When Azurfa Lois John boarded the ill-fated passenger train from Abuja to Kaduna, the idea of being kidnapped by some gun-wielding men was never in her mind. She was self-assured that in some two hours she would be in the arms of her family members. She looked forward to reuniting with her loved ones in Kaduna.
Then, the unexpected happened. She was kidnapped with scores of others and herded into the bush. Nearly five months after this dastardly abduction of innocent passengers that led to national and global outrage, this terror gang has turned Azurfa and her co-travelers into commercial goods for profiteering
The kidnap saga took a new dimension in public discourse when news filtered from the group that if nothing was done fast to secure the quick release of Azurfa, she may be married to the terror leader as was done in the case of Leah Sharibu. This threat recalls to memory Leah who was abducted by Boko Haram elements some years back and still in the den of her abductors on account of her refusal to convert to Islam.
The negotiators have called on the Federal Government and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to pay for the release of Azurfa or risk another Leah’s episode. That Sharibu is still in the woods with her captors reflects the failings of our security agencies and, by extension, the government that has failed in guaranteeing the safety of citizens. When a government fails in its responsibility to secure lives and property; such a government ceases to be taken seriously.
It was after the threat by the group to marry off Azurfa that forced me to view the profile of the lady whose fate may take the path of Leah. In her case, what the bandits are looking for is money and not conversion.
On a closer scrutiny, I came to the startling discovery that Azurfa is the daughter of a gentleman I have interacted with closely some three years ago. As a staff with the National Population Commission in Abuja, John, who went the way of all flesh nearly two years ago, was a quintessential man who loved his country and family. I am sure that his entitlements have not been paid since leaving the service.
After his demise, I was reliably informed, his wife, Azurfa’s mum, passed on, too. Since the death of both parents, Azurfa and her siblings have passed through excruciating times. Her cousin who was on that ill-fated journey has been released, but somehow, the orphan girl, who is the second child of late John, has her hope being diminished with the passing of every day. Her hope of getting N100 million is almost unrealisable as it would be easier for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for that sum to be paid.
Without any help from the government or generous persons or organisations to come to her aid, there is no way Azurfa can be released to come home. With the storming of the Kuje Prisons in Abuja and eventual escape of Boko Haram commanders and members, the bandits have resorted to negotiating with family members of victims, leading to the present release of each victim on installments. Initially, the earlier promise by negotiators to secure the release of the abducted hit the rock when it became obvious that the government was not willing to cave in to the outrageous demands of the kidnappers. With the gunmen occupying the forest and calling the shots, some relatives of the abducted have no option but to sell everything to get their kidnapped relatives released.
As I recall the dehumanising conditions of victims now in the den of their captors, I am forced to question what their crimes are. If they cannot raise these ransoms to earn them release from their prisoners, should President Muhammadu Buhari who took oath to protect them not rise up to the occasion and pay the ransom of the poor?
We have seen public officials involved in mind-boggling heist. Instead of sending these public thieves to jail, we allow them to enter into plea bargains with the anti-graft agencies in order to escape with the elephant quantity of their loot. What is the essence of allowing someone who has stolen hundreds of billions of Naira from public coffers just to part with a minute portion of what he has stolen? What form of a rotten system anchored on the promotion of corruption behind this plea bargain arrangement?
We are living in strange and weird times when being a Nigerian has criminalized citizens. The lesson we learn from the exploitative ransom demanded by kidnappers is indicative of the fact that we all must strive to steal and make money. Abductors of the ill-fated train passenger have declared that all victims and their relatives must strive to make money in order to pay their way to safety. What a strange country!
That the kidnappers have reached out to CAN and the Federal Government clearly shows that they are in business. Having snubbed government negotiators by raising the ransoms to the ceiling, thereby truncating the release of victims, CAN seems to be the only organisation that can attract sympathy through quick payment of the ransoms.
It is heart-rending to think of the trauma being currently experienced by these victims of banditry who have been exposed to harsh elements of the weather. It is apparent that if the relatives of the poor lady or benevolent people are unable to pay the ransom, Azurfa the orphan cannot hope of returning home.
The banditry in Kaduna State has grown so fearsome that Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai recently wrote a letter to the President Muhammadu Buhari that bandits have created a parallel government in the state.
If the essence of any government is to protect the lives of citizens, then, it is obvious that the government has failed the victims and relatives of victims still wallowing in the den of this dare devil kidnappers. Considering the failure of government to secure and protect these unfortunate victims of terror attacks, one can understand the anger of citizens over the recent purchase of cars by the Nigerian government for Niger Republic. What father will allow his child to be left at the mercy of criminals, while he spends his money to take care of children outside his home? It is pathetic indeed.
There is no justification whatsoever in allowing the remaining victims to be left in the forest on account of their inability to pay. Except the government is sending a clear message that everyone should be for himself, the time has come for the present administration to wade in and save the situation. That explains why the search for Buhari’s replacement should be about the security of citizens in 2023. The president promised to be at the front in order to secure the people, but he seems helpless now. Over seven years down the road, we are worse off in terms of security than what we are presently experiencing.
Now is the time to pay up and ensure the release of the poor victims. To be unable to pay N100 million should not be a crime. Azurfa and her co-travelers deserve a safe passage home.
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