Column No.6: First they came for the ‘ordinary’ Nigerian…

For a few days now, there’s been a trend on Twitter, with the hashtag #Ameerah, chronicling the social media feelings of Nigerians about the Abuja young woman who was reportedly abducted alongside 17 other residents from various locations around Abuja, with some rumoured to be from central parts of the city. What made the situation […]

For a few days now, there’s been a trend on Twitter, with the hashtag #Ameerah, chronicling the social media feelings of Nigerians about the Abuja young woman who was reportedly abducted alongside 17 other residents from various locations around Abuja, with some rumoured to be from central parts of the city. What made the situation particularly painful – and sensational – is the fact that the victim repeatedly shared her location. The heartbreak this time was live and direct, and Nigerians felt even more powerless than usual, which is saying a lot. 

Of course, trolls also had fun, with some questioning the authenticity of Ameerah’s distress calls, much like they doubted the young lady who tweeted from the Kaduna train when it was under attack from terrorists. The police also responded, engaging tweeps effectively too, allaying fears and informing that action was indeed being taken. It was, to be honest, good to see the Nigeria Police behaving in a professional, humane way even on the cold streets of social media. As I write this, there are no updates from the victims, with her last location being somewhere on the Abuja-Jos road.

The Ameerah incident is coming just a couple of weeks after an incident in Gwarinpa, that famous, expansive Abuja estate. Reports said bandits armed with crude weapons broke into a house and carted an undisclosed number of people away in broad daylight. Some reports said it was in the night. I haven’t come across an official statement from law enforcement agencies, even if one was issued. Again, the silent, unspoken tragedy of this tragedy is that it’s happening in Abuja, the capital city. Dark, murderous chickens, it seems, are coming home to roost at the farmer’s own house, so to speak. 

Then don’t forget the incident of many months ago, in Kado. Or many which have taken place across various timelines in areas as varied as Kuje, Bwari, Zuba, and Gwagwalada? These areas have all felt – and continue to feel, even – the brunt of the nastiness of the so-called bandits and kidnappers. Some aren’t even fortunate to come out of it alive, ransom be damned. A wider swathe including Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, and Kaduna states show an alarming tightening of the grip of these deadly terrorists on Abuja, the capital city.

Now it is quite impossible to travel anywhere with peace of mind. Kaduna, which is home to me and many and which I used to frequent in peace, has become a veritable no-go area. There’s no need to recap just how bad things have gotten these days, even with beefed up security on the route. The honest truth is that literally anything can happen to anyone at any time on that road. Those are odds that not many will be willing to brave, especially with insane amounts of money charged by terrorists as ransom.

Even more depressing is the lack of updates by security agencies, or follow-up reports by a good chunk of mainstream media. We all move, every single day, from Outrage A to Outrage B, and from one tragedy to another. But those whose job it is to ensure security don’t give a whit, forgetting that when the murderous criminals are done with ‘ordinary’ Nigerians, they are next on the menu. And boy, will they get eaten by the terrorists with relish. Now I’m a humane, well brought-up individual who has compassion, so I won’t wish even a faint whisper of that fate on another human being or their family. But you can’t plant corn and harvest strawberries, right?

The security of Abuja, the city itself, is a joke taken too far. I repeat: I mean so security-wise. Scant or non-existent police patrols, skeletal checkpoints which are glorified roadblocks meant to extort road users, dark streets and alleys, lonely bridges, and many dark spots almost guarantee a criminally minded person a great time plying his or her arcane trade. If I didn’t know better, I’d declare that someone somewhere is deliberately making the city conducive to crime. But to what end? 

In the final analysis, where are we going to end up as a result of all these grave problems, which continue to worsen almost on a daily basis? It wouldn’t all be as dire as it seems now if the ‘powers that be’ aren’t so hung up on running mates, party convention post mortems, and election strategy than they are about the safety of the very people who will vote for them come election day. It’s just a symptom of the disease, really. The main ailment is that our political leaders care zero for our well-being, and therein sits the true tragedy. Poor Ameerah!