PROUDLY NIGERIAN SECURITY

A friend of mine handed me a pack of chin-chin, while I ate the crunchy snacks, I took note of the proudly Nigerian logo on the pack. My mind began to think of the numerous possibilities of Nigerian creativity and its accomplishments thus far when my friend asked me looking at his phone if I had heard of the Baga 185 killings.

http://premiumtimesng.com/news/130681-185-killed-2000-houses-razed-in-borno-town-baga-as-soldiers-boko-haram-fight.html

The Baga killings took place in Baga, Borno state, north eastern Nigeria when operatives of the Joint Task Force in an attempt to round off suspected members of the Boko Haram in a mosque had their effort result in the death of one its men. They reinforced and returned. According to the commander of the JTF in Baga, the Boko Haram opened fire on them with Grenade propelled launchers which has heavy conflagration on impact.

 

The best effort of the JTF however resulted in the death of 185 persons all of whom are civilians including women and children. One soldier’s death has resulted in the death of 185 persons. At the time of this piece, the government is yet to release an official statement on the killings. Not that the statement will bring back the lives of the dead but it shows responsiveness to irresponsibility and negligence.

Negligence is a word often taken for granted in this clime. The Federal Government since return to democratic rule has been a very negligent one. Directly and indirectly, the federal government has been responsible for more deaths than the Boko Haram can possibly be proud of. However, the PDP controlled federal government is yet to acknowledge responsibility for its continued negligence at the helm of affairs in Nigeria.

Only recently, we saw how the Boston Police department rounded off terror suspect after a few days. Not a single civilian casualty in the buildup. Osama Bin Laden was hunted for years. When the CIA eventually found his hide out, a highly tactical and covert operation ended his reign as terror king. Nigeria may not have the intelligence needed to hunt or track down leaders of the Boko Haram, but why is Nigeria permitting her own army to carry out raids that claim lives of Nigerian civilians guilty only of innocence?

In climes where human lives have any value other than being target practice for blood thirsty soldiers, plans to fish out suspects are such that hostage situations do not arise while civilian casualty is eliminated or reduced significantly. That was clearly not the case in Baga. Over 2000 houses were burnt and several others have been hospitalized having sustained critical injuries.

Northern Nigeria has been fraught with difficult peace as a small sect has been largely successful at destabilizing the region. The Federal Government has been quite unsuccessful with its proudly Nigerian solution to the insurgency. It thought the relative success of the JTF in the creeks could be replicated against a terror organisation. However, the JTF with this latest act shown how poorly coordinated and thoughtless it is.

 

It appears the JTF took out its frustration on the civilian community for the death of one its men. Or perhaps they were overwhelmed by a few terrorists behind RPGs? Just what is the justifiable explanation behind the death of 185 civilians? The Brigadier General Edokpaye led JTF in Borno should be made to face a parliamentary hearing on how its activities turned counter-productive.

With its inability to speak up quickly on the death of its citizens in Baga community where the people have taken refuge in the forest unsure of who to trust, Nigeria is fast disintegrating.  How much longer before people take to the streets, in arms and tread the path of avoidable anarchy? If a surviving community in Baga have refused the entreaty of the governor to return to the town, it is obvious that the people have lost faith in their government.

It is a fact that absolute security is a Utopian ideal, but absolute fear and insecurity should not be a proudly Nigerian phenomenon. The Nigerian people are largely not uninformed about the Baga incidence but news of it will soon become public knowledge. Yet the government is showing through its loud silence that it is perfectly normal for its paid army to compete with a terrorist organization at the killing of its own citizens.

It might have been a long time ago but we cannot wish away a similar occurrence in Odi, Bayelsa state. Then there was Biu where several civilian deaths occurred following the death of a soldier.  There is a pattern emerging here where the government forces paid to protect Nigerian citizens is determined to compete with the terror organization.

I pray God grant the dead a peaceful repose while I also pray that the families of the deceased have the fortitude to bear the irreplaceable losses. In the interim, well meaning Nigerians will begin a relief to the affected and displaced citizens of Baga because the people there have lost faith in their government. There is urgent need to reorganize our military as they have little understanding of the term civilian presence. Our proudly Nigerian initiatives can be brought to the fore of problems like these but sadly it is serving other purposes including permitting civilian deaths.

------

Boko Haram amnesty update

The 26 man committee set up by the president to begin the process of dialogue and amnesty with the sect have not begun work owing to withdrawals of at least three persons from the committee for various reasons.

While the amnesty offer for which a committee was setup is laughable in the first place, it is quite embarrassing to read that one member of the said committee was not informed prior to his appointment to the committee. Such level of disorganization is equally proudly Nigerian and characteristic of this administration that has carried out most of its activities through committees.

Boko Haram for emphasis sake is a terror organization and is an unbeliever in constitutions. It is also an unbeliever or dissident to democracy. On what basis therefore will the committee begin its so-called dialogue with the sect? Perhaps, the committee will preach repentance to the sect and then in tears, they will accept a state pardon and lay down their arms?