With pervasive insecurity, President Muhammadu Buhari’s handling of insurgency and terrorists’ attacks have been described as hastening the nation’s descent to a failed state.
In recent times, Nigerians have been on the edge with regards to how sanctity of life has ebbed to its lowest. And the verdict of commentators and security experts on the state of the nation is that with no discernible strategy to wage war against terrorists, President Buhari has not only failed Nigerians but has also allowed insurgents to gradually make inroads and shut down governance.
After holding the nation by the jugular in recent weeks, a launching attacks repeatedly across several states and kidnapping hapless citizens for ransom, Boko Haram insurgents, in a new viral video, threatened to kidnap President Buhari and Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
The terrorists, who kidnapped over 60 passengers on an Abuja-Kaduna-bound train on March 28, have now become more emboldened, threatening to kill those remaining in their captive, while threatening to destroy the country. This is besides the recent attack on the elite Presidential Guards Brigade, which led to loss of lives.
The infiltration of Abuja and latest threats of attacks on some states forced knee-jerk reactions in certain quarters across the nation. There has been a forced closure of Federal Government Colleges, a shift in the venue of Call to Bar by the Body of Benchers for security reasons, just as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) leadership has called for security reinforcement across its camps.
However, most disturbing is that President Buhari’s response to the challenge and other critical national issues, has been somewhat lukewarm; the National Assembly is also said to be playing the ostrich while joint efforts of security operatives to stamp out insurgency has just not been good enough.
In an appraisal of President Buhari’s handling of the war against insurgency, with special reference to how he has been detached from the booming kidnap and ransom-for-release business of the insurgents, using the Kaduna train victims as case study, Tanwa Ashiru, a former United States Airforce veteran and chief executive, Bulwark Intelligence, said the President has failed the people.
She noted that while the nation does not expect the president to take up gun and give the armed non-state actors a direct fight, he was expected to appoint effective people who could make a difference and promptly replace those who have not been able to produce results within the security agencies.
Ashiru observed that while kidnap for ransom had increased significantly under this current administration, the government has come across as insensitive in its response and handling of kidnap for ransom.
“Victims and their families are more often than not, left to sort out their release. Family members are hardly contacted and help is not offered to the victims’ families. Rescue operations are hardly conducted to secure the release of the victims. Even after securing their release, no post trauma medical support is given to the victims. Worse is communication. The government has not provided open and honest communication with Nigerians. The president in particular, hardly visits communities or family members as a show of empathy. These actions or inactions have done nothing to rally the people around the government and their efforts.”
According to the National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, “President Buhari is sympathetic to terrorists, which is why he has no clearcut strategy to end it except to use piecemeal approach that is filled with deception and deceit.
“Muhammadu Buhari deliberately sabotaged national security by failing to give unambiguous order to the military to degrade, decapitate and destroy terrorists in both the theatres of war on terror in the North East and North West. In the North East, the President failed to lead from the front as he promised and he has failed to ensure that procurement corruption now tearing apart the defence ministry is checked.
“Corruption, inefficiency, ineffectiveness, deceit and lies have become the hallmark of the fight on terror. This is why Abuja is almost at the precipice of collapsing under the massive and determined attacks by the terrorists.”
Security expert, Frank Ohanugor also submitted that President Muhammadu Buhari has since lost bearing as Commander-in-chief with respect to his handling of kidnap-for-ransom and insurgency in the country.
This position, he said, is informed by the fact that he has been insensitive to revelations made overtime with respect to the infiltration of his administration by sponsors of insurgency and those sympathetic to the insurgents and bandits.
Ohanugor said: “He has constantly played down useful intelligence, which would have helped security agencies to diligently combat insurgency and bandits. A case in point is the recent invasion of Kuje Correctional facilities by terrorists. The DSS was said to have submitted 44 intelligence reports warning about the attack but what happened to such intelligence reports. Why has he not resorted to the use of the Tuccano jets bought for the purpose of fighting terrorists?”
A socio-political activist and critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, urged the Federal Government to urgently seek foreign help to tackle the protracted problems of insecurity, to save lives and property of innocent Nigerians.
He said the step had become imperative to enable Nigerians live in peace, progress and harmony. He also called on the government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity, to tackle the problem with all the seriousness it deserved.
According to Onitiri, the problems of insecurity, corruption and economic degradation have overwhelmed the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, noting that the only option was to urgently seek foreign assistance.
“No doubt, this APC administration has failed Nigerians woefully and has nothing more to further offer the nation than to seek help and prepare for early general elections.
“The bandits and terrorists have overwhelmed this administration, kidnapping, killing, and maiming innocent Nigerians, collecting
outrageous ransom from their families with audacity as if we don’t have any government in place.”