THE LATE Gen. Sani Abacha, former Nigerian military Head of State, said: “If terrorism should last for 48 hours, government is involved.” I guess the statement may explain why we have not been able, as a nation, to decisively deal with issues of terrorism and general insecurity that has bedevilled our country for a very long time.
Allegations like this in the past that would have helped to unravel the mystery of insecurity were bungled. A dreaded arsonist and one of Boko Haram’s most wanted persons, Kabiru Sokoto, who was responsible for the Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State in the outskirts of Abuja, was picked up in Borno State Government Guest House in Abuja. Despite all the hue and cry that attended his arrest, we were never told who was hiding him in the state government’s guest house.
In January 2012, the then President Goodluck Jonathan confirmed Gen. Abacha’s hypothesis when he admitted that members of the extremist Boko Haram sect has succeeded in infiltrating his government, planting its members in government agencies and security outfits. Though Boko Haram was founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf. It was in 2009 that the group started carrying out assassinations and large-scale acts of violence in the county.
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Like Gen. Abacha, Nigerians believed that high profile individuals are involved either directly or indirectly. In 2022, our government, under President Muhammad Buhari said it has identified 100 high-risk financiers of Boko Haram, in its fight against the menace, but government did not mention the names of those individuals and we cannot say if any of them was ever arrested.
By this act, government succeeded in deepening the belief that the 100 names are high profile individuals and government officials. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also released the names of six Nigerian financiers of terrorism. Government is aware of the names mentioned by the Authorities in UAE. Even Mamu who was arrested in UAE, was released in Nigeria.
The inability of government to unmask people behind insecurity has helped in escalating the ugly menace. In addition to Boko Haram, there’s now general insecurity in the land; banditry, kidnapping for ransom and rituals, cattle rustling, illegal mining by various armed groups, armed conflicts by rival cult and sect groups, armed robbery and cybercrimes.
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In Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s one year in office, statistics show that the menace continued unabated, resulting in more than 4,556 fatalities and 7,086 abductions between 29th May, 2023 and 22 May, 2024, according to data gathered from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), a global data hub that collects real-time conflict-related data. If the Killings and abductions and banditry that have happened between June and now are factored in, the result will be frightening. In all these, even this regime, like the previous ones, have not been able to unmask any of the high-profile persons or government officials behind the ugly menace.
It is because of these ugly experiences and government seeming docility in naming, shaming and prosecuting the sponsors, that the recent altercation between the current governor of Zamfara State, Dauda Lawal, and his predecessor, and current Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawale, must be looked into. They have both been accusing each other of deep involvement with bandits.
The accusations and counter-accusation may provide a lead that could assist the security agencies in nipping the menace of insecurity on the bud. It must not be handled like the Borno State expose that yielded nothing. Zamfara State has been ravaged by banditry, leaving its residents in a constant state of fear and uncertainty. Killings, abductions, and assaults on women and girls have tragically become the norm.
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In a democracy, allegations will never improve any situation, because they come too often and sometimes very watery, but ignoring them may be dangerous sometimes. It was Piers Anthony, the American author in the science fiction genre who said: “When one person makes an accusation, check to be sure he himself is not the guilty one. Sometimes it is those whose case is weak who make the most clamour.” Both the people alleging and the ones being alleged should be examined.
For the people of Zamfara, life has really been brutish. The flip-flop of allegation between the governor and the minister must not be swept under the carpet. They both have a duty to clean up their names by proving to us beyond reasonable doubt that they have nothing to do with insecurity. For now, we do not know who to believe.
Allegations like this in the past that would have helped to unravel the mystery of insecurity were bungled. A dreaded arsonist and one of Boko Haram’s most wanted persons, Kabiru Sokoto, who was responsible for the Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State in the outskirts of Abuja, was picked up in Borno State Government Guest House in Abuja. Despite all the hue and cry that attended his arrest, we were never told who was hiding him in the state government’s guest house.
A former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Kawu Baraje, once said that Turji is one of the bandit leaders believed to have been contracted, financed, armed and camped in Zamfara forests by evil politicians who intended to use him and his cohorts from all over the Sahel to destabilise the Goodluck Jonathan regime if Muhammadu Buhari lost the 2015 presidential election. No one has come out to say that is not true.
A similar allegation and its counter in the past between former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, and then Governor Kashim Shettima, was swept under carpet. If we continue to ignore information that are capable of beaming light on our dark path, moving forward will be difficult for us. We are in a spot for now and we have to interrogate these allegations, whether we consider them true or false.
In a democracy, allegations will never improve any situation, because they come too often and sometimes very watery, but ignoring them may be dangerous sometimes.
It was Piers Anthony, the American author in the science fiction genre who said: “When one person makes an accusation, check to be sure he himself is not the guilty one. Sometimes it is those whose case is weak who make the most clamour.” Both the people alleging and the ones being alleged should be examined.
Amechi, a trade unionist and pro-democracy activist, writes from Lagos.
