UNFORTUNATELY, the working week ending today was dominated by tales of anguish and woes, arising from endless kidnappings and killings. While the nation was still dealing with the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, and Askira Uba in Borno State, gunmen attacked Ogbomoso again, this time, the offices of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, and took away the firearms they saw with officers on duty. Time was about 10pm Tuesday night.
As if to really dare the STATE, the terrorists have refuased to negotiate with families of the victims, insisting on speaking only with state officials. On Wednesday, news filtered in that the terrorists are demanding a ¦ 1 billion ransom to be paid into an account in Benin Republic, the release of detained accomplices, two Toyota Hilux vehicles, weapons, and legal concessions favouring their extremist operations. In the interim, the Oyo State House of Assembly and Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration have rejected any form of negotiation with the terrorists, demanding an uncompromised military and police rescue operation. A federal delegation comprising the Chief of Staff, the National Security Adviser, and the Minister of Defence has visited the state to coordinate rescue operations.
Before the ransom demand was made, kidnappers struck again in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, and abducted Mrs Olaide Busayo John-Paul and her twin sons as she made to drive them to school in the Elewura area of Ibadan. Mrs John-Paul is a younger sister of the immediate past Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and the abductors are yet to make contact.
The above is by way of information and recap. It really looks to me that we may be heading towards a resolution of our insecurity conundrum as the felons who engage in this nefarious business appear to be striking closer to the echelons of power, exemplified in the kidnap of Adelabu’s younger sister. This streak of optimism is anchored on our experience with our rulers in these climes. For instance, bad roads don’t get repaired until a big man or ruling party topshot uses the road and complains; and an area long starved of electricity gets reprieve only when a resident who “knows” a big man implores the said potentate to intervene and they get a transformer. And so on. Maybe when a governor’s convoy is attacked and a governor’s wife gets dragged out of her car and whisked into the forests by kidnappers, then people in power might begin to appreciate the gravity of the insecurity situation and do the needful
Maybe I’m being too optimistic. But what is getting clearer everyday is that government and our security agencies, as presently constituted, seem incapable of routing the menace of kidnapping and banditry. What we see and hear each time there is an incident are press statements from state houses, sympathising with the families of victims and vows that the situation will not repeat itself. Until the next one happens. After kidnaps in Oyo and Askira Uba of Borno State, what did we hear from the president? Is it not after that Adelabu’s sister and twin sons got kidnapped? I recall the Plateau killings and the president’s assurances when he visited that it will not happen again. I can bet the Presidency itself has lost count of the number of people killed in Plateau State since then.
We really have problems; tons of them, especially when you look around you and cannot really see why you have a government. Virtually all water corporations in the states have abdicated; we all drill boreholes or dig wells for our water supply. Even government offices have boreholes! For electricity, we gave up a long time ago as we all opted to power our needs with the use of generators. Now that petrol and diesel costs are choking all of us, we are shifting to solar energy. When we fall sick, we fly abroad for treatment while fellow compatriots who can only dream of such option simply die. Now security, which is the primary duty of government in the social contract, we have lost. Why else do we have a government?Even what remains of education in our mangled system is being taken from our children as kidnappers now target schools. Again, what do people in government do?
Now that the whole nation is in the vice-grips of kidnappers and bandits, maybe the politicians in Abuja and government houses in state capitals will put on their thinking caps and come up with durable solutions. But I have a feeling they will not, because they cannot abandon the more rewarding activities that will ensure re-election; because getting re-elected guarantees better welfare than solving the insecurity problem.
At the moment, we must realise that kidnapping has taken on a life of its own; it has become an industry. It is easy to finger Fulani herdsmen, not that they are blameless, but we must acknowledge that many of our youths are into kidnapping and banditry in an effort to make meaning of their lives that had been made meaningless by clueless politicians posing as messiahs. If there is gainful employment, enabling environment for businesses, development of rural areas, and access to education as done in the LOOBO states between 1979-1983, maybe we can begin to see end to insecurity. Right now, what we need is a solution of the nature that late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua deployed against militancy during his time in office. But our politicians are thinking only of elections. I think we should tell them to forget about that, just continue in office but end insecurity. Abi? TGIF.
