Insecurity: Time for Declaration of State of Emergency
By Amb Aminu Iyawa
With the daily reports of escalating activities of bandits in the North and tribal malitia in the South, Nigerians have now been left with little or no doubt that our security forces are overwhelmed and we must go spritual for the protection of the Almighty.
We have proven that we are a religious country whose citizens place their faith first, before their country and, therefore, we must unite, at least for the sake of the protection of our lives, pray to the Almighty for intervention.
In other climes, heads would have been rolling in the top national security heirachy for ineptitude and, in even more civilized countries, the security chiefs, including the police, military and the National Security Adviser (NSA), would have tendered their resignation letters and not wait to be sacked for this massive failure to protect citizens from rug-rats that operate brazenly in a convoy of motorcycles.
If you see the death toll figures bandied by various sources in just the last three months from activities of these bandits, terrorists and tribal malitias, you would conclude that Nigeria has become a lawless State.
This country never had it so bad since 2020, a time when Nigeria became a mortuary from Covid-19 related deaths and the babaric slaughter of citizens by Boko Haram, Bandits, IPOB and Igboho’s malitia.
I warned then, that those with fainted heart, better get off the social media. Death had come to town and it was striking left, right and center. And the internet was bursting with pictorial information from all nooks and corners of the country’s hotspots by the minute.
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I have written on this page not long ago, defending the Nigerian military, especially for its efforts in taming the Boko Haram and reducing them to hit and run criminals. I also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his consistent support in releasing funds requested by the military to purchase arms, armunitions and taking care of other necessary logistics.
Now, it appears those gains have been diminished and the theater of war is gradually and evidently becoming the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with Abuja, the seat of Government as the target of the terrorists.
The sudden closure of all federal government colleges in the Territory and the hype in military patrol and surveillance is an indicator that the threat issued two days ago by the Bandits/ISWAP is credible.
I think it is high time for Mr President to declare state of emergency on insecurity, replace NSA and all the service chiefs, and, give the new ones to be appointed just three weeks to flush out the insurgents and the bandits within the forests of Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara and Katsina axis.
Thereafter, they can concentrate in terminating the original Boko Haram and put halt to the activities of tribal malitias in the South and other hotspots.
Nigerians are tired of the lame arguments that the war on these criminal groups stretch because of lack of sophisticated war chest by our military. How sophisticated are the Boko Haram, the ISWAP and the bandits? None of the group have F-15 fighter jets and dropping bombs on our soldiers and, or spray them with bullets from Apache helicopter gunships!
These are rats on motorcycles. The noise of their bikes and the smoke coming out from the exhaust alone is enough to give away their location or approch and alert our soldiers. What happens to body heat-sensor technology that even hunters and television documentary makers buy for peanuts to find animals in the night without being detected?
Time for action is NOW, Mr. President.
Ambassador Aminu Iyawa, our immediate past Ambassador to Mexico
