Finger-pointing

Hardball

WORSENING insecurity across the country generates various narratives of blame. The mass abduction of students from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, by suspected bandits, on December 11, generated another story about who is responsible for heightened banditry in the Northwest region.  Thankfully, the abductees have been released.

All Progressives Congress (APC) acting Deputy National Publicity Secretary Yekini Nabena said in a statement: “Our security agencies have intelligence reports linking one of the Northwest governors to collusion and sponsorship of violent and criminal activities of bandits. I won’t give details because of the sensitive and security nature of the issue.”

Five of the seven states in the Northwest are controlled by APC, the federal ruling party.  The governors are: Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Aminu Masari (Katsina); Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).

The two other states in the geo-political region are controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party. The governors are Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Bello Matawalle (Zamfara).

Though the APC spokesman did not name the governor allegedly sponsoring bandits in the region, he said enough to suggest the governor’s identity.  He listed the PDP among “enemies of the country who seek political gains from issues of insecurity.”

By mentioning the PDP, he suggested that the alleged evil sponsor is a member of that party. It is understandable that he pointed in the direction of his party’s main rival. It is also understandable that he seemed to have ruled out the possibility that the alleged evil sponsor could be from his own party.

Is the allegation true?  The claim that a Northwest governor is to blame for the increasing cases of banditry in the region cannot excuse the failure of the authorities to find a solution to insecurity.

In the Northeast, after the recent massacre of farmers by Boko Haram terrorists at Zabarmari, Borno State, the army said the enemies of Nigeria were supporting the group to destabilise the country. The acting director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, spoke of “an international conspiracy to cut Nigeria to size.”

Also, the army claimed that local saboteurs were working against the counter-terrorism effort, and issued a statement warning “all groups or communities hobnobbing with Boko Haram/ISWAP to sever such relations.”

Are the allegations true?  Blaming alleged international backers of terrorism and alleged local collaborators for the prolonged war on terrorism cannot excuse the failure of the country’s armed forces.  The armed forces are expected to surmount such challenges, if they exist, to achieve the objective of the anti-terrorism effort.

The point is finger-pointing won’t end kidnapping, banditry and terrorism, the major threats to security in the country. Only decisive action will.