By Stephen Ubanna
The neighbouring West African country of Tchadian soldiers had given an insight why the on-going Counter-insurgency war in the north east statern states of Borno and Yobe, particular, are still dragging on despite the huge resources being pumped by President Muhammadu Buhari, popular, PMB, a retired army General to equip and kit the soldiers to international standard.
The Tchadian soldiers may have discovered that the Nigerian soldiers are’’ only driving big cars, and moving really slowly’’ , stressing that’’ if they could only fight like them in combating the Islamic Fundamentalist Groups, BokoHaram and the Islamc Fundamentalist of West African Province, ISWAP, the insurgents operating from the Lake Chad region, bordering between Nigeria, Tchad, Niger and the Central African country of Cameroon, the insurgency war in the north east Geopolitical region of Nigeria would have ended years ago.
They had stopped short at saying that ‘’the Nigerian soldiers do not want fight’’. They stated that it was because the north east states of Borno and and Yobe, are on fire and that they have no option but to help’ to put out the fire in the region which had already spread to the sahel country, Niger and Cameroon.
The late President Idriss Deby Itno an army Marshall, home country soldiers had said that the Nigerian soldiers had created the room for the insurgents who are believed to be armed with the stolen arms by the rebels from the neighbouring country of Libya, coupled with the huge weapons carted away from the military bases overrun to sustain the war without shaking.
Ibrahim Attahiru, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff, COAS, may have known that the old name given to the Team, Operaion Lafiya Dole, prosecuting the Counter-insurgency war in the north east region, which he had at one time Commanded, was counting against the troops to put in their best that he had used his position to approve a new name, Hadin Kai, for it. He may have approved a new name for it in order to fight like the soldiers a sense of belonging and further encourage them to fight like the Tchadians. This may have informed why Atthahiru, the COAS, had said that they are Committed to ending the insurgency war soon.
The insecurity situation in the country may have taken a turn for the worse as gunmen were said to have abducted and killed Governor Yahaya Bello, of Kogi state, political appointee, Adebayo Solomon, the state Commissioner for Pension Board, an indication that n body is safe in the north Central state.
The brutal murder of the top government official, may have sent a signal to the Kogi state governor, who is Buhari’s political ally, that the security situation in the country has turned from bad to worse. The Kogi state governor who has never agreed with Samuel Ortom, a former minister of state, Trade and Investment , during President Goodluck Jonathan Presidency and now governor of Benue state, that there is rising insecurity in the north Central Geopolitical region because of his unalloyed loyalty to the Katsina state born Nigerian President may be forced to do so, as he has had a feel of it, forcing him to tightened up security around himself and other top government officials in the state.
Many believe that with the attack and murder of one of his political appointees in the state and the abduction of Pius Kolawale, Chairman of Yagba East Local government Area, he will understand what governors Ortom, Matawalle bello of Zamfara, Nasir el-Rufai, a former minister of Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and now governor of governor of Kaduna state, including Aminu Massari, governor of Katsina state, are going through in the hands of Bandits in their respective states over the years.
He has no option but to Join ortom and the House Of Representatives Call for the Nigerian President to delare a state of emergency in the country to address the security situation once and for all.
Only recently, the Bandits could have thrown the north west state of Zamfara into crisis both for the quick intervention of Abubakar Dauran, the state Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs. He was said to have led a Team of security forces on a joint patrol that neutralised a gang of Bandits who were said have rustled a herd of 300 cattles at Kuraje near Rijiyar Tsakar Dawa in Gusau Local Govrnment Area of the state. The rustled Cattle were said to have been recovered for immediate return to their owners.
Given the rising insecurity situation in the country, the Uche Secondus , led Opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, had asked PMB, ‘’to convoke a National Conference to discuss the issue’’. The party had described the security situation in the country ‘’as worrisome and should be promptly addressed to ensure a smooth conduct of the 2023 general elections.
Already , the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under the close watch of Mahmood Yakubu, a Professor, has fixed February 18, 2023, for the election.The Opposition PDP, had sent a message to the Nigerian President that ‘’all the noise for 2023 would amount to naught if the security Challenges facing the country are not urgently addressed’’.
In apparent reaction to the Opposition PDP’s worries over the insecurity situation facing the country, John Akpanudoedehe, a Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, and National Secretary of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Caretaker / Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, had picked holes on the Communique issued by the aggrieved PDP governors on the heightened insecurity situation facing the country as a result of the recent incidents recorded in Beue state and other parts of the country.
The APC had made it clear to the rival PDP, that the retired army General has ‘’the capacity to end the insecurity situation facing the country’’. Appealing to the PDP to stop politicising the insecurity situation facing the country, Akpanudoedehe, noted that at a time like this,’’ it is the the duty of all Nigerians, irrespective of political divide, Collaborate with the government to end the crisis.
The APC Chieftain who could not hide his feelings was said to have told the PDP, governors, that the continued attack on the Presidency over its inability to address the security Challenges facing the country would further embolden the Boko Haram and ISWAP, insurgents, including the Bandits and the Criminal gangs across the country to carry out their attack on Communities in the fashpoint states without restraint.
The APC Senator and National Secretary of the Party aretaker/Extra Convention Panning Committee, noted that ‘’this is not the time to play to the gallery but to sit down to find real and lasting solutions to the insecurity problem, which is currently what the Buhari Administration is doing’’.
Going by the regular security briefings from the Nigerian President, he revealed of the high level investigations that is ongoing to fish out the leaders and sponsors of the Bandits and the other Criminal gangs across the country to bring them to Justice. His fears was that he Opposition PDP, may ‘’ sabotage the investigation because in furtherance of their 2023 aspiration’’.
Meanwhile, PMP, has urged the Media,’’ to avoid in their reports anything that would exacerbate the security situation in the country and further inflame passions and emotion over what the country is going through in the recent time’’. Femi Adesina, a senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, who had issued issued at the instance of PMB, on Sunday, May 2, 2021, had asked the Nigeria Journalists to be responsible in their reports, reiterating ‘’ the Administration’s Commitment to the Freedom of the PPress’’.
