In a space of 48 hours, between Saturday March 26 and Monday March 28, Kaduna State has been dealt deadly blows by terrorists.
In the first incident at Kaduna Airport on March 26, terrorists breached the Kaduna International Airport, killing a gallant security personnel attached to Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA).
Barely 48 hours later, terrorists attacked a Kaduna bound train with over 362 passengers on board. They reportedly detonated explosives already planted on the rail track between Dutse and Kakau, killed eight passengers, injured many, while unspecified numbers were kidnapped. It is the second time the Abuja-Kaduna train would be attacked in six months. Terrorists had bombed a part of the train and opened fire on the driver and the tank on October 20, 2021.
The National Association of Seadogs (Pyrates Confraternity) is very disturbed by the steadily deteriorating security situation in the country. It is inexcusable that despite previous experiences in which the nation’s security system had been compromised, criminal elements could still find the avenue to inflict unimaginable injury on the psyche of Nigerians with their murderous activities. One is forced to ask what lessons our security operatives had drawn from earlier gaffes which had cost the nation precious human lives and property.
Disappointingly, the current administration’s abysmal failure to arrest the drift of insecurity in the country is gradually pushing us to the brink. Travelling on the road has become a nightmare for many Nigerians because of the fear of kidnappers. Railway transport is increasingly becoming dangerous, and airports are not entirely safe as the recent incidents in Kaduna have revealed. Nowhere across the country is safe.
Dataphyte, a media research and data analytics company, captured the reality of our precarious situation in its report which indicated that 915 Nigerians have been killed and 571 people kidnapped in various incidents across the country in January 2022 alone!
Nigerians do not deserve the pains the current administration is subjecting them to. Rather than rising up to its constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and property of its citizens and face the insecurity problems head on, the Buhari led administration has been deluding itself with exaggerated statistics of impressive performance.
Insecurity is tearing this country apart. The President’s continued feeble handling of the insecurity challenges is already nudging the country towards the list of failed countries. Not left out are the state executives that have also abdicated their responsibilities to govern and are now enmeshed in the cold permutations of the 2023 general elections leaving their citizens at the mercy of vicious gangs.
We call on patriotic Nigerians to lend their voices with ours to call on President Buhari to come down from his high horse, roll up his sleeves and save Nigeria from collapsing due to insecurity. Gunmen that shot down a military Alpha Jet, breached the security at a national airport and bombed trains can no longer be allowed to run riot. The military operations should be commensurate with the activities of these marauding criminals.
We acknowledged the efforts of the military in repelling the attack at Kaduna airport and securing the train. But Nigerians expect more. If necessary the President should effect changes in the tactical commanders to invigorate the war of terror. Our previous recommendations that the military and our security operatives invest heavily on technology driven intelligence is still tenable.
Specifically as stated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, there is an immediate need by all stakeholders to develop a comprehensive security system of our railways to eliminate threats to the railway transport mode. No effort should be spared to fast track the processes on the integrated security surveillance and monitoring solution to enhance the security on the railway.
We also restate our position that President Buhari rethinks his reservations about State Police, rally all relevant organs and levels of government to put machinery in motion to urgently explore ways for the actualisation of a well equipped State Police that will be more familiar with the terrain. Our military is clearly overstretched doing the work a robust and well staffed Police system can handle, and such can no longer be sustained.
There are so many ungoverned territories especially forests in northern Nigeria that need attention. Now is the time to establish the Forest Guards to look after these Forest Reserves and prevent them from being sanctuaries for criminals. More so the capacity and capabilities of Park Rangers should be upgraded to enable them perform optimally and serve as first line of defence against the rampaging terrorists. The President should act fast and prevent terrorists from defeating his government and overrunning the country; Nigerians are really tired of the bloodletting.
Abiola Owoaje
NAS Capoon
Abuja
