LAMENTATIONS ON THE INCREASED INSECURITY ACROSS NIGERIA DAILY GETTING OUT OF HAND – DO WE STILL HAVE A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA?
April 28, 2021 | News
We cannot have a Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces with all its Executive and commanding powers, yet countless Nigerians are daily killed like chicken by the same group of criminal elements…
-By Zik Gbemre
LAMENTATIONS ON THE INCREASED INSECURITY ACROSS NIGERIA DAILY GETTING OUT OF HAND – DO WE STILL HAVE A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA?
We cannot have a Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces with all its Executive and commanding powers, yet countless Nigerians are daily killed like chicken by the same group of criminal elements…
The insecurity situation in places like Benue, Yobe, and Niger is totally unacceptable, and should be an embarrassment to this government…
If the Buhari-led Federal Government had taken proactive steps long before now, the insecurity situation would not be what it is today...
If President Muhammadu Buhari feels the insecurity in the country is a hoax, then he should relocate his children and wife to permanently live in the North East and North West, and not in Abuja...
Until we start seeing things done differently by the Buhari-led administration as regards bringing to an end to the Boko Haram terrorists’ activities and killer-Fulani Herdsmen/Bandits/Militias in the country, Nigerians will not believe the sincerity of this Government in ending this menace…
Between President Buhari and the Defence Minister, who is the Commander-In-Chief as regard obeying Executive Orders?...
If President Muhammadu Buhari is the Commander-In-Chief, he must rise up to his Constitutional responsibilities and do the needful…
My heart aches practically every day as I behold the disturbing level of insecurity across the entire space of my country Nigeria. Never have we had it this bad in the entire history of Nigeria, to the extent that no one is safe anymore in the country. Even the Nigerian civil war, which only lasted for about three years, cannot be compared to the level of insecurity in Nigeria currently, which has claimed more lives and property than we can even imagine. Yet, if you ask me, Nigeria has everything that it takes to aggressively deal with the insecurity situation in the country posed by Boko Haram insurgents, killer Fulani herdsmen Bandits and what have you. All that is required is the sincerity and willingness of the present Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to do the needful in arresting this situation to a barest minimum.
I mean, how can we have a Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces with all its Executive and commanding powers, yet countless Nigerians are daily killed like chicken by the same group of criminal elements, who have become even emboldened to reveal their identities and possible hideouts. Yet, this Government seems to have gone asleep in the face of these killings. It is really a cause for concern that daily, the insecurity situation in the country is deteriorating, becoming more worrisome, as things have continued to escalate across the country. While we are dealing with terrorists’ activities in mostly the Northern parts of the country, we are now having a rise of criminal activities by supposed gunmen in the Eastern parts of Nigeria.
This has been my thoughts for days now, especially with recent news reports of the criminal activities of these herdsmen in parts of Niger, Benue and Yobe States. The social media platforms are inundated with different videos showing the level of damage the insecurity situation has brought on our nation. Some of the videos is like watching a war movie, one of which is said to be hundreds of these insurgents in Hilux vehicles, brandishing and sporadically shooting to the air in celebrating of their overtaken some boundary communities in Yobe State.
Then there is the video of the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who has decried the incessant killings in his State, saying over 70 persons have been murdered in just two weeks in the Makurdi local government area of the State. Governor Ortom said this while addressing protesting youths at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Abagena village recently. The youths were protesting the attack by suspected herders on Monday (April 26th, 2021) night in which seven persons were killed and many injured. Governor Ortom said the unfortunate development could have been averted if only the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari was proactive.
In Ortom’s words: “It is an unfortunate development that what is happening, IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN A PROACTIVE STEP, WE WILL NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY. In the last two weeks, over 70 persons have lost their lives, just in Makurdi local government area alone. It is not acceptable. Go to Guma, the same killings are taking place, go to Gwer-west, the same killings are taking place. This is not fair. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS REFUSED TO TAKE A PROACTIVE STEP TO ARREST THIS UGLY SITUATION WE ARE WITNESSING HERE TODAY.
“You recall that I alerted the entire nation when Fulanis from 14 countries met in Yola and declared that except we review the prohibition of open grazing law, Benue will not know peace.” He said he had written to the Federal Government to arrest the leaders of Miyetti Allah that hosted that meeting but nothing was done. “It means we don’t have a government,” he lamented.
“You can imagine, this is Abagena IDP camp. The adjoining villages are occupied by IDPs. What else do you want them to do? You send these people away from their villages, they came here to take refuge and today they are being killed in this manner… They no longer come here with their cattle because they want to suck blood.”
Governor Ortom then called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to his responsibilities and do the needful. “How do you wake up every day and see your people being killed? How can I be a happy man? Mr. President must do the needful and I want to suggest that immediately, let there be a security summit. I am aware that the situation is prevalent in other parts of the country… They are not bandits. They are Fulanis. We saw them and heard them speak the language.” He also urged the President to allow citizens to bear firearms. So as to stand a chance to defend themselves since the Government and its Security operatives have failed to do so.
The Benue State Governor also accused President Muhammadu Buhari of working for the Fulani ethnic stock to take over Nigeria. The governor, who said the killings cannot continue, said: “What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr. President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country… His body language is what is being played out. The body language, the action and inaction of Mr. President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this.
“We are becoming a Banana Republic, if we have a President who gave the security agencies order to shoot at sight, of whosoever is having AK-47, and the Minister of Defence came out to say that they cannot shoot at sight, but they will be arrested and tried… so who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces?”
According to the governor, the people of Benue State are being overstretched and running out of patience due to the incessant attacks on their communities. “Mr. President must rise up, he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and over the 250 nationalities that are in this country; Mr. President is their President, we all voted him. He has taken oath of office to secure the country and provide security for lives and property; this is unacceptable, this cannot continue,” the governor stated. The protesting Benue youths have reiterated that Buhari must do something, or else, they will take the law into their hands.
It is really sad that in recent weeks, the country has witnessed a spike in criminal activities, from Boko Haram insurgency to banditry and kidnapping of school children, and killing of some of them. Nigeria has recorded more than 10 security incidents just this week, as killings and attacks continued across the country. That of Greenfield University in Kaduna was quite troubling. Two more students were killed after being kidnapped with others last week by gunmen in Kaduna, bringing the death toll from the attack to six. The killings in Kaduna state by criminals known locally as “bandits” mark an escalation in the mass kidnappings of students that plague Northwest and central Nigeria.
Sani Bello, Niger State Governor, said recently that Boko Haram has hoisted its flag in a Shiroro LGA of the state. We can just imagine that! Communities and Nigerian territories are now being overrun and taken over by Boko Haram insurgents. According to the Benue State Governor, terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities. In his words: “I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger state, here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags here… Their wives (of the villagers) have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members. I just heard that they have placed their flags at Kaure, meaning they have taken over the territory.” Governor Bello further said he had earlier alerted the Federal Government but it (government) has not been proactive.
”THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN ENGAGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON, UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS NOW GOTTEN TO THIS LEVEL. IF CARE IS NOT TAKEN, EVEN ABUJA IS NOT SAFE. WE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR LONG. ALL OUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN IN VAIN.” Mr. Bello said he hoped for a more coordinated military activity to fight the terrorists. “Sambisa is several kilometers from Abuja but Kaure is less than two hours drive from Abuja. So, nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja… This is the time to act. All hands must be on deck. It is not a fight for Niger State alone. I am not waiting for anyone anymore, I am going to take action,” he said.
In another video that has gone viral, while contributing to a motion on the situation, Mr. Smart Adeyemi (Senator Representing Kogi West) became quite emotional over the spate of the killings and insecurity in the country, when he said the country is facing the worst instability since the civil war. “This is the worst instability we are facing. In fact this is worse than the civil war,” he said. But Remi Tinubu interrupted him, asking: “Are you in PDP (Peoples Democratic Party)? Are you a wolf in sheep’s clothing?” That comment from her, has brought her under fire and condemnation across social media platforms. Adeyemi, however, ignored her comments and continued: “We cannot pretend that we are capable of handling the situation in our hands. America, as powerful as they are, when the pandemic came, it came to a point China came to their rescue…We shouldn’t pretend that we need foreign support now. Billions of naira has been voted for security services and nothing is coming out of it… I’m a party man, and I’m supporting APC but it has gotten to a point that as supporters we cannot keep quiet.”
I find it rather appalling and unfortunate that, Nigeria has been battling Boko Haram and killer herdsmen/Bandits’ insurgency in the North-east for over a decade with recurring attacks in many parts of the country. In the last seven years, despite the Federal Government’s claim that the sect had been ‘degraded’, the country has lost hundreds of lives to the unending insurgency while millions have been displaced and rendered homeless. In fact, the level of insecurity in the country is far worse than what the ruling Government is telling Nigerians. As we speak, there are reports that a massive exodus of people in Geideam Community in Yobe State is under way, as ISWAP (Islamic State In West Africa Province) has seized the town and hoisted their flags, and taxes and levies are being imposed on residents. So, families are abandoning ship to safer grounds. Yet, we supposedly have a Federal Government that swore by the Constitution to protect lives and property of its citizenry.
The Two State Governors of Benue and Niger States have repeatedly noted how they have raised alarm, expressed concerns and suggested how the insecurity situation prevalent in their States can be addressed, but in all, the Buhari-led Federal Government seems not to be proactive, and have done nothing to arrest the situation. Which makes one wonder if we still have a President, as the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the country.
In a Tweet by former Senator Shehu Sani: “The Terrorists in the North West are called Bandits. The Terrorists in d South West are called Unknown Gunmen. The Terrorists in the South East are called Hoodlums. The Terrorists in the North Central are called Herdsmen or Militia. The Terrorists in the North East are called Terrorists.” But regardless of what they called, they all represent one ideology – and that is to terrorize the Nigerian populace, instill fear, dislodge/displace the people and take over. As such, they should all be treated as Terrorists, and given the needed aggression as the criminals that they are.
Until we start seeing things done differently by this President Buhari-led administration as regards bringing to an end the Boko Haram terrorists’ activities and killer-Fulani Herdsmen/Bandits/Militias in the country, especially as suggested above, I seriously do not have anything else to say to them on the way forward because it seems they obviously have other unclear intentions and ulterior motives for not wanting to crush these criminals once and for all. But regardless, these bandits and terrorists must be crushed, or we will wake up one day and realize the country has been overrun and taken over by these criminals. Enough of the pampering.
Zik Gbemre.
April 28, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
-By Zik Gbemre
LAMENTATIONS ON THE INCREASED INSECURITY ACROSS NIGERIA DAILY GETTING OUT OF HAND – DO WE STILL HAVE A COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA?
We cannot have a Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces with all its Executive and commanding powers, yet countless Nigerians are daily killed like chicken by the same group of criminal elements…
The insecurity situation in places like Benue, Yobe, and Niger is totally unacceptable, and should be an embarrassment to this government…
If the Buhari-led Federal Government had taken proactive steps long before now, the insecurity situation would not be what it is today...
If President Muhammadu Buhari feels the insecurity in the country is a hoax, then he should relocate his children and wife to permanently live in the North East and North West, and not in Abuja...
Until we start seeing things done differently by the Buhari-led administration as regards bringing to an end to the Boko Haram terrorists’ activities and killer-Fulani Herdsmen/Bandits/Militias in the country, Nigerians will not believe the sincerity of this Government in ending this menace…
Between President Buhari and the Defence Minister, who is the Commander-In-Chief as regard obeying Executive Orders?...
If President Muhammadu Buhari is the Commander-In-Chief, he must rise up to his Constitutional responsibilities and do the needful…
My heart aches practically every day as I behold the disturbing level of insecurity across the entire space of my country Nigeria. Never have we had it this bad in the entire history of Nigeria, to the extent that no one is safe anymore in the country. Even the Nigerian civil war, which only lasted for about three years, cannot be compared to the level of insecurity in Nigeria currently, which has claimed more lives and property than we can even imagine. Yet, if you ask me, Nigeria has everything that it takes to aggressively deal with the insecurity situation in the country posed by Boko Haram insurgents, killer Fulani herdsmen Bandits and what have you. All that is required is the sincerity and willingness of the present Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government to do the needful in arresting this situation to a barest minimum.
I mean, how can we have a Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces with all its Executive and commanding powers, yet countless Nigerians are daily killed like chicken by the same group of criminal elements, who have become even emboldened to reveal their identities and possible hideouts. Yet, this Government seems to have gone asleep in the face of these killings. It is really a cause for concern that daily, the insecurity situation in the country is deteriorating, becoming more worrisome, as things have continued to escalate across the country. While we are dealing with terrorists’ activities in mostly the Northern parts of the country, we are now having a rise of criminal activities by supposed gunmen in the Eastern parts of Nigeria.
This has been my thoughts for days now, especially with recent news reports of the criminal activities of these herdsmen in parts of Niger, Benue and Yobe States. The social media platforms are inundated with different videos showing the level of damage the insecurity situation has brought on our nation. Some of the videos is like watching a war movie, one of which is said to be hundreds of these insurgents in Hilux vehicles, brandishing and sporadically shooting to the air in celebrating of their overtaken some boundary communities in Yobe State.
Then there is the video of the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, who has decried the incessant killings in his State, saying over 70 persons have been murdered in just two weeks in the Makurdi local government area of the State. Governor Ortom said this while addressing protesting youths at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Abagena village recently. The youths were protesting the attack by suspected herders on Monday (April 26th, 2021) night in which seven persons were killed and many injured. Governor Ortom said the unfortunate development could have been averted if only the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari was proactive.
In Ortom’s words: “It is an unfortunate development that what is happening, IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAD TAKEN A PROACTIVE STEP, WE WILL NOT BE WHERE WE ARE TODAY. In the last two weeks, over 70 persons have lost their lives, just in Makurdi local government area alone. It is not acceptable. Go to Guma, the same killings are taking place, go to Gwer-west, the same killings are taking place. This is not fair. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS REFUSED TO TAKE A PROACTIVE STEP TO ARREST THIS UGLY SITUATION WE ARE WITNESSING HERE TODAY.
“You recall that I alerted the entire nation when Fulanis from 14 countries met in Yola and declared that except we review the prohibition of open grazing law, Benue will not know peace.” He said he had written to the Federal Government to arrest the leaders of Miyetti Allah that hosted that meeting but nothing was done. “It means we don’t have a government,” he lamented.
“You can imagine, this is Abagena IDP camp. The adjoining villages are occupied by IDPs. What else do you want them to do? You send these people away from their villages, they came here to take refuge and today they are being killed in this manner… They no longer come here with their cattle because they want to suck blood.”
Governor Ortom then called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rise up to his responsibilities and do the needful. “How do you wake up every day and see your people being killed? How can I be a happy man? Mr. President must do the needful and I want to suggest that immediately, let there be a security summit. I am aware that the situation is prevalent in other parts of the country… They are not bandits. They are Fulanis. We saw them and heard them speak the language.” He also urged the President to allow citizens to bear firearms. So as to stand a chance to defend themselves since the Government and its Security operatives have failed to do so.
The Benue State Governor also accused President Muhammadu Buhari of working for the Fulani ethnic stock to take over Nigeria. The governor, who said the killings cannot continue, said: “What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr. President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country… His body language is what is being played out. The body language, the action and inaction of Mr. President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this.
“We are becoming a Banana Republic, if we have a President who gave the security agencies order to shoot at sight, of whosoever is having AK-47, and the Minister of Defence came out to say that they cannot shoot at sight, but they will be arrested and tried… so who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces?”
According to the governor, the people of Benue State are being overstretched and running out of patience due to the incessant attacks on their communities. “Mr. President must rise up, he is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and over the 250 nationalities that are in this country; Mr. President is their President, we all voted him. He has taken oath of office to secure the country and provide security for lives and property; this is unacceptable, this cannot continue,” the governor stated. The protesting Benue youths have reiterated that Buhari must do something, or else, they will take the law into their hands.
It is really sad that in recent weeks, the country has witnessed a spike in criminal activities, from Boko Haram insurgency to banditry and kidnapping of school children, and killing of some of them. Nigeria has recorded more than 10 security incidents just this week, as killings and attacks continued across the country. That of Greenfield University in Kaduna was quite troubling. Two more students were killed after being kidnapped with others last week by gunmen in Kaduna, bringing the death toll from the attack to six. The killings in Kaduna state by criminals known locally as “bandits” mark an escalation in the mass kidnappings of students that plague Northwest and central Nigeria.
Sani Bello, Niger State Governor, said recently that Boko Haram has hoisted its flag in a Shiroro LGA of the state. We can just imagine that! Communities and Nigerian territories are now being overrun and taken over by Boko Haram insurgents. According to the Benue State Governor, terrorists have displaced over 3,000 residents of the affected communities. In his words: “I am confirming that there are Boko Haram elements here in Niger state, here in Kaure, I am confirming that they have hoisted their flags here… Their wives (of the villagers) have been seized from them and forcefully attached to Boko Haram members. I just heard that they have placed their flags at Kaure, meaning they have taken over the territory.” Governor Bello further said he had earlier alerted the Federal Government but it (government) has not been proactive.
”THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN ENGAGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ON, UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS NOW GOTTEN TO THIS LEVEL. IF CARE IS NOT TAKEN, EVEN ABUJA IS NOT SAFE. WE HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR LONG. ALL OUR EFFORTS HAVE BEEN IN VAIN.” Mr. Bello said he hoped for a more coordinated military activity to fight the terrorists. “Sambisa is several kilometers from Abuja but Kaure is less than two hours drive from Abuja. So, nobody is safe anymore, not even those in Abuja… This is the time to act. All hands must be on deck. It is not a fight for Niger State alone. I am not waiting for anyone anymore, I am going to take action,” he said.
In another video that has gone viral, while contributing to a motion on the situation, Mr. Smart Adeyemi (Senator Representing Kogi West) became quite emotional over the spate of the killings and insecurity in the country, when he said the country is facing the worst instability since the civil war. “This is the worst instability we are facing. In fact this is worse than the civil war,” he said. But Remi Tinubu interrupted him, asking: “Are you in PDP (Peoples Democratic Party)? Are you a wolf in sheep’s clothing?” That comment from her, has brought her under fire and condemnation across social media platforms. Adeyemi, however, ignored her comments and continued: “We cannot pretend that we are capable of handling the situation in our hands. America, as powerful as they are, when the pandemic came, it came to a point China came to their rescue…We shouldn’t pretend that we need foreign support now. Billions of naira has been voted for security services and nothing is coming out of it… I’m a party man, and I’m supporting APC but it has gotten to a point that as supporters we cannot keep quiet.”
I find it rather appalling and unfortunate that, Nigeria has been battling Boko Haram and killer herdsmen/Bandits’ insurgency in the North-east for over a decade with recurring attacks in many parts of the country. In the last seven years, despite the Federal Government’s claim that the sect had been ‘degraded’, the country has lost hundreds of lives to the unending insurgency while millions have been displaced and rendered homeless. In fact, the level of insecurity in the country is far worse than what the ruling Government is telling Nigerians. As we speak, there are reports that a massive exodus of people in Geideam Community in Yobe State is under way, as ISWAP (Islamic State In West Africa Province) has seized the town and hoisted their flags, and taxes and levies are being imposed on residents. So, families are abandoning ship to safer grounds. Yet, we supposedly have a Federal Government that swore by the Constitution to protect lives and property of its citizenry.
The Two State Governors of Benue and Niger States have repeatedly noted how they have raised alarm, expressed concerns and suggested how the insecurity situation prevalent in their States can be addressed, but in all, the Buhari-led Federal Government seems not to be proactive, and have done nothing to arrest the situation. Which makes one wonder if we still have a President, as the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the country.
In a Tweet by former Senator Shehu Sani: “The Terrorists in the North West are called Bandits. The Terrorists in d South West are called Unknown Gunmen. The Terrorists in the South East are called Hoodlums. The Terrorists in the North Central are called Herdsmen or Militia. The Terrorists in the North East are called Terrorists.” But regardless of what they called, they all represent one ideology – and that is to terrorize the Nigerian populace, instill fear, dislodge/displace the people and take over. As such, they should all be treated as Terrorists, and given the needed aggression as the criminals that they are.
Until we start seeing things done differently by this President Buhari-led administration as regards bringing to an end the Boko Haram terrorists’ activities and killer-Fulani Herdsmen/Bandits/Militias in the country, especially as suggested above, I seriously do not have anything else to say to them on the way forward because it seems they obviously have other unclear intentions and ulterior motives for not wanting to crush these criminals once and for all. But regardless, these bandits and terrorists must be crushed, or we will wake up one day and realize the country has been overrun and taken over by these criminals. Enough of the pampering.
Zik Gbemre.
April 28, 2021
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes