By Lateef Adegbite
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former minister of Finance and Coordinating minister of the Economy, during the former President Goodluck’s Administration and now Director General, World Trade Organisation, WTO, is not a happy woman. This is because of what is happing in Nigeria, the most populous country in the West African sub region.
Worried by the high level of insecurity in the country, particular, in the northern part of the Federation, occasioned by politicians weaponising the society against their opposition in office , Okonjo-Iweala, who had served the country meritoriously in the past may have sent a message to the Nigerian government still battling to contain the activities of the Islamic Fundamentalist Group, BokoHaram, and the Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, operating in the north east states of Borno, Yobe and theBandits Group, operating in the north western states states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi,Kaduna and Katsina and the kidnappers , that the country cannot acieve the much expected socio-economic development without security.
Her worry was that ‘’security has been weaponised in Nigeria for political purposes by the political actors, which had somewhat dragged the country backward over the years. An aggrieved Okonjo-Iweala, who wants the best for her country, Nigeria, may have hit the nail on the head when he said that politicians who believe that the best way to make their opponents look bad is ‘’to instigate insecurity and making the people believe that if given the opportunity they can govern the country better are not helping matters.
Given the loss of faith by the residents of Gobir Community in Sokoto state on the military and other security and intelligence agencies to protect lives and property, in the face of the continued attack by Bandits and reported kidnap cases in the Community may have informed why thousands of people who could no longer bear it had taken the battle to the forests hideouts of the bandits turned kidnappers who have been terrorizing their Community in the recent years.
The Bandits turned kidnappers, may have pushed the residents of Gobir Community to the wall to have resorted ‘’to the hahada actions’’ to confront the Bandits to rescue the over 150 kidnapped victims of the Community and recover the remains of Mohammad Bawa, the slain district head of the Community .
The bold initiative taken by the people of the Gobir Community in Sokoto state may have sent a signal to the Bandits operating between the north western state and Republic of Niger that the game is up. The armed Gobir residents who were said to have braved the odds at the risks of their lives were said to have killed scores of the trigger-hungry Bandits in the forests gun duel.
Senator Shehu Sani, an activist, had said that the Shahada actions initiated by residents of Gobir Communitity in Sokoto state, described as a mass movement ‘’to fumigate and disinfect the north western states’ forests and farmlands is the only ‘’solution to the incessant and intractable problems of the cruelty and menace of banditry in the region.
The Shahada action taken by the residents of the Gobir Community may have encouraged the Bandits turned kidnappers operating around the Gobir axis to kidnap Isa Bawa , the Emir of Gobir, and blood brother of the slained Bawa, the district head of Gobir Community.
The abductors of the Emir, were said to have demanded for N60 million ransom to secure Emir’s release from custody. There are indications that the Emir’s relatives, with the help of some power brokers in the state and ahmad Aliyu, the governor are close to raising the funds.
Gobir Community residents’ battle against the Bandits may have set the stage for other flashpoint Communities in the Kaduna and Zamfara to confront the Bandits squarely. This is evident going by what happened recently at Matusgi village in Talata Mafara Local Government in Zamfara, home state of Bello Abdullahi Matawalle, minister of State, Defense, under the present President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Administration.
Matawalle, may have known that if the crisis in Sokoto, is not properly handled, it may snowball to a major conflict between the Fulanis and Housas, that may lead to the collapse of Nigeria. It was not surprising why he has directed, Christopher Musa, an Army General and Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, and other service Chiefs to move to Sokoto, which is the Headquarters of General Officer Commanding, GOC, with him as part of an intensified efforts by the Federal Government ‘’to rid the north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Katsina, of the menace of Banditry, terrorism and kidnapping activities.
The minister, who had said that that ‘’the strategic move underscores the unwavering commitment of the government to restoring peace and security in the north west, stated that they will use the opportunity of being in Sokoto, to supervise the military operations and ensure that Bello Tunji and his Bandits gang are flushed out from the Caliphate state.
More worrisome was the news making the news making the rounds that the Bandits, operating in Kwashabawa axisis , in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara state had allegedly circulated videos of a Nigerian military armoured vehicle that was stuck in a water logged area and late at night, had asked the officers to withdraw to avoid being ambushed by the Bandits and killed. The video was said to have gone viral to further provoke the Nigerian military.
The former Zamfara state governor, who was said to have had a running battle with the Bandits , had said that the Tinubu’s Administration is fully prepared ‘’to deploy all the necessary security assets to ensure that these criminal elements are flushed out from Sokoto and peace restored to other parts of the north western geopolitical region.. He had said that ‘’the time is up for the bandits and terrorists to drop their guns and surrender, noting that the military has stepped up their operations that will further weaken base bandits across the country.
Matawalle, who could not hide his feelings, may have gladdened the heart of the people of Sokoto state, Zamfara, Kebbi Kaduna and Katsina when he disclosed that ‘’the security agencies operatives will not leave any stone unturned until the criminal elements are completely flushed out’’ .
In a related development, Taoreed Lagbaja, a Lt. General and Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, may have corroborated the minister’s assurance to Nigeraians, when he declared during the closing ceremony of the CoAS, combined second and third Quarters Conference , 2024, on Thursday, August 29, 2024, at Uyo, Capital of Akwa Ibom, home state of Goswill Akpabio, Senate President, that ‘’the military would soon surmount the prevailing security challenges facing the country’’.
There is no gainsaying the fact that between 2020 and now, the north western states of Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna, Katsina including the north eastern states of Borno and Yobe and the north central states of Niger, Benue, Plateau, Naarawa and Taraba, had experienced about 10,000, attacks, resulting in the killing of over 55, 910 people while 2,705 others were said to have been abducted .
