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  • Chibok, Dapchi girls, others not abandoned to their fate, says NSCDC boss

    Chibok, Dapchi girls, others not abandoned to their fate, says NSCDC boss

    The federal government and security agencies are on the trails of kidnapped schools boys and girls across the country,  the Commandant-General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) , Ahmed Audi, disclosed this on Tuesday, October 31. 

    Audi said all security agencies have keyed into the strategy adopted by the federal government to locate the whereabouts of the students who are still missing and ensure their safe returns to their homes. 

    He spoke at the headquarters of the Corps in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the forthcoming maiden National Summit on Identified Threats and Security Elements Affecting the Safe Schools Project in Nigeria. 

    He said within the past few months about 48 kidnap attempts and attacks on Schools across the country have been foiled by Security agencies especially in Zamfara and Nasarawa states,  while intelligence gathering have been enhanced to further nip such attacks in the bud. 

    Audi said security agencies would continue to search for the missing Chibok,  and Dapchi girls,  asserting that neither the government nor Security agencies have abandoned them to their fate. 

    He said: “I address you today as part of activities preparatory for our first ever National Summit with the theme: “Tackling Identified Threats in the Nigerian Safe Schools Project,” after the flag-off of the implementation of the National Safe Schools Project which was performed on the 13th February, 2023.

    “It is no longer news that education is known and described as the bedrock of any society. Globally, unfolding trend of events have however presented serious attacks on education with Nigeria as one of the countries badly affected.

    “The abduction of 276 girls in April 2014 from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State, 110 girls from Government Girls Science School, Dapchi in Yobe State, Bethel College Kaduna, Government Secondary School Kagara in Niger State and killing of school boys in Buni Yadi, Yobe State and Greenfield University Kaduna among other numerous attacks on education can attest to the prevalence of such attacks and consequences on the sector.”

    Audi noted that the establishment of the Safe Schools Initiative have significantly reduced the spate of attacks in Schools,  stressing that more successes are being recorded across the country as a result of the project. 

    According to him over 1,800 Security operatives and participants in the Safe Schools Initiative have been trained in the six geopolitical zones of the country on various mechanisms to ensure the safety and security of schools in Nigeria. 

    Read Also: Illegal mining: NSCDC operatives arrest 11 suspects

    Audi expressed the unwavering commitment of Security agencies to bring an end to attacks on education arising from banditry, kidnapping, armed conflict and terrorism, saying the summit would provide opportunity for stakeholders to further brainstorm and strategise on the issues. 

    He explained that the summit which would begin on Thursday in Abuja at NAF Conference, Kado, would enlighten key relevant stakeholders on the coordination role of the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Center as a product of the financing Safe Schools committed by Nigerian government.

    It would also foster a nationwide dialogue that seeks to present systematic reflections and offer practical advice for effective implementation of Safe Schools Project, the CG added. 

    He said besides the participation of all security agencies in the summit, over 300 other institutions and critical stakeholders are expected at the event. 

  • Chibok, Dapchi representatives visit Synagogue to pray for release of Leah Sharibu, others

    Representatives of Chibok in Borno and Dapchi in Yobe yesterday sought spiritual help at The Synagogue, the Church of All Nations, at Ikotun-Egbe, Lagos. They prayed for the release of Leah Sharibu and other pupils kidnapped by Boko Haram.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the representatives, who carried several placards told the General Overseer, Temitope Joshua, that they were at his church because they had exhausted all human efforts to get the pupils released.

    Their spokesman told Joshua that the father of Leah Sharibu could not come with them because he had been bedridden by stroke, as a result of the kidnap of her daughter.

    He said they had been watching the church activities  through a  cable television, hence their joint visit to plead for intercessory prayers.

    The spokesman said they had no doubt that with the approval of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God could trigger the release of the remaining pupils kidnapped in 2014 and 2018.

    The cleric told them that there was nothing impossible in the sight of the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

    He urged the congregation to pray and fast on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, for the release of the remaining schoolgirls.

    He said: “There is nothing God cannot do” and urged all to see the prayer and fasting on the mentioned days as an assignment.

    Some of the placards read: “Please intercede on our behalf for the release of Leah Sharibu, “The remaining 112 students kidnapped in Chibok are yet to be released, please help, among others.

    On April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State.

    Responsibility for the kidnappings was claimed by Boko Haram, a terrorist organisation operating in Northeastern.

    Since 2014, 164 of the girls had regained their freedom, while 112 are still being held by Boko Haram.

    Also on February 19, last year, no fewer than 110 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the insurgents from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC), Dapchi, located in Bulabulin, Yunusari Local Government area of Yobe State.

    One hundred and nine of them  were released, except Leah Sharibu, who was said to have refused to denounce her religion.

  • Why I didn’t visit Chibok – Jonathan 

    …Saboteurs leaked my plans to foreign media

    The Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed why he refused to visit Chibok after the abduction of about 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State.

    Jonathan in his book, ‘My Transition Hours’ said he had planned to pay an unannounced visit to the community but he had to cancel after information about the proposed visit was leaked to the foreign media.

    He also dismissed the claim that several local government areas were under the control of the insurgents when he handed over power to the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He argued that elections would not have held in those communities if they were not liberated from the control of the insurgents.

    According to him: “Again, I was accused of not visiting Chibok immediately after the abduction of the girls. A lot of assumptions were made. What was not countenanced was the fact that a President moved with security advice from experts because he ceases to be a private citizen the moment he wears the powers of state.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, let me state that I had made up my mind to visit Chibok even against the advice of my Service Chiefs and sent an advance party to the area in preparation for my visit. It was meant to be an unannounced visit.

    “However someone in the know, most likely a saboteur, leaked the information to the Western media and they reported it.

    “Of course when it became public knowledge that I planned to visit Chibok, the security chiefs requested the trip to be cancelled. Their advice was germane and regrettably, my visit had to be cancelled.

    “Sometime, in the heat of the moment, one got the impression that I was being goaded to appear there in the great expectation of something untoward happening to me. I was to access Chibok in a helicopter that would have flown over Boko Haram infested areas.

    “This wave of misinformation on the kidnap of the Chibok girls is similar to the malicious propaganda still being spread by those who saw nothing commendable in all we did to curb the Echo Haram situation in the North East.”

    On whether he was slow in his response to the abduction, the former Presidnet said: “The criticism over alleged slow response was one of those absurd injections into the discourse, but when it comes from eminent persons who were supposed to be circumspect; it began to look more plausible to observers.

    “My administration was not slow in responding to the Chibok incident. How could response have been slow in a military occupied zone? Before the Presidency was alerted by the intelligence services, the military were already on it.

    “As soon as I got the intelligence report, I summoned the service chiefs for briefing. I was informed that the Air Force was already using several surveillance aircraft to search the area.”

    On the number of communities liberated from the insurgents before he handed over, he said: “They claimed that I left several local government areas under the control of the insurgents.

    “Fortunately, the Nigeria military had successfully liberated most of the local governments in the North East from the insurgents; a situation that made it possible for INEC to organise elections in all the affected areas.

    “The towns and communities liberated before the 2015 elections include Bama, Dikwa, Buni Yadi, Baga, Konduga, Madagali, Mubi, Gamboru-Ngala, Michika, Damboa, Monguno, Gwoza, Marte, Gujba, Bara, Hong, Kukawa, Goniri, Askira and Abadam.”

    On efforts made to rescue the girls, Jonathan said he did everything humanly possible to rescue the girls.

    “We did everything humanly possible to locate the girls. I wrote letters to the Presidents of the United States, Barack Obama, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, President of France, Francois Hollande as well as leaders of China, Israel and our neighbouring countries for help.

    “They supported the search in their different ways and capacities but until I left office, it was all to no avail.

    “On several occasions when raids were conducted and news of rescue of hostages filtered in, my hopes were raised but almost immediately dashed when victims were processed and none of the Chibok girls were among those rescued.”

    “As an aside, while thanking the men and women of the US security services who were deployed to Nigeria and toiled day and night in the Northeast in search of the Chibok Girls, my surprise at the role played by the then US. President Barack Obama, still calls to doubt his genuine intentions for Nigeria.”

    Jonathan also blamed Obama for the low success recorded in the fight against Boko Haram.

    “For some strange reasons, the Obama administration had tactically penciled Nigeria and my administration for failure. Amongst many manoeuvres, was the refusal to provide any real military backing to Nigeria’s Armed Forces.

    “President Obama and his security adviser, Susan Rice, bluntly refused to sell any military hardware including jet fighters and attack helicopters to Nigeria.

    “Obama cited the Leahy Law as the reason his regime prevented the American Government from supporting Nigeria in providing weapons to fight Boko Haram.

    “Even when the State of Israel expressed the willingness to sell attack helicopters to Nigeria, the gesture was frustrated by the Obama administration that kept waving the same Leahy Law like a banner.

    “My administration, including a team of international partners with their respective governments, devoted considerable amount of resources in the search and rescue of the girls.

    “I believe one day some of the security experts and actors that were involved in the search and rescue will tell the world the truth about the kidnap of the Chibok school girls.

    “I am glad that at the time of writing this book, some of them have been found and I hope the rest of the girls will be found and re-united with their families.”

     

  • Former Mauritius President meets Chibok, Dapchi girls’ parents

    The Former President of Mauritius, Prof. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, is meeting with some parents of the yet to be released Chibok and Dapchi girls’  in Lagos.

    The closed door meeting holding at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, was convened by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation (MMF), Mrs Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode.

    At least 10 parents of the yet to be released girls were in the meeting which started at about 7.15 p.m.

    Gurib-Fakim is expected to deliver a keynote address at the 2018 Murtala Muhammed Foundation Women Forum on Thursday in Lagos.

    The theme of the forum is “Smart Economics: Empowering Women in a Changing World”. (NAN)

  • Insurgency degrading accounted for Chibok, Dapchi girls release – Buhari

    He said that the routing of the terrorists also accounted for the release of no fewer than 16,000 other persons from their captivity.

    Buhari stated this in a broadcast to mark the 19th year of Nigeria’s democracy and the 3rdanniversary of his administration in Abuja.

    He said that before the inception of his administration, Boko Haram had held large areas of land spanning several local government areas in the North-East.

    He, however, stated that the areas hitherto occupied by the insurgents had been recovered and authority of government re-established.

    The president said that his administration was pained over the loss of lives and properties occasioned by “the carnage of insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country”.

    He assured Nigerians that the Federal Government would not rest until all criminal elements and their sponsors were brought to justice.

    He revealed that government was boosting the capacity of security agencies through recruitment of more personnel, training and procurement of modern equipment, enhancement of intelligence gathering and boosting personnel morale in the face of daunting challenges.

    On the conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Buhari disclosed that the Federal Government had improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, including foods and essential commodities.

    He said that the distribution of the items was being done through various strategies in collaboration with local and international organizations at the IDPs’ camps.

    “In order to minimize the impact of the insurgency on IDPs, government has established camps and has improved the mechanism for the distribution of basic aid, foods and essential commodities.

    “Efforts are in process for resettlement of IDPs in their communities by providing schools, hospitals, clinics, water and sanitation to facilitate quick return to economic activities.

    “Government is similarly implementing de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes to facilitate sustainable peace and development,’’ he said.

    The president, however, deplored the unfortunate incidents of kidnappings, herdsmen and farmers clashes in several communities which had led to high number of fatalities and loss of properties across the country.

    He re-assured that the security challenges were being addressed and that identified culprits and their sponsors would face the full wrath of the law.

    According to him, the three tiers of government are presently engaged with communities and religious organizations to restore peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

    Buhari commended members of the Multinational Joint Task Force drawn from Niger, Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Nigerian security agencies in collaboration with the International Community assisting in the fight against insurgency in the North East.

    “I also commend the gallantry of members of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that have continued to provide security for lives and properties across the country.

    The president also noted that state and local traditional authorities had been helping with much needed intelligence in the fight against insurgency in the country.

    He remarked that the Niger Delta had enjoyed relative peace through social inclusiveness and cooperation of the “elders and the good people of the region.’’

    Buhari reaffirmed that his administration was committed to implementing the comprehensive peace, security and development plan for the region.

    “The environmental clean-up of the region which commenced with the launch in Bodo, Ogoni, in June, 2016 is progressing satisfactorily.

    “Furthermore, farming assets are being revived and investors in cocoa and palm oil plantations are showing serious interest,’’ he added. (NAN)

     

  • Freedom of Leah: CAN declares peaceful protest, prayers

    The Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) has declared intention to embark on peaceful protest and prayers against unending killings and freedom of Leah Sharibu and Chibok school girls on Sunday, April 29.

    CAN made the declaration in a statement following the killing of two Catholic priests; Rev.Fr Joseph Gor, Rev.Fr Felix Tyolaha and 17 worshippers of St. Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor-Mbalom, Gwer East LGA of Benue State.

    The statement signed by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant on Media and Communications to the CAN President, Rev Samson Ayokunle, on Wednesday in Abuja, described the killing as an Anomie.

    He said that the protest is going to hold in every church’s premises to ask the Federal Government and the security agencies to stop the unending killings and bloodshed in the country.

    Oladeji urges all and sundry to continue to pray for peace and tranquility of Nigeria and most importantly, for the parents and relations of all abducted school children.

    He called on Christians to also pray for the bereaved families of those attacked by the Boko Haram terrorists, armed herdsmen, bandits and other criminals.

    He reminded Christians across the federation the importance of the forthcoming general elections and the need for them to fully participate by going to obtain their voters cards.

    The cleric noted that Christians were expected to carry placards on April 29 with inscriptions meant to address issues about sustained killings, attacks and destruction of their property in Nigeria.

    The inscriptions on placards would read enough of bloodshed in Nigeria; enough of unlawful killings in the country, FG, Release Leah Sharibu from bondage, FG, Stop Herdsmen Killings and CAN reject insecurity.

    “We call upon the government to perform their constitutional responsibility of protecting citizens now.

    “No excuse should be given for this wicked act again and perpetrators must be brought to book now,’’ he said.

    Oladeji appealed to the government to mount different effective plans aimed at disarming herdsmen across the northern states and in communities where they have been wreaking havoc across the country.

    He noted that the failure to raise an effective campaign against the killings by herdsmen was the reason they have continued to kill, adding that there was need for visible plan to pacify the aggrieved.

    He also called on the heads of the security agencies to wake up to their constitutional role of protecting lives and property across the federation.

    The CAN official stressed the need for the government to prevent Nigeria from descending into a lawless country.

    He recalled with pains, disappointments, and worries how Nigerians in the North East, Middle Belt and southern parts of Nigeria became endangered with attacks from Boko Haram, herders and bandits.

    “It contends that such developments are not only inimical to the progress and development of Nigeria, they will continue to weaken the unity of the country, if left unchecked,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • The Chibok, Dapchi abductions

    Since 2014 after the abduction of Chibok girls, the social, electronic and print media have been awash with analyses of the albatross called Boko Haram. The security, socio-political and implications for development and peace for our fledgling democracy, especially in Northeast and neighbouring countries and the ECOWAS sub region have been enunciated by incisive and in-depth analysis by notable platforms such as Journalists’ Hangout on Television Continental, Channels TV, Africa Independent Television and others.

    What started in the 1980s as local issue – Bulunkutu riots by Maitasine group have today blossomed and snowballed into a hydra-headed monster that seemed uncontrollable.

    Over 273 teenage school girls were abducted from their hostels in April 2014 by blood thirsty Boko Haram members.

    It took 18 days or so for the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration to admit their abduction. Political blackmail, government’s insincerity, intrigues by those who benefited from the terrorists’ insurgency have all combined to make it more difficult to release the girls. After many denials and half-truths, we were informed that Shekau – the terrorist group’s leader-had been killed only for another video to be displayed that he is still alive.

    The poor girls must have been distributed to sub-groups by the terror group and attempts to help by governments of the United Kingdom, United States and others with intelligence/strategy and military hardware were truncated by corruption.

    The BBOG’s (Bring Back Our Girls) consistent protests have put pressure on government to ensure security of life/property in the country.

    Nigeria has not learnt to use the experience of its military retirees to resolve the country’s challenges, too bad!! During the Vietnam war of 1971-1973, which the U.S.A prosecuted and eventually lost with sophisticated military weaponry. One of my student friends at the University of Guelph, Ontario Canada, once told me emphatically on several occasions that she had not heard from her parents. But she insisted “American cannot win this war.” One day, we prayed to God to act on behalf of the “poor and oppressed” as the Bible says. Despite bombardment of the Vietnamese rice farms by the powerful world power, America lost the war. What were considered as crude but successful innovations helped the Vietnamese to tell their success story. The Nigerian military top brass must read and adapt war books of the past. Denials of truth by federal/state and local government leadership, sycophancy and corruption of great magnitude have been responsible for the debacle called Boko Haram insurgency.

    This situation is unacceptable and makes Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations. Strategies must change. Nigerians must be told the truth. New strategies and weaponry, as well as commitment to the country’s integrity are some of the things to be put in place.

    God help Nigeria to win this terrorist war! Amen.

     

    • By Dn. Adelani Akinola, Lagos.

     

     

  • Don’t despair, Obasanjo tells visiting Chibok parents

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Saturday, received some of the parents of the Chibok girls, who are still kept in an undisclosed location by suspected members of the Boko haram terrorist sect since their abduction from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Bornu State, in July 2014.
    The Chibok parents – comprising 17 women and 13 men, were in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, to plead with Obasanjo to prevail on the Federal government and the International community to expedite action towards freeing  their 112 daughters still in Boko haram captivity.
    The ex – President who received the distraught parents at the Green Legacy Resort within his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library,(OOPL), Abeokuta,  expressed confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s ability to rescue the remaining girls.
    Citing bible passages from John 16 verse 33 and James 1verse 2, he admonished the parents not to despair any longer, saying God who does no evil understands their plights and was capable of bringing succour to them in no time.
    Obasanjo also reminded them that as Christians, it should not be  forgotten that they would experience tribulations and fiery trials in the world such as the one burdening them since four years now, and said God who allowed it, also had a good purpose for it.
    “I want to share with you some of my own thought about the sovereignty of God and what he can do. He is all knowing, powerful and can do anything.
    “I want to share some passages in the bible. Some of the passages in the bible have similar passages in the Holy Qur’an.  (John 16vs 33). I have told you this that you may have  peace and confidence in me, but I the world, you will  have tribulations, trials and distress, and be undaunted for I have overcome the world.
    “That is our Lord Jesus talking  to his disciples and all of us who are Christians are Jesus disciples. Jesus did not say we will not have  Tribulations in the world, he said we will have tribulations, trials and distress. Our faith will be tested.
    “Whatever God allows to happen, he allows it for a good purpose, to test our faith and it is in testing of our faith that our character is shaped and strengthened.
    “I understand how you feel now, I understand your pain and your anguish, God never does evil whatever happens to strengthen and make us perfect,” he said.
    And reading parents’ speech, one of the parents, Mr Yakubu Nkeki, appealed to Obasanjo to “ginger” the Federal Government and world leaders to bring their “daughters back from captivity.”
    Nkeki lamented that in about a month time, it would be four years a total of 276 Chibok school girls were abducted, saying while 162 of them had been set free, 112 others – who are their children, still remained with the terrorist sect.

  • Buhari, Jonathan and the Chibok —Dapchi duel

    THE presidency is unlikely to offer any explanation as to why President Muhammadu Buhari yielded to the temptation to compare his government’s response to the February 19 Dapchi abductions with ex-president Goodluck Jonathan’s hesitant approach to the 2014 Chibok abductions. He did it anyway, and spoke glowingly of the steps he took to address the disaster immediately it occurred. Both abductions had schoolgirls as victims, and the attackers were factions of the Boko Haram sect. However, that the latest attack in Dapchi took place at all is undoubtedly a significant embarrassment to the Buhari presidency which strangely believed, judging from the president’s words, that its peculiarly prompt response to the disaster offered some amelioration. It is not clear why he thinks so.

    Nigerians may disagree with the president, but here is how he defended and applauded his response: “The Federal Government’s response to the unfortunate abduction of the schoolgirls is a clear departure from the insensitivity of the past administration which looked the other way while the Chibok girls were taken away in 2014 and held in captivity for over three years. Due to our commitment, over 100 Chibok girls have been rescued and reunited with their families, sent back to school and empowered with requisite skills. You may recall that recently, our negotiation efforts led to the release of abducted University of Maiduguri lecturers, some women police personnel, students and even an NYSC member. We, therefore, have no doubt that the Dapchi girls will be rescued or released. I can assure parents, Nigerians and the international community that we will do all that is within our power to make sure that the girls are brought back safely to their families.”

    If the president hoped that the mere fact of a difference between his response and that of his predecessor offered proof of his assiduity and empathy, he must be strangely mistaken. The Boko Haram sect abducted some 219 schoolgirls from a girls’ school in Borno State in April 2014, some four years ago. The repercussions of that abduction are still felt today, both in terms of the tragic consequences to the victims and their families, seeing that over 100 of the girls are still in captivity, and the implications for the politics and image of the former president, Dr Jonathan. In the latest case, 110 schoolgirls were abducted in Dapchi, Yobe State about a month ago, virtually in similar circumstances, with the security agencies caught flat-footed. Somehow, the president, perhaps feeling awkward that a similar tragedy occurred under his watch, has selected an aspect of the abduction for a justificatory excursion.

    Nevertheless, the Buhari and Jonathan presidencies obviously put more confidence in negotiating the girls’ release than, according to them, risking a bloody rescue whose outcome is uncertain. The earlier abduction was consequent upon the carelessness of the Nigerian government, their lack of proaction, even their evident stupefaction. The latest abduction is also consequent upon the carelessness of the government, four years after the first; and it also exposes the current government’s enervating lack of proaction.  By all accounts, the so-called rescue of the first batch of Chibok girls was facilitated by payment of ransom. There is nothing President Buhari has said that gives any indication that both the second batch of Chibok girls still in captivity and the Dapchi 110 would not be facilitated by ransom payment. Indeed, hearing the president speak enthusiastically of getting the girls back home sooner than many think gives the impression that somehow the government fully understands the currency of Boko Haram’s trade in humans.

    The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seems to think the president is politicising the tragedy. No one can stop the Buhari presidency from actively negotiating the schoolgirls’ release, nor in taking the accolades if they are able to pull it off successfully. Such gloating goes with the territory. The Jonathan presidency had the opportunity to negotiate the girls’ release before the last general elections. Had they succeeded, they would have taken the glory and politicised the freedom of the abducted girls. Dr Jonathan never visited Chibok; President Buhari, after initially dithering, has managed to visit Dapchi. Though he said nothing inspiring in Dapchi, nor gave a big policy statement other than putting down his predecessor, at least he visited ground zero of the abduction.

    Could this be the last major abduction Boko Haram would orchestrate? It is hard to say. Despite the president’s self-congratulations, it is evident that his forces in the Northeast, particularly in Yobe and Borno States, have neither shown the operational fervour and proficiency expected of them nor displayed the instinctive preemption that should have stood them well in that volatile region where Boko Haram’s potential victims abound in excess. It took Boko Haram four years to plot another embarrassing abduction. They obviously have the luxury of time, having lost considerable ground, and are more inclined to restricting themselves to their newfound status of spoilers and wet blankets. The terrain is vast, and troops are spread thin. The Nigerian government will be hard put to find the right formula, amidst such territorial vastness, to knock the sect into a cocked hat. It is these new threats and general unknowns that should preoccupy the Buhari presidency rather than gloat in comparative fantasies.

    President Buhari may have responded with alacrity to the Dapchi abductions, but it is to his discredit that the lessons of both the Boko Haram revolt and the course of the insurgency have not been learnt in order to help him forestall a repetition of the tragic abductions. He has learnt to delegate responsibilities without supervising his men; and worse, he has seemed able to appoint officials he appears incapable of sacking. It can therefore be inferred that President Buhari does not seem to be running an inspired and motivated government but an administration of lackadaisical friends and family. He has indicated that a panel to find out what went wrong in Dapchi would help him get to the bottom of the disaster. If the panel musters the sense and skill to expose the rot that facilitated the Dapchi tragedy, would he have the gut to wield the axe? How much axe has he wielded over many of his patently incompetent and misspeaking appointees?

    Admittedly, there are some differences in the responses of the Buhari and Jonathan presidencies to the schoolgirls abductions in the Northeast. But those differences are not enough to make them duel, let alone for one of the parties to claim the moral high ground. After all, Dr Jonathan can also interpret the festering insecurity in the country as a product of President Buhari’s inexpert and even prejudiced and myopic handling of the crises bedevilling the land. Neither of the two presidents caused the outbreak of the revolt in the Northeast, and neither, it can be asserted with some fair degree of accuracy, gave it extra stimulus. Therefore, rather than revel in needless self-glorification and name-calling, President Buhari should have more appropriately focused on the pressing issues at hand, especially the Dapchi abductions, which required his entire concentration, genuine empathy, reform of the security forces, and absolute retooling of his waning politics.

    Dr Jonathan was roundly and probably soundly defeated in the 2015 polls, partly because of his awkwardness and complacency in the presidency; President Buhari, who campaigned on possessing more than an average talent in matters of statecraft, should restrain himself from exhuming those ghosts of Nigeria’s dreary past, especially when he has not shown himself capable of profiting from the lessons of their untimely demise.

  • From Chibok to Dapchi: Halting the trend

    It was with rude shock that Nigerians and indeed the entire world recently received the news of the abduction of over a hundred girls from their school in Dapchi, Yobe State. The incident, just like that of Chibok girls of 2014 was said to have been carried out by suspected members of the Boko Haram sect. Obviously, this is an indication that the group still has the capacity and wherewithal to cause havoc contrary to the claim that they have been totally defeated. It is also a wakeup call on the government and security agencies that much are still required to fighting security challenges in the polity.

    Interestingly, the Dapchi girls‘ abduction is happening about a year to the next general elections as was the case in the 2014 episode. You will agree with me that the situation calls for genuine concerns and alertness of all patriotic citizens of this country. We must b able to read in-between the lines and decipher that danger is imminent if not properly handled. Thus, it is time to shun sentiments by coming together to join hands to support the government and the security agencies in this very delicate fight against criminality in our society. It is obvious that the execution of these vices are well planned and organized; and, if we continue to hastily jump to conclusion by pointing accusing fingers in wrong directions, it means that the perpetrators have successfully fooled and confused us. It is an indication that their game plans are materializing and, that could be catastrophic to the corporate existence of our country. It is our joint responsibilities to stop this trend as quickly as possible.

    It is therefore very crucial for the government and security agencies to work round the clock by ensuring that no stones are left unturned in their quest to unravelling the root causes of these challenges and bringing the perpetrators and their sponsors/promoters to justice. Tere is need to work on the presumption that the incidents – Dapchi abduction and others – were masterminded by some ‘unpatriotic elements‘ whose intentions are to embarrass the government and ultimately make it unpopular to the world and the Nigerian electorates in the countdown to 2019 general elections. When similar fate befell the Chibok girls in 2014, the ruling government was accused of insensitivity and, their failure to promptly rescue the girls and bring perpetrators to book attracted widespread condemnation from within and outside the country. Members of the opposition also capitalized on the situation to join in the campaign of calumny which contributed in no little way to the electoral misfortunes of the then ruling party at the pools. In the same vein, the subsequent rescue of some of the girls and, alleged defeat of the sect under this present dispensation drew accolades from all and sundry. Thus, the probability is very high and cannot be waived aside that, enemies (unpatriotic elements) of this administration could have conspired with like-minded group(s) to cause havocs in the country with the aim of neutralizing and denting the gains and achievements so far recorded in areas of security. Presently, the challenges from Benue, Adamawa, Taraba, Kaduna, Yobe (Dapchi) and Borno have depleted the accomplishments of Chibok and Sambisa.

    Needless to say that series of criminality that bedevilled the polity in recent times have raised suspicions about government‘s sincerity and capability to fighting insecurity. Inasmuch as this is not in any way insinuating that the government of the day is tacitly or indirectly involved in this incident of national embarrassment, it is very pertinent for security agencies to fulfil all righteousness in finding lasting and permanent solutions to this recurring trend.

    The ‘natives and residents‘ of areas where these nefarious activities were carried out are also entangled in the growing conspiracy theory. The following questions are begging for answers: Why does it seem that the perpetrators are invincible?; Why are the natives and residents not exposing them to the security agents?

    The answers are not farfetched; chiefly amongst them is the fact that the people have been terrified to the extent that they now feel more secured and comfortably disposed to dealing with the devils (militants) they know than, the angels (soldiers) they do not know. Therefore, the probability is very high that some members of the group are still living freely and aided by the natives in these areas. Otherwise, how can people who are supposedly confined to Sambisa Forest go to Dapchi and the other places to carrying out their nefarious activities without being apprehended? It is either they are living in those environs or they have their informants on ground who notified them of the movements of the soldiers at every point in time. From the information gathered in the media; the influx of members of the group to Dapchi was noticed hours before they struck. So, what efforts did the natives make to seek help? Furthermore, despite the screaming and wailing (of the girls) that trailed their journey out of town, nobody could explicitly say the point and time they eventually vanished into thin air. I am of the opinion that, if appropriate authorities had been timely and adequately notified, our gallant soldiers could have been able to track and find them through air surveillance (even after several hours of their disappearance) because their (abductors) movements will definitely be limited to the speed of their vehicle(s) and the state of the roads to their destination(s).

    It is obvious that we all have a lot of work to do to save our democracy and the lives and properties of the citizenry. We must come together to support the government and security agencies to fight the enemies of our progress and unity to submission. It took us decades to endure military rule in the country because we failed to proactively decipher the major root causes of successive coup d’états. The village meetings across the country embarked on by the IGP is a welcome development and a step in the right direction towards making the people have faith in our security systems. With this interactive programme in place, it will increase the peoples’ faith and confidence in the men in uniforms and this will encourage ‘them to say something, when they see something’. The government should also ensure that the security agencies are adequately equipped and remunerated to boost their morale in this delicate war against insecurity.

     

    • Oise-Oghaede, a public policy analyst/commentator, wrote in from Surulere, Lagos.