“Here, permit me to say a few words to my predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr President, you have been an honest, patriotic leader who has done his best for the nation you love. On a more personal note, you are a worthy partner and friend. May History be kind to you.”
Those were the words of Bola Tinubu as he gave his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023 after he was sworn-in as the President of Nigeria at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
In that part of Tinubu’s speech, the object of his praise and prayer, Buhari, was bowing out of office after eight years at the helm of affairs, and Nigerians who were in dire straits wanted a breath of fresh air, especially as it concerns the new Sheriff who had come to town to address insecurity.
Buhari tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to address Nigeria’s security challenges, and so Tinubu’s declaration that his predecessor did his best for the nation, as well as history being kind to him, ruffled a lot of feathers.
Nigerians say that the former Army General who promised that his administration would concentrate on the economy, fight corruption and tackle insecurity did not annihilate the atrocious Boko Haram sect members who gained notoriety for their roles in kidnappings, illegally annexing parts of the North East and have been held culpable for other violent crimes perpetrated against Nigerians.
And so for all the accumulated grievances, Nigerians could not wait for the curtains to fall on Buhari’s government.
Thus, in an attempt to calm frayed nerves and allay fears about the scourge of insecurity which plagued Buhari’s government and was threatening to spiral into his own government, Tinubu had used his inaugural speech to familiarise Nigerians with his administration’s guiding principle in its fight against insecurity.
“We shall defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality that threaten the peace and stability of our country and our sub region,” Tinubu said.
The Commander-in-Chief who also unveiled his plan to reform the country’s security doctrine and architecture said, “Security shall be the top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.
“I think there has been some recognisable decrease in insecurity. There has also been a clear reduction in attacks by kidnappers, bandits and the rest of them but not to the degree I was expecting”
“To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security doctrine and its architecture.
“We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide better training, equipment, pay and firepower.”
In the spirit of his reforms, Tinubu heeded the advice by Nigerians for the sack of Buhari’s Service Chiefs who Nigerians say had become surplus to requirements, and in June, he appointed a new National Security Adviser, new Service Chiefs and Inspector General of Police. The President also made other sensitive appointments.
Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission boss, Nuhu Ribadu, got the nod to be the NSA, while Service Chiefs are C.G Musa (Chief of Defence Staff), T.A Lagbaja (Chief of Army Staff), E.A Ogalla (Chief of Naval Staff), H.B Abubakar (Chief of Air Staff) and Kayode Egbetokun (Inspector General of Police).
Tinubu also later in August appointed Badaru Abubakar as the Minister of Defence while Minister of State for Defence is former Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, who made bold to say, after he paid an operational visit to the Theatre Command of Operation Hadin Kai in Maiduguri, Borno State in November, that the previous government did not take insecurity seriously and that the menace will soon be a thing of the past.
As the situation stands today, even though Tinubu has held several security meetings with his Security Chiefs, some Nigerians have insisted that there has not been a significant improvement in the security architecture of the country.
Some have even slammed the President, who emerged in July as the chairperson of sub-regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States, for continuing to meddle in the affairs of neighbouring Niger Republic whose president, Mohamed Bazoum, was ousted in a military coup.
These Nigerians say it will serve the best interest of Nigeria if Tinubu can focus on Nigeria’s internal security and they also often point to the insecurity in the South East and rising cases of banditry and cultism as arguments to buttress their case.
Prior to Tinubu’s inauguration, South East residents had been observing the Indigenous People of Biafra’s sit-at-home order every Monday. The separatist group used the order to protest the incarceration of their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, whom the Supreme Court recently said had to face trial for treason.
The Igbo and other Nigerians who disobeyed the order were harassed and targeted by elements sympathetic to IPOB and this, in turn, led to disruption of economic activities.
However, in a surprising turn of events, IPOB, in August, said Kanu had cancelled the sit-at-home order and that Mondays would be known as Economic Empowerment Days in the region.
Delighted in this new-found freedom, the NSA, Ribadu, who spoke last week at the inauguration of the Enugu State Zonal Office of the EFCC, said that the security situation in the South East region had improved compared to what it was before Tinubu came to power.
Ribadu also said the days when people stayed back at home for fear of reprisal attacks were over.
What is far from over, however, is the heart-wrenching news about ritual killings in Nigerian campuses. Quite a number of male undergraduates reportedly butchered their female partners so as to harvest their vital body parts and as if this was not enough, cultism and cult-related attacks that have led to wanton destruction of lives and properties and gradually assuming an alarming trend.
This year in Lagos, Edo and Rivers States there have been frequent clashes between rival cult groups with the number of fatalities mounting.
Cult groups in Ikorodu, Mushin, Surulere, Bariga, Okokomaiko, have turned parts of Lagos State to a living hell and despite the arrests made by the police, cult groups like Kesari Confraternity, Awawa Boys, Fadeyi Boys, Aiye Confraternity, have continued their reign of terror.
In Edo State, law enforcement agents have not been able to weave their magic to address the activities of cultists, who are mainly students of higher institutions in the State, and who engage in killing sprees which have sent many young Nigerians to their early graves.
In areas like Ekosodin, Oluku and Upper Mission, stray bullets fired by confraternities like the Black Axe, Maphite and Eiye have hit innocent Nigerians caught in the crossfire of these rival gangs.
More disturbing, too, is all the news about some final year students who had written their final exams but were killed in cold blood, sometimes after leaving their exam halls.
In Rivers State, cult members who surrendered their arms and were granted amnesty by the State government have taken up weapons again and one of such groups led by a fugitive, 2Baba, murdered a Divisional Police Officer of Ahoada East Council of Rivers State, Bako Angbashim, after the hapless cop was ambushed in September in Odumude forest by members of 2Baba’s Iceland cult group.
Individuals like 2Baba and criminals of his ilk who specialise in highway robbery, kidnapping-for-money and banditry have continued to operate in Adamawa, Sokoto, Yobe, Borno, Kaduna and many South South and South East states.
And they (criminals) have forced many wealthy individuals from the aforementioned places who live in Lagos State and Abuja to stay put and not contemplate travelling to their respective states of origin, even though their places of sanctuary are also not safe.
Indeed, Nigerians have been sleeping with one eye open and remarkably, too, the military have also not been immune to insecurity.
Back in August, 7 soldiers were injured while 3 officers and 22 other soldiers paid the ultimate price during a firefight with bandits in Kundu, a community near Zungeru in Wushishi LGA of Niger State.
Tragedy struck once again after a Nigerian Air Force evacuation aircraft, that was being used to evacuate the injured soldiers, including 14 dead soldiers, from the scene of the massacre to a military hospital in Kaduna, crashed in Chukuba village in Shiroro LGA of the State.
Outrage, condemnation over Plateau Christmas Eve attack
More groups and stakeholders have continued to express outrage and condemnation of the Christmas Eve attack on communities in Barin Ladi, Bokkos, and Mangu Local Government Areas as the death toll from the savage incident rose to 200, with 88 injured persons being treated in hospitals.
The Plateau Civil Society Organizations Forum, in a statement in Jos, condemned the attacks and called on the Federal Government and the security agencies to be sincere and nab the perpetrators of the bloodbath, arguing that this particular incident was masterminded and orchestrated by certain identifiable individuals and not “unknown gunmen” as always claimed in security circles.
Describing the attacks as “very sad, unfortunate, and unacceptable by any standard,” the CSOs said, “It is an act of cowardice and wickedness to surround and kill innocent and harmless people in their sleep without any provocation.”
The CSOs noted that “as it is common with most of the attacks meted on communities, there are most often early warning security alerts. We are fully convinced that such information usually gets to the security agencies and the relevant authorities but each time such planned attacks by the same so-called Fulani militia are circulated, they will succeed in executing their evil plan unhindered.”
In a similar vein, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Plateau State chapter, lamented “the renewed attacks across communities in the state, especially the Christmas Eve attacks, which bear monumental tragedy and loss to the great people of Plateau State.”
Calling for unity and cooperation to apprehend those responsible for the attacks, the ALGON applauds the State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, for his untiring efforts and prompt and strategic actions to contend with the ugly development.
Also, the Plateau State House of Assembly condemned in totality this show of barbarism in which armed militias invade and sack whole communities, killing and maiming innocent people.
In a press briefing well attended by the members of the Plateau State 10th Assembly, the Speaker of the House, Gabriel Dewan, declared that “as a House, we do not only condemn the attacks and call for the perpetrators of the dastardly act to be fished out and prosecuted, we stand with and support the State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, and all the efforts and initiatives he is undertaking to deal with the situation.”
Four weeks ago, the military was once again in the news.
One of their attack drones accidentally bombed smithereens worshippers who were celebrating Maulud in Tudun Biri in the Igabi LGA of Kaduna State.
The unfortunate incident which generated both local and international condemnation left 85 people dead and several others injured.
Though the President has ordered an investigation, analysts say the incident is one too many and that attack drones and fighter jets may not be the panacea to Nigeria’s insecurity problems.
Another ugly incident still jostling for attention in the consciousness of Nigerians is the kidnapping, in August, of 8 Akwa Ibom State graduates.
They had their aspirations temporarily halted after they were abducted by gunmen on a highway in Zamfara State while on their way to the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in Sokoto State.
The bandits who took the Corps members’ captives demanded N10 million each as ransom from the families of their victims.
Sadly, four months on, these patriotic Nigerians, who had high hopes for the future, are yet to be reunited with their loved ones.
Meanwhile, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Itsay Sagay, told The Point that there was some recognisable decrease in insecurity in the country even though “it is not to the degree I was expecting.”
Sagay also said it was still too early for him to rate the performance of the Service Chiefs.
He, however, said he was impressed by the “energy” and “eagerness” of the IGP to make a difference to Nigeria’s security situation.
“I think there has been some recognisable decrease in insecurity. There has also been a clear reduction in attacks by kidnappers, bandits and the rest of them but not to the degree I was expecting.
“Maybe I was too optimistic because my hope is that the deployment of all our resources towards eliminating insecurity would be as I had hoped, and I thought we would be able to achieve that within six months of this new administration.
“I also thought it would have been such that everyone will have a sense of safety travelling by road, rail or by any other means, and with confidence that he or she will complete a journey in peace.
“That has not happened yet but I believe, just that it is still to be done, that this government is committed to eliminating insecurity in this country completely.
“Unfortunately, we are still following the last administration’s security playbook. Tinubu is a democrat and wiser but I don’t understand why we are not really taking state police seriously. Haven’t we learnt our lessons?”
“And as for rating the performance of the Service Chiefs and IGP, it is too early, definitely too early.
“The IGP, one can even talk a little bit about this because his is the arm of security that we see and whose impact we feel every day, whereas the Air Force and so on, we can’t say the same about them.
“That said, I am very impressed by the energy of the IGP and his eagerness to make a difference, to contribute effectively to our comfort and safety. And I don’t want to conclude yet, but I believe the atmosphere is a bit better now and I also think the conduct of policemen on duty has improved to a certain degree,” he said.
Sagay who said he was particularly disturbed by the harrowing experience of travellers who are kidnapped or even killed along major highways suggested that small military posts be built at strategic and regular distance along the roads.
In addition, he said such military posts should be linked by an electronic online connection to police posts so that if travellers or an area was under attack, there would be proper synergy between the military and the police as well as quicker response time.
A Port Harcourt-based public affairs analyst, Sylvester Enefeli said, “I believe the government is trying its best to address insecurity. But don’t get me wrong, they have a long way to go.
“But I must congratulate Nigerians because the era when suicide bombers were detonating bombs seems to be over. I am happy about it because anyone could be a victim of such a dastardly act.”
Enefeli also said it was high time the Tinubu administration gave special attention to the creation of state police.
“Unfortunately, we are still following the last administration’s security playbook. Tinubu is a democrat and wiser but I don’t understand why we are not really taking state police seriously. Haven’t we learnt our lessons?
“For the umpteenth time, it is not ideal when individuals from Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State come to police a community in Ilaro, Ogun State. Where is the sense in that? Tinubu should prove to us that he is serious about insecurity and do what Nigerians want,” he said.
On the notion that the performance of the Service Chiefs should not be assessed now, Enefeli said, “Some people may have said that the Service Chiefs and IGP are still relatively new on the job, but we must not lose sight of the fact that these Security Chiefs have been around all along.
“Therefore, in my humble opinion, they need to attend refresher courses abroad. Let them keep abreast of the latest techniques in dealing with insecurity. They are not too big for it. Change must start from the head.”
