It’s shameful, says HURIWA
BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The threat of insecurity in the nation’s capital city Abuja began with denials from the power that be as the armed forces, the police and other security agencies never accepted the fact that the Federal Capital Territory was under siege.
The President Muhammadu Buhari administration was readily available to condemn whosoever raised his/ her voice to cry out against the crisis assailing the city which houses not only Nigeria’s who is who in government and business sectors but also remains home to the foreign diplomats and expatriates working or doing businesses in Nigeria.
Mid last year, precisely in July, residents across the length and breadth of the territory and adjoining satellite towns cried to high heavens for help as the now legally declared terrorists that hid under the guise of bandits invaded and began to carry out their nefarious acts of killing, maiming, abducting and raping innocent and harmless citizens.
But rather than rise to the occasion, the government chose to discard every information passed on the pages of the newspaper tagging them fake news and the writers declared enemies of the state and progress.
Steps were even taken to rope some vocal ones who despite all intimidations persistently condemned the lackadaisical approach to the deadly and ugly situation by the government of the day which has forced the citizens to lose confidence in the whole system.
However, the fears of the citizens on insecurity in the territory was confirmed when what used to be termed fake news became a reality faced by both the rich and poor.
Those pockets of abductions, killings, maiming and demand for ransom exploded to a huge business as though those early perpetrators imported and employed more hands as the business was getting larger and the government continued in its blame game or accusation of people wanting to pull down the government of Buhari.
Almost on weekly basis terrorists would invade the satellite towns, kill, abduct and cart away valuables from their victims. The city centre was not left out of the menace. People now wind up their vehicle glasses even without airconditioner while driving to avoid unforeseen occurrence.
John Danladi, a resident of Abaji told our correspondent that what the terrorists were doing before in Abaji is a child’s play compared to their activities presently.
“It is shameful and a pointer to the inefficiency of all the security agents that one year after daring burglars invaded the residence of a whole Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, a street to that of the President in Aso Villa, the police, the DSS, the Army and others are yet to fish out the perpetrators
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“We are now at the war front. The terrorist have taken over Abaji and that is just the situation. They invade us at will, abduct and kill and even cart away our property yet help is not coming from anywhere. They can spend hours operating and there will be no sign of defence or protection for us. In most cases now, we don’t sleep in our houses.”
A retired security personnel who preferred anonymity, while condemning the level of insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory and its environ, blamed it on lack of political will on the part of the government saying if the President wants the menace to stop forthwith, it will not last the next two hours.
“It is high time we stopped lamenting. Every part of this country is seriously under siege. What is happening in this Abuja is terrible but the government seems to be covering it. They don’t want us to know what is happening but there is no way we will not know.
“The situation as it is now calls for everyone to be vigilant. Be your own protector and security because if you are waiting for government’s protection, you will be a victim very soon. The government continued to call them bandits to make their activities less criminal but in the actual sense they are terrorists. Until the government shows the political will to tackle the insecurity, until the government removes sentiment and taking side, the security in the FCT in particular will continue to get worse.
“Do you need a seer to tell you that FCT is the target. If the government continues to treat these terrorists with kid gloves for the reason best known to them, one day we will wake up and hear that the terrorists have taken over everywhere. With what happened recently that a passenger train heading for Kaduna from Abuja was attacked, Nigerians killed, some abducted and up till date they are still in the terrorists’ enclave. Does it mean our security agencies can’t fight back? No. We have one of the best security agencies globally but it seems they are under instructions not to touch these terrorists,” he said.
Last Thursday, news has it that a female youth Corp member was returning from her normal Community Development (CD) with her baby in Abuja and was kidnapped and killed for rituals.
This happened few days after terrorists sacked a village in Abaji Area Council. Many were said to have been killed, abducted and the remaining residents fled for safety.
Civil Rights Advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) described the situation as shameful.
HURIWA last week, slammed the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army, the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency and other security agencies for their collective failure to fish out some burglars one year after an embarrassing incident in the seat of power.
Robbers, last May, had burgled the residence of the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja and the incident was confirmed by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu.
National Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, also said the incompetence of the security agents has buoyed burglars and bandits so much so that they sacked Abuja villagers and cause hundreds of dwellers to flee their homes despite living in the seat of power, just kilometres away from President Muhammadu Buhari.
Onwubiko said, “Residents of rural communities in the FCT have reportedly fled their homes after bandits went on a rampage, killing a 23-year-old man, Nura Mai Gyada, and stealing 36 motorcycles.
“Daring bandits went on the rampage last weekend in the Adagba community of the Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, kidnapping residents and killing some.
Onwubiko said, “It is shameful and a pointer to the inefficiency of all the security agents that one year after daring burglars invaded the residence of a whole Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, a street to that of the President in Aso Villa, the police, the DSS, the Army and others are yet to fish out the perpetrators. Or have they gotten the so-called burglars but failed to revert to Nigerians about the development?
“It’s pathetic that FCT residents now flee to the central business district of Abuja over attacks and invasion by marauding bandits in communities outside of the Central Areas of the metropolis.
“The Buhari regime must wake up and proffer radical solutions to the insecurity situation in the country.
“Nigerians must also demand accountability from the security agencies because defence sector got the largest chunk of budget this year. Why is nobody being punished for failing to safeguard lives of Nigerians despite that the cardinal role of the government is the security of lives and property? Enough is enough,” HURIWA said.
Abuja residents are now scared of public transportation. The fear of falling into the hands of terrorists or kidnappers has forced them to be joining vehicles in twos or threes. Nobody wants to join any vehicle whether painted or unpainted taxi that has not or more passengers already inside except that passenger was at the bus stop where they joined the taxi.
Social critic and political analyst, Abunde Lorie, told The Point that what FCT residents need now is not complaint or lamentation because they have complained enough, lamented enough yet nothing has changed.
“When this insecurity was building up, people complained, lamented but nothing happened. Even as they continued with their complains and lamentations, nothing has changed still. It is time for everyone to be his own security. The era of living a care free life has gone. You must suspect the next door neighbour if you must escape these terrorists. Let your eyes be opened and your mind alive. As for insecurity, since the government does not have answer for it, we have to live with it.”
