- By Sani Mu’azu
The Aesop fables, eponymously named after a Greek storyteller who lived around the 6th Century BCE, also included the fable of “the boy who cried wolf”. This story tells of a young shepherd boy tasked with watching over his village’s flock of sheep. Bored and seeking attention, the boy repeatedly cried out “Wolf! Wolf!” even though there was no danger. Each time, the villagers ran to his aid, only to find they had been tricked. Eventually, when a real wolf appeared and threatened the flock, the boy cried for help again –wolf – but this time, the villagers ignored him, thinking it was another false alarm. As a result, the wolf devoured many sheep, and the boy was left helpless.
The petition authored by the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN, wherein he accused the governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris of importing thugs from across the border to destabilise the state typifies the Aesopic fable above.
The “smoking gun” according to the Malami in this petition or wolf cry was nothing more than his retelling of his last visit to Birnin-Kebbi, purportedly a condolence visit, nay a political circus. Now, condolence visits, at least here in Kebbi State and elsewhere in Arewa, are sombre moments of empathy, reflection, and collective mourning. They are meant to convey compassion, not chaos.
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However, Malami’s version of condolence was something else entirely. His convoy was boisterous and extravagant, and could have rivalled that of a sitting president. While there is no law barring anyone from travelling with a long line of cars in the name of a condolence visit, videos from the reception tell a different story: His very loud throng of supporters were not clutching prayer beads or wearing mournful faces; they were brandishing machetes, clubs, and other dangerous weapons.
Simply put, Malami went to piss on the graveside of the deceased, besmirch his memory, and insult the sensibilities of his loved ones. As if that was not enough, he has now added the audacity of dragging the memory of the deceased to the pungent hall of petty politics and national theatrics. As with the wolf fable, Malami came to invite chaos, but when the chaos of his creation threatened to consume him, he resorted to crying wolf!
This is why Malami’s petition to the NSA, the IGP, and just about every rung of Nigeria’s security apparatus comes off as both ironic and unfortunate. It’s beginning to look like every angle of this sordid drama, culminating in his visit to Birnin-Kebbi was orchestrated and pushed out by Malami himself to achieve this exact outcome. Wolf!
In his first press release after the event for instance, Malami claimed that thugs were unleashed from the APC headquarters in Birnin-Kebbi to truncate his noisy and flamboyant condolence mission. While we have been waiting for him to show us any evidence of that claim, he has pushed the boundaries of that outrageous narrative in his petition to now include allegations that a sitting governor, elected to safeguard lives and property and to uphold the rule of law, has descended into importing foreign thugs to destabilise his own state.
Now, while people may consider all this as a very heavy accusation, here’s what I find fascinating: Malami truly believing that such a ridiculous narrative can hold water not at a beer parlour, but before the entire nation. I mean, whoever convinces himself that a governor would sponsor the institution of fear and insecurity on his state just for the sake of one politician. And who is this politician? An almost disgraced former AGF on whose head allegations of abuse of office continue to hover? Please.
To think that a man who once held the exalted office of Attorney General of the Federation would descend to this all-time low peddling false narratives tells you so much about the quality of governance in our nation. This is a man nicknamed “the most powerful AGF in the history of Nigeria,” not because of noble reforms, but because of allegations of underhand dealings and manipulations that characterised his tenure as AGF. This is the same man crying wolf in Kebbi State and attempting to bring the leadership of our state to disrepute.
I reckon that the most galling part of this saga is Malami’s sheer audacity; his willingness to drag the reputation of an entire state into the mud for the sake of petty politics. I honestly do not understand why the state government has tolerated his shenanigans this long. But this particular stunt is dangerous. It seeks not just to undermine the governor but to stain all of us in Kebbi by painting the picture of a lawless land overrun with imported mercenaries.
Malami the politician, if we must call him that, is in desperate need of a reality check. This is the same man who has been repeatedly accused of hiring hatchet jobbers from outside Kebbi State to discredit the state government, all in cahoots with media stations that have long abandoned basic ethics. He thrives on distortion, and now, he’s attempting to institutionalise it.
This is precisely why accountability must be demanded of him. We have all seen the videos—his triumphant entry into Kebbi State accompanied by thugs wielding machetes and clubs. That is hard evidence. If he insists thugs were imported from across our borders, let him present verifiable proof. Otherwise, what he is peddling is nothing more than scaremongering. And we, as a people, cannot afford to entertain that sort of reckless propaganda, regardless of who is spreading it.
The security agencies he petitioned must not allow this matter to slide. Malami must be brought in for questioning. Let him come forward with evidence. Let him show us names, faces, or any credible proof. Because if his so-called “weighty allegations” collapse under scrutiny as I strongly suspect they will, then he owes the people of Kebbi State an apology.
But then again, in a strange way, his antics are a blessing in disguise. By showing his hand this early, Malami has revealed the nature of his 2027 political playbook: a readiness to burn the state down to fuel his personal ambition. His strategy is transparent now: Manufacture chaos, throw wild accusations, and try to play the victim. The people of Kebbi State are watching, and we will not forget.
For those of us who love this state, the message is clear. Malami should keep his ambitions on ice until the election season. But while we wait, we should thank him for unravelling so quickly. The people now see him for who he is and where he has anchored himself politically. By 2027, when the ballot boxes come out, Kebbi State will give him the “condolence visit” he truly deserves; a farewell from the political stage after his mediocrity has been fully exposed.
•Sani writes from Birnin Kebbi.
