Nigeria Becoming A Theatre of Killings

AGUNLOYE ADEWUNMI BASHIRU

All over the world, one of the very critical and important responsibilities of the government is to protect the citizens, lives and properties, but when this is elusive, such government it become an irresponsible one. That is the situation we are now in Nigeria.  

For over five years now Nigeria as a country has turned into a theatre of killings, also we can christened Nigeria as killings factories because terrorists groups such as the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group and lately the splinter group  Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) has continued to terrorize the North East Nigeria states of Yobe, Adamawa, Borno. Armed Fulani herdsmen and armed bandits have been perpetrating violent killings in the North West of Nigeria of Benue, Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara states. 

Over the period of five years, Boko Haram terrorist group, /Islamic State of West Africa Province individually  have reported to have killed hundreds of thousands of people including the civilians ,military personnel and workers of international agencies distributing relief materials to the affected areas by carrying out unnecessary killing of innocent Nigerians both the young and old, while many people have been displaced from their homes, destroyed schools and religious places of worship both churches and mosques, markets and other important places burnt down and military formations either destroyed or burnt down. 

Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State’s West Africa Province have carried out series of insurgency attacks using children and women  in suicide bombing or using sophisticated ammunitions such as machine guns, raffles and many other weapons as well as small arms to perpetrated their dastardly terror attacks mostly targeting the civilians.

The activities of terrorists in the North East have destroyed and disrupted the education of thousands of children due to burning down schools and killings of teachers. 

Many of the kidnapped girls taken away from their school in Chibok by Boko Haram some years ago are still missing without any hope of them reuniting with their parents.

All this make one to wonder what are the motives behind the terrorism activities being perpetrated by the notorious Boko Haram? Also, it is not clear where the terrorists derived their doctrine from because Islam the insurgency group and Islamic State’s West Africa Province are claiming forbids killings of innocent people and kidnapping girls for forced marriage without the consent of either those kidnapped and their parents. 

With all the terror attacks by the Boko Haram and its like, one can confidently conclude that all terrorist groups whether in Nigeria, Africa or anywhere in the world are carrying out selfish motives .

On their part, the armed Fulani herdsmen have massacred thousands of people in recent time in some states in the North West. They not only killed, but they also rapped women at will and destroyed farmlands worth billion of naira.

The activities of these herdsmen have turned many women to widow and children to orphans, while owners of farmlands have suddenly become paupers as a result of the armed herdsmen carnage. 

Armed bandits that is common in the North West of Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara has made scores of innocent people to lost their precious lives as a result of the senseless killings.

Killings from the activities of terrorists groups notably the Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province in the past five years is alarming and it has now turned to a monthly affair because in recent times, every month the incident of terror attacks and garrulous killing happened in the North East Nigeria. 

According to investigation and research carried out by a civil society group “Nigeria Mourns” as reported in the Saturday Vanguard of September 12, 2020. It is reported that at least 1,165 people were killed in violent attacks in the North Western region of Nigeria between January and August this year and about 113 people kidnapped in that region alone in the last eight months and all these were recorded in seven states of Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kano, Jigawa and Kebbi.

During those months of killings, Kaduna State recorded 468, Katsina State 376, Zamfara State 204, Sokoto State 96, Kano State 10, Jigawa State 10 while Kebbi State recorded only one killing. From these killings,  armed bandits incidents recorded the highest number of killings with 1,068 persons killed, Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province were said to be responsible for five killings,  armed Fulani herdsmen recorded 73 killings with six person died in isolated attacks and 13 from extrajudicial killings.

While all these unnecessary killings continue, the government keeps claiming that the fight against insecurity is yielding the “desired “results. Also the military authority has claimed severally that the Boko Haram terrorist group has been defeated or decimated, but the situation still remains the same and terror attacks continue with resultant killings, murdering and maiming of innocent citizens of North East and North West Nigeria. While also activities of armed bandits, armed Fulani herdsmen and kidnapping for ransom are persistence in Nigeria. 

The lives and properties of Nigerians are not secured, citizens are living in fear because there is no solution in sight.

The question now is when is Nigerian Government going to rise to the responsibility of protecting the lives of citizens from those perpetrating the act of terrorism and killings with no just cause?

Agunloye Adewunmi Bashiru writes this piece from Lagos, Nigeria and he can be reached at bagunloye@gmail.com