By Suleiman Umaru
Those who think that Nigeria is bankrupt and that President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, could no longer protect the citizenry may have to do a rethink.
In apparent response to the general impression of people all over the country about the increasing security challenges, the Katsina state born Nigerian President , may have taken advantage of the Eid-ul Fitr, festival, to reassure Nigerians that ‘’there will be no shortage of funds to provide security for the citizenry’’ as alleged by the pundits.
The Katsina state born Nigerian President, had said that with the designation of Bandits Group as terrorists, ‘‘the challenges of banditry and kidnapping are being tackled’’ headlong in the north western states of Zamfara, Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger, home state of Ibrahim Babangida, a retired Army General and former military President, in the north central geo-political region.
As a prelude to bringing to an end the rising insecurity in different parts of the country ahead of the 2023, general elections, the retired Army General had said that that the government is may soon be getting ‘’the latest military acquisitions across the regions to thwart acts of terror’’.
The retired Army General who could not hide his feelings had told those that cares to listen that ‘‘the battle being waged against terrorists who falsely masquerade under the name of Islam to destroy life and property is approaching its conclusion’’. He could beat his chest that ‘‘the final victory’’ over the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, is in sight going by what is happening in the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe where BokoHaram and its offshoots, IWAP, final embers are now ’’ fading’’.
He had cited the killing of the ISWAP leader in an airstrike last April, noting that thousands of the Insurgents who could no longer bear the superior fire of the Nigerian soldiers, and the Multinational Joint Task Force, MNJTF, a Coalition of soldiers from four countries comprising of three West African countries of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and the Central African country of Cameroon have ‘‘surrendered to enter rehabilitation programmes’’.
The Federal government rehabilitation programme for the BokoHaram and ISWAP Insurgents who were forced to flee their barbarity had been described by critics many as a’’waste of funds’’. They had argued that repented terrorists who had abandoned the territories they used to occupy over the years to cause havoc in the society ought to have been matched to prison to test the other side of life instead of being taken to where they will be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society.
The Nigerian President may have been encouraged to speak out that the end of terrorism in the north east, north west and north central geopolitical regions is in sight based on the briefs he had received from Farouk Yahaya, a Lt.General and Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, who is on ground.
Only recently, the Army Chief,had visited the Headquarters of the MNJTF,in Maiduguri, Capital of Borno state, where he was said to have been ‘‘updated on the ongoing operation Desert Sanity and Lake Sanity’’, which was very encouraging.
It is instructive to note that over the last seven years ‘’ the Lake Chad Basin and its islets have become one of the main havens for the ISWAP fighters’’ while the Sambisa forest had remained the operational base of the Abubakar Shekau, now deceased led- BokoHaram .
The Eid-ul Fitr message to Nigerians this year showed a remarkable difference to what it was in 2021 as the Nigerian President who spoke with with total confidence had assured that ‘’victory is in sight over terrorism, banditry and Kinapping’’ . I n his 2021, Eid-ul Fitr message, he had urged Nigerians ‘’to pray for an end to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and quest for power’’.
The Nigerian Leader has thrown a big challenge to the Heads of the various security agencies in the country that ‘’it is their duty to know where the terrorists are staying and eliminate them’’. He was said to have urged them ‘’to double effort in the fight against insecurity to make the Nigerian environment secure, especially now that ‘‘the rain is coming so that farmers can go back to their farms to prevent the problems of food security in 2023’’.
He may have also beamed his searchlight in the south east state of Imo, where oil thieves involved in illegal oil bunkering is on the rise in the Ohaji/Egbema, Local Government which shares boundary with Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Local Government Area, of Rivers state.
This may have informed why he has approved ‘‘the establishment of a Naval Base in Oguta’’, to checkmate the activities of the crude oil thieves involved in illegal refining of Petroleum products, particular, Premium Motor Spirit, popular, petrol and Kerosene.
He may have taken the bold initiative to forestall the oil thieves in Imo from turning the state to another south-south state of Bayelsa, Delta or Rivers, described as a home of oil thieves and illegal refineries. The anger in him while delivering his Eid-ul Fitr message to Nigerians last Sunday speaks olume. ‘’While we are making progress cleaning up the south-south environment, some evil people in the south east are causing more pollution and destruction of national assets’’.
On Friday, April 22, 2022, there was a fire explosion at an illegal oil refinery site in the forest between Abacheke and Abaezi, Communities in Ohaji/ Egbema LGA, of Imo, home state of Senator Rochas Okorocha, an All Progressive Congress, APC,Presidential Candidate in the 2023, and general elections. The fire disaster was said to have claimed no fewer than 110 people. ‘‘It was a horrible scene as the victims, mostly women and youths, from different parts of the country were burnt to ashes or burnt beyond recognition, that Hope Uzodinma, the state governor has planned a mass burial for them.
Recall that the Uziodinma- led APC, government in the state, had earlier ruled out giving Compensations to the families of victims of the Abaezi illegal refinery fire disaster, noting that ‘’it is like encouraging a criminal or an armed robber killed in an the process’’.
But he appears to have welcome Sadiya Farouq, minister, of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, impact assessment of the incident to ascertain the level of the disaster at the Abaezi illegal oil refinery to know the relief to give to families of the victims.
During a recent to the state where minister was said to have been represented by Alhassan Nuhu, Director of relief and Rahabiilitation in the ministry, she had said that the visit to the state was part of efforts ’’to know the volume of relief to provide to the families affected during the incident’’.
The minister may have made Uzodinma, the state governor to understand that the purpose of the impact assessment exercise is to assist the victims in building their lives back’’. The Imo state governor may have made a U-turn to earlier position not to pay Compensation to the victims but to support the ministerial action because the mney is coming from the national treasury.
Perhaps to avoid a repeat of the fire disaster in the area in the future, an aggrieved Farouq, was said to have appealed to traditional rulers, Community Leaders, religious Leaders, women and youth groups to join hands with the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, ‘‘to serve as watchdog to curb the activities of the oil thieves involved in the establishment of illegal refineries in the Egbema Community.
There is no gainsaying the fact that most of the oil thieves involved in the illegal oil refinery business at the forest, in Abaezi Community are non-indigenes who had succeed in co-opting the indigenes into it,and also giving the teeming unemployed youths job as well as turning Egbema women, from Imo and Rivers states, into Petrol and kerosene dealers, where some are making ‘’petrol naira’’ to buy vehicles and build decent houses.
It is not surprising why analysts fear that it would be difficult to stop the illegal bunkering business in the area because of the pecuniary gains. The Oil thieves may have gone underground for now because of the government attention in the area but there are rumours making the rounds that they may have relocated to another location.
This is why Usman Akali Baba,Inspespector General of Police, IGP, may have deploy more security operatives to the state to keep watch over the movement of vehicles around the forests I Abacheke and Abaezi for them to be able apprehend the barons and their customers both within and outside the Egbama clan.
