This dire situation

It is becoming tiresome writing about security in the country. When you think you have seen and commented on the worst situation, something even worse comes up. I am still a radio buff, making the morning rounds of all foreign Hausa-language radio stations: the BBC, Radio France Internationale (RFI), and Deutsche Welle. What hit me […]

It is becoming tiresome writing about security in the country. When you think you have seen and commented on the worst situation, something even worse comes up. I am still a radio buff, making the morning rounds of all foreign Hausa-language radio stations: the BBC, Radio France Internationale (RFI), and Deutsche Welle. What hit me most last week was what the stations carried on Thursday morning, that the US had urged its citizens to reconsider travelling to Nigeria, citing risks such as terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping. And for starters, the US has authorised the departure of “non-emergency” staff and their families from their embassy in Abuja, following what it calls a “deteriorating security situation” across the country.

Before my mind could fully process that, there was a news flash that Benisheik barracks had been under attack all through the night by the Boko Haram insurgents. Later, it turned out that in the scramble that followed, the Brigade Commander, Brigadier Oseni Braimah, had lost his life alongside a number of soldiers. That’s tragic and a big blow to our armed forces. Simultaneously, another group of insurgents had also attacked Ngamdu, a few kilometres away from Benisheik, where soldiers had been stationed since the crisis began. Both Ngamdu and Benisheik sit on the Kano-Maiduguri highway, the only safe route to Maiduguri from most parts of Nigeria.

Ngamdu, about 30 km to Benisheik, is a T-junction of sorts, with a road leading to Goniri in Yobe State, off the Kano-Maiduguri highway. Unfortunately, the small corridor between Ngamdu and Benisheik is the route linking the Sambisa Forest, a stronghold of the insurgents, and the northern parts of Borno and Yobe States. The insurgents were said to have kept that corridor active over the years, moving up and down, creating havoc as they deemed it. Over the years, many encounters with our military have taken place there. That probably explains why our military decided to establish a brigade in Benisheik.

About the same time, the insurgents were causing mayhem in Benisheik, some of them were attacking Pulka in Gwoza local government. As reported by the senator representing the area in the National Assembly, Ali Ndume, the insurgents had a field day in Pulka, inflicting pain on the community. He said, “Although, from the information at my disposal, the terrorists who came to Pulka in large numbers succeeded in killing some soldiers after troops ran out of ammunition. A member of the Civilian Joint Task Force also lost his life, while most of the equipment and machines belonging to Decency Road Construction Firm were set ablaze by the terrorists.’

What is even more poignant about the Pulka attack is that the town had recently taken a large number of displaced citizens from Ngoshe town, which was brutally attacked in early March. The military barracks was despoiled, where many were killed, and over 400 townspeople were abducted. It is one of the worst cases of abduction since the Chibok girls incident. It was even more pathetic that the abduction was almost wholly comprised of women and children. To make matters worse, the abductors made a video of the group of women and children, pleading for their release – in effect asking the government to pay a ransom for their release.

Actually, the killings across the north have been a deluge last week. The same day the Boko Haram insurgents were committing those atrocities in the north-east, their brothers in crime, the bandits or Lakurawa or whatever name they bear, were active in the north-west. They were having a field day ransacking villages, killing and abducting citizens of Isa and Sabon Birni local governments of Sokoto State. At least 12 were reported killed and 43 abducted for ransom. A lawmaker representing the Isa and Sabon Birni areas, Muhammad Saidu Bargaja, confirmed the incident.

In nearby Zamfara State, 21 persons were killed by armed bandits in Bunkasau village of Bukkuyum Local Government. It was even worse in Niger State, where on that same Thursday, armed bandits attacked Bagna village in Shiroro Local Government, killing over 60 persons. The armed men did not abduct anyone as they only came to kill. The majority of those killed were said to be security men, vigilantes and local hunters, who were targeted. The attack was said to have triggered a massive displacement of people fleeing to neighbouring communities.

One can go on and on, listing killings upon killings all across the north. In all the cases mentioned above, you would notice that it is the bad boys who attack, and they seem now to have a penchant for targeting military barracks and other security encampments. In some cases, they even have the audacity to send an advance notice of their intent, as when they were coming to Benisheik. I understand it was common knowledge that they had sent a notice three days earlier that they were coming to attack. Governor Babagana Zulum alluded to that when he paid a condolence visit to the Brigade headquarters in Benisheik.

The situation is dire, and from our perspective, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu needs to consider extraordinary measures to tackle this sordid state of affairs. Political affairs, particularly the upcoming elections, seem to be overwhelming the attention and resources of the government. We should move the compass to firmly fall on security.