Schoolgirls’ Kidnap And Eruku Attack In Perspective

The week has been awfully busy for Nigerians as they woke up on Tuesday to be confronted with a gory tale of the schoolgirl kidnap saga in Kebbi State. As the news filtered, some hurriedly dismissed it as unsubstantiated. Gradually, it became clear as the day, the country is yet enmeshed in another abduction that recalled the Chibok schoolgirls who drew local and global outrage in April 2014. At a time when public discourse is in battle between the use of ‘genocide’ and ‘killings’, some repudiated the story initially, stressing that it was a deliberate attempt to downplay the outcry against the attack on Christian worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State. The fact has become unquestionable that, indeed, no fewer than 25 schoolgirls were abducted in the early hours of Monday, with the vice principal of the school cold-bloodedly murdered.

Return To Past

The Kebbi saga and the sacrilegious attacks on worshippers in Kwara, including the killing of a military general in the theatre of insurgency reflect the growing security challenges plaguing the country. If a nation cannot protect its men and women who bear arms, how can they be trusted to protect the ordinary citizens whose lives have been turned into a chess game? The reaction of the presidency was spontaneous. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu postponed his trip to attend the G-20 summit to take full charge of the security situation.

At a time when some Nigerians and the government are insisting there was no genocide against Christians, the daredevils made a lie of that denial. Captured in a video clip that was shared across various social media platforms, the incident has caused international outrage and provided content to pro-genocide campaigners to ramp up their campaigns on international platforms.

Top government officials, including Nigeria’s foreign minister, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, have been engaged in putting out the fire inflamed against the country as a haven for killers. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, led a team to the United States to explain the true position on the killings. It seems that more than ever before since the inauguration of the Tinubu-led administration, the monsters are baring their fangs to swallow the country. More than anything, those who have always deployed insecurity as a political force are deploying the wings of the night to further wreak havoc and enforce a regime as they did in 2015. When things go around; they also come around.

Red Security Alert

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Hon Mohammed Idris, announced on Wednesday that the Federal Government has issued a red security alert to combat attacks in the country. Idris not only urged citizens to unite in solidarity but to support current efforts by the security forces to secure the country from non-state actors involved in warfare against the Nigerian state. The minister reiterated that the government was confident that current security operations aimed at decimating the firepower of terror groups and rescuing the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls would soon yield results.

The minister’s declaration was swiftly followed by a warning from the military that called on members of terror groups to either surrender and embrace peace or be immediately obliterated. As the armed forces attempted to recapture the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls, the murder of a top military brass engaged in the battle against insurgents was brutally killed.

While timelines are yet to serve any useful purpose, the warning to terror groups by the armed forces that they cease warfare against the Nigerian people has not yielded any positive impacts. It’s clear to all that defeating non-state actors in terrorism goes beyond a verbal declaration. They must be met frontally. As long as there are ungoverned spaces in the country, so long will these men-at-arms opposed to the peace and unity of the country continue to flourish in turning our nation into a killing field.

Act Now

While the Tinubu administration should be commended for rising to the occasion to rein in the bloodshed in the country, many Nigerians are calling on the government to walk the talk to secure the lives and property of citizens. The primary responsibility of the government is to secure the lives and property of citizens. In a situation where citizens are killed, and no concrete actions are taken against these non-state actors, the consequences may be severe. Safeguarding the survival of the nation is not the prerogative of only the security forces; the communities and other critical stakeholders must wake up and support the government.

As insecurity deepened with the approaching polls in 2027, political leaders may be thinking more of surviving the electoral contest that is ahead. With the way these terror groups are operating, the chances of having a country to rule in 2027 are grossly diminished if nothing concrete is done to deal with these recurring tragedies of bloodshed wrecking the country. Our political leader must, for now, forget about 2027. There is no guarantee that anyone will survive to witness the year. My fear is the absence of a consensus process attracting men and women from all divides to find solutions to our common problems.

The region that once provided that consensus platform has been weakened considerably, and fear is almost engrossing the land. What the country needs now are citizens and leaders who have a genuine love for Nigeria. They must rise up and seize the present moments that hold so much promise but painful despair.