts of Zamfara. Farmers expressed joy over that. If it were President Tinubu or Zamfara State governor that offered them protection, they would have expressed skepticism. They would have asked: “Can the Nigerian government really protect us?” But here is Gide—a bandit—proposing to protect them. And they trust him that he can protect them. This is unfortunate.

He urged villagers and farmers to return to their farms without any fear of abduction. This proposal has reportedly brought temporary relief to farmers in the areas under Gide’s control (or if you like call it Gide’s territory or dominion).

For those of us under Tinubu’s territory, when shall we have relief?  Who should we run to? We should, of course, run to God. But each time I am confronted with statement like, “God will not come down to change things for us, we must be the change agents even as we run to God,” I become speechless.

As we always supplicate in times of fear like this, let’s do it again. May the Almighty rescue all those in kidnappers’ den; forgive the deceased, and console the bereaved. Ameen.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen wrote via:[email protected]