“200 people maimed; houses burnt; families displaced”…this very line is not a scene that we are not conversant with in a nation where bloodletting has reached a climax. The major actors are of course either Fulani herdsmen or Boko Haram – and how shall we leave out the federal government and security agencies whose primary objective is to protect innocent and defenseless citizens that are victimized by these attacks?
The continual butcheries that have plagued the northern parts of the nation are nothing less than a national disaster as well as a disgrace to the agencies that have grossly failed in their responsibilities to put a stop to these killings. It is even disturbing to hear the presidential media aide, Femi Adesina compare the number of deaths from such killings [under the current administration] to the figure recorded under the previous government with some sense of pomp. When has the lives of men, women and children become a factor for gaining political advantage?
Cold reaction
There is no doubting the fact that hatred resides in the heart of the evil Fulani herdsmen who delight in dealing devastating blows to fellow human beings [like what we had in Plateau]; what is however more worrisome is the cold reaction that is being exhibited by the government of the Federation. The truth is that Nigerians are looking to the government to take more proactive security measures to smother the situation; more is needed than just lame promises that have not resulted into any real good overtime. The President, Muhammadu Buhari was quoted as saying: “We will not rest until all murderers and criminal elements and their sponsors are incapacitated and brought to justice” but if I may ask: “what has become of the leaders of the Miyetti Allah group that have, time and again, shown their terrorizing instincts? If an operation ‘Python dance’ or ‘Crocodile tears’ had been swiftly set up to quell crises in the south, why has there not been something similar in the north? Could it be that the resources coming out from the south are more valuable than the human lives being wasted in the north?
Arguments have ensued over the motive behind these violence – some persons believe they are some sort of religious or ethnic cleansing – but from a neutral view, one cannot blame the government for its incompetence in finding a lasting solution to this issue; this has been the reason why the ‘sons of hell’ keep tormenting the land.
It is apparent that there are loopholes in the security structure that is in place and it is quite pathetic that the Presidency has allowed the same set of service chiefs that have not been able to work out plans to prevent these carnages to continue in their respective offices. And can one disregard the near ‘northernization’ of the nation’s security architecture at this point? There is a high tendency that the imbalance observable in the security setup serves as a catalyst for the lethargic response from security agencies.
On the other hand, the government’s unwillingness to tackle this issue assertively has made some persons to raise alarm over the perceived complicit role the federal government might be playing in letting these killings fester. This kind of insinuation may continue except the federal government come up with something more convincing and effective to arrest the recurring spate of violence, and bring the perpetrators to justice.