Buhari’s Assurance Of Putting End To Insecurity In Nigeria Was Promise Made, But Not Kept

AGUNLOYE ADEWUNMI BASHIRU

During the electioneering campaign of the Retired General Muhammadu Buhari in the year 2015, the selling point of his campaign then was premised on putting an end to insecurity, unemployment and corruption. Five years down the road, the promise of President Buhari in the three areas which are insecurity in Nigeria, high rate of unemployment and corruption, most especially in government circle, is elusive.

It is evident that the present government has failed in all ramifications in the areas of security, unemployment and fighting of corruption, but mostly hit is in the area of providing security for its citizens.

The situation of insecurity in Nigeria since five years when the present administration came on board is so pathetic particularly the tormenting, rapping, killing, massacring and kidnapping being perpetrating by the notorious terrorists groups, Boko Haram and lately the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and criminal herdsmen.

Between the terrorist groups (Boko Haram and ISWAP) and the criminal herdsmen, many lives have been lost, properties destroyed and people displaced from their ancestral homes. The only difference between the terrorists groups in Nigeria and the criminal herdsmen is that (Boko Haram and ISWAP)’s operation area is only in the Northern Nigeria most especially in the north-east, while the  criminal herdsmen are operating both in the middle belt and lately in the south west of Nigeria ( Oyo, Ogun, Ekiti and Ondo) states.)

Herdsmen often time indiscriminately invade farm land forcefully, kidnapped, destroyed and also rapped their victims’ wives and daughters after killing them. Many reported cases and unreported cases of kidnapping and killings by the criminal herdsmen under the disguised of cattle rearing on the farm lands and in the process, they kidnapped, demand for ransoms to the tone of millions of naira and after collecting the ransoms from their victims’ families, they still go ahead to kill there captives.

Many cases of herdsmen kidnappings and killings have been reported in Nigeria and many millions have been paid in ransoms to the criminal herdsmen and the perpetrators of this criminal act have not been arrested to face the wrath of the law. The criminals are just having  field days without being caught and it is like they have a political immunity like politicians in power.       

The most recently reported case of herdsmen notoriety is the kidnapping and killing in December last year of a prominent farmer, Dr. Fatai Aborode near his farm along Apodun village, Igangan in Oyo State, South West Nigeria. The philanthropist was garrulously murdered on his expanse of farm land that was said to have employed several natives of the town. According to the report, the offence of Dr. Aborode was that he complained about the invasion and destruction of his farm land by the herders’ cows and in the process he was killed by the criminal herdsmen.

This is just one of the many cases of herdsmen kidnapping and killing in the South West of Nigeria in the year 2019, Mrs. Funke Olakunri, daughter of Chief Reuben Fasoranti, an   Afenifere chieftain was kidnapped and murdered around Owo area in Ondo State .

Chief Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria, was also kidnapped on his farm land in Ondo State, although not killed, ransom was paid before his released.

Not only in the south west, kidnappings and killings of farmers by the criminal herdsmen has become a recurring event in the middle belt states of Taraba, Benue, Plateau and Adamawa to mentioned but the few.

While all the kidnappings and killings by the terrorists groups: (Boko Haram and Islamic States West Africa Province), armed banditry and criminal herdsmen continue without any sign of ending and the Nigerian Military’s failure to arrest the situation, Nigerians have continued to agitate that the Federal Government of Nigeria should sack all the Service Chiefs for their failure to secure the lives of Nigerians. the Presidency refused to yield to the clamouring of the people, not until recently when all the service chiefs resigned.

 The tenure of the immediate past service chiefs witnessed increase in cases of insurgency, armed banditry and criminal herdsmen (kidnappings and killings).

According to reports from 2017 t0 2020, criminal herdsmen have killed over 1,400 people. In 2020 alone, more than 500 people were killed and over 100 people kidnapped.

The failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria under this present administration of President Buhari to find a lasting solution to insecurity problem in Nigeria shows that the government is encouraging the insurgency groups, armed banditry and criminal herdsmen to continue to carry out their kidnappings and killings.

The way and manner the government in the past five years is treating the cases of insecurity shows that criminals have immunity in Nigeria

Also the recent action of President Buhari to nominate the four immediate past service chiefs as non-career ambassadors when it shows  from all indications that they have failed Nigerians during their tenure in office.

If the instrument of the law is used by the Federal Government of Nigeria, we are certainly not going to find ourselves in this sorry state as far as insurgency and herdsmen activities are concerns.

It is glaring that lack of political will by the federal government of Nigeria in the past five years to tackle insecurity in the country is the bane of our pathetic situation. From all indications, government is deliberately not doing the needful to arrest the situation.

Clearly, the “promise made” by this government when campaigning for votes of Nigerians over five years ago is “promise not kept”.

Agunloye Adewunmi Bashiru can be reached at bagunloye@gmail.