Confusion continues

Hardball

There is confusion in the land. News of the release of more than 300 students abducted from Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, turned out to be fake.  After the initial public excitement that greeted the news died down, there were questions about how such fake news was circulated in the first place. The false information was attributed to social media.

Commissioner of Police Abutu Yaro clarified the issue in a statement, saying, “From the records available to the police command, the abducted students have not been released. However, the command in collaboration with other security agencies and the state government are intensifying efforts that will lead to the safe rescue of the students.”

Then there was news that the state government was collaborating with supposedly reformed bandits to negotiate the release of the schoolgirls abducted by unreformed bandits. This was another evidence of confusion.

Governor Bello Matawalle was reported saying, “We are using the leaders of the repentant bandits to rescue the schoolgirls from the kidnappers. Very soon, we are going to witness the release of the abductees.”

Using so-called ex-bandits to negotiate with unrepentant bandits is a sign that the authorities are confused and don’t know what to do to rescue the abductees. It is bad enough that the state government is negotiating with bandits-cum-kidnappers. The situation is worsened by the fact that those negotiating on behalf of the government are said to be former bandits.

The governor added that his administration “is going to continue the peace process with bandits, considering its impact in addressing security challenges facing the state.”  This means that security in the state is now the responsibility of the government and lawless bandits.

There was further evidence of confusion when traditional rulers in the state visited Matawalle “to express our sympathy over the abduction of our children.”  Their chairman, the Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, said to the governor: “We are seriously disturbed by the development which we know is not your fault… this is something ordained by God and so, cannot be termed as a weakness…”

The idea that the abduction was predestined means that the security architecture is not to blame. It reflects confusion to think that the abduction could not have been prevented by an effective security system because it was something like an act of God.

After striking mass kidnapping of students in Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, Kagara and Jangebe in Borno, Yobe, Katsina, Niger and Zamfara states, the confusion continues. It is a tragic continuity.