Insecurity: Buhari Bows To people’s Pressure, Seeks Foreign Help

By Lateef Adegbite

President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired army General, appears to have bowed to pressure from well- meaning Nigerians including  Wole Soyinka, a Nobel Laureate’s advice to seek external support from other counties  both within and outside the African Continent  to restore peace in the country  and chart a way forward  without using Nigerians as victims.

The Nobel Laureate, who had initiated the call on the Katsina state born Nigerian President to seek foreign help to tackle  the Nigeria security Challenges  may have opened the door way for the Opposition People’s Democratic Party , PDP, chieftains,  who have never seen anything good in this All Progressive Congress, APC, government , over the last five years to speak out.

Ekweremadu: Join Soyinka To Ask Buhari To Seek For Foreign Help To Fight Insecurity

Ike Ekweremadu, a former Deputy Senate President, who will never forget his experience in the hands of aggrieved Nigerians in Germany,  had joined Soyinka to also ask  the Buhari led APC, government  ‘’to seek foreign  help to fight the country’s  insecurity challneges on Tuesday, April 27, 2021.

  Bukola Saraki, a former Senate President , who had a frosty working  relationship  with the  Nigerian President  during his first term in office  which  was said to have worked against  his  re-election bid in the  201019, general election, was said to have told his erstwhile estranged enemy  not to be  ashamed to seek foreign help  to tackle the insecurity challenges facing the country as he has been ‘’overwhelmed by it’’.

But Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a former  governor of Lagos state, popular, the Jagaban, and national Leader of APC,  who had  visited the retired army General , recently, in the face of the rising insecurity in the country,  says ‘’the situation  requires serious evaluation and management’’. The tough –talking Jagaban may have Calmed because of what he has seen on ground, stressing that  ‘’the Buhari Administration requires  cooperation and understanding  of Nigerians at this time  to tackle the security challenges facing the country

He noted that , ‘’every nation  will go through  these curves and difficult times’’ but what matters was  how  the political, religious and  Community Leaders, communicate problem to the people  to make easier to bear. 

This may have informed why he  has asked  Joe Biden, the North American country  of the United States, US, President,  ‘’ to consider  relocating  the Ccountry’s African Command , AFRICOM,  from Suggart, in Germany, to Africa, where  it could effectively  support Nigeria in tackling its security challenges.  

Blinken: US, Secretary Of State

 The Nigerian President was said to have made its feelings known  on Tuesday, April 26, 2021, during a virtual meeting with  Anthony Blinken, the US, Secretary of State. The Nigerian President had said that ‘’the support  of an important and strategic partners,  like  the US, was actually needed in Nigeria now more than ever as the consequences  of insecurity challenges in the country  will affect  all the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

True to his words, it had spread to Cameroon, Niger and Chad, which was said to have caused  the death of  Idris Deby Itno, a Marshall and the country’s President, why Commanding troops in the northern region of the sahel country, to stop the  rebels, armed with stolen weapons from the neighbouring Libya, from entering N’jamena, the  country’s Capital.  

He was said to have repeatedly demanded  from the US  government during the virtual talks with Blinken, the Sercretary of State  that ‘’there is need for concerted Cooperation and collaboration of all nations to address the insecurity challenges of Nigeria’’.

His appeal may have struck the right chord as the US, Secretary of State had said  that ‘’the security challenges  in Nigeria  remain  of great concern  to the country  as it has impacted more negatively  in the west and central African sub-regions, including the Sahel  and the Lake Chad regions’’.

 Security experts believe that AFRICOM,  would make more positive impact on the Nigerian crisis because of its  mandate  to partner with other countries  to Counter Transnational Threats if it is  relocated to the African Continent instead of still stationing it in Europe.  

The retired Nigerian army General,who could not hide his feelings had said that if the Command could be relocated to Africa,  it would go a long way to strengthen  ongoing  efforts  by the Nigerian government  to Check mate  the country’s security situation, which had been worsen  by the activities of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province , ISWAP, insurgents, in the north east states of Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and the Bandits operating in the north west states of Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina, Buari home state and Niger, a north central state, that had produced two former Nigerian Leaders: Military President and  a  Head of State .

 The duo were  retired Generals Ibrahim Babangida, who served as a Military President for about eight years and Abdulsalami Abbakar, who served as a Head of State for about seven years, showing that the two Nigerian Jackboot Leaders had ruled the country for almost 16 , years, which was  the exact number of years that Olusegun Obasanjo, Late Umaru yar’Adua,  and Goodluck Jonathan, all elected Nigerian Presidents, under the Platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, had ruled the country.

In spite of the fact that Babangida and Abubakar, the two former Nigerian Leaders  were from Niger state with its tight security, Bandits, who are battling to causing a major upset  in the north west states of Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina  are still pushing and their BokoHaram Counterparts, to take  over the state with the displacement of the residents of the IBB Primary School, in Minna, the state Capital, and where the two former Presidents were  said to be living.

Bello: Confirms Takeover Of Communities In Niger state By Insurgents And Bandits

.  The security situation in the state is so bad that  Abubakar Bello, the governor, who is one of  Buhari’s strongest  political ally and arch supporters, in the state, could  confirm  that BokoHaram insurgents,  in the Kanuri Communities  of Shiroro Local government Area   have hoisted their Flags in the overrun Communitis, an  indications that’’ they have taken over’’. They are said to be working currently with their own locally appointed Leaders who have shown their  loyalty so far to them to be retained.

An aggrieved Governor Bello, had said that the hoisted Flags  had inscriptions written in Kanuri language  in the 20 Communities allegedly Conquered in the Shiroro Local government Area, including  the IBB Central  Primary  School, Minna, the state Capital, where the Bandits had already displaced the residents.

 He disclosed that there are  over 3,000 displaced people  in Munya and Shiroro  Local Government Areas of the state  at present  from the Communities  that have been displaced  by   the Boko Haram insurgents and the Bandits.

Perhaps, more worrisome was the message he has passed across to Nigerians  that the Bandits, had resorted to demanding ransom ffrom Communities to avoid their people being Kidnapped. He cited the five million naira ransom demanded  from the people of Kmpana  in Shiroro, Local Government Area, to bail themselves from being kidnapped, stating that the people were able raised the money and handed it over to them” to avoid being kidnapped”.’’.  A Bad precident, an analyst  said.

 The Niger state governor may have foreseen a big threat posed to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, by the insurgents and Bandits, that have taken over the 20 Shiroro Local Government Area, Communities and others that are controlled by Bandits  which is a few Kilometers  away from the City,  that he has summoned up courage to  warn  the  terrorists, particular, tthat had made the  the Kanuri  Communities  their home and Headquarters  to return to their  traditional Sambisa forest home in Borno state which is several Kilometers from Abuja, insisting that  the new found home  would be  too hot for them to operate.

 The Niger state, Buhari political ally, who could  not hide his feelings had described the insecurity situation in the country ‘’as very critical  and terrible’’, noting that ‘’it is high time  for a well-coordinated actions  to  be taken to address the problem’’.

Aggrieved members of the Femi Gbajabiamila, led  House of  House of Representatives,who  lost their patience over the rising insecurity in the country   have piled up pressure on the Nigerian President to  immediately declare ‘’a  state of emergency  in the country’’. The Lawmakers believe that this will go  a long way’’ to fast-track  all  the laid down measures that have been outlined towards  restoring peace in the country’’.

An informed source told The Value News that the call formed  part  of the resolutions  that was adopted  at a closed door  session ‘’ to discuss   the insecurity situation in the country and other pressing national issues that had made life unbearable to Nigerian last tuesday. Angered  that BokoHaram and tISWAP isurgents, Bandits and armed Herdsmen, have become a  dominant threat to the Nigerian state,  the lawmakers were  said to have mandated the House security Committee ‘’ to  Commence  a Comprehensive  Audit  of all military  and Para-military assets and arms around the country  and report back  within four weeks’’.

 the country has been battling  insurgency in the north east states for over a decade  with billions of dollars gone done  the drain, arms ordered but not supplied  and over 36,000 peole  killed and thousands  of others  displaced by the Criminal elements.

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