UNTIL recently when he spoke out in utter indignation, former Defence Minister, Lt-General Theophilus Danjuma (retd) hardly donned the toga of an activist who wanted to pull the roof of a collapsing building down on himself in order to protest against its design. But so daunting and desperate have developments in the country become that even the naturally taciturn are apparently troubled. The former Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Defence called on Nigerians to rise up and defend themselves against killer-herdsmen, accusing the armed forces of colluding with the herdsmen to actualise an ethnic cleansing agenda. According to him, Nigerians would die one after the other if they waited on the military to save them from terrorists.
Danjuma spoke at the maiden convocation ceremony of the Taraba State University, Jalingo, where he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree. He called on Nigerians to rise up and defend themselves, as relying on the military to do so was suicidal. He further warned that if the ethnic cleansing did not stop in the country, the situation in Somalia would be a child’s play. Oddly enough, the Federal Government admitted that it was aware of the accusations of bias against the military, although not from Taraba State. But the people of Taraba promptly replied that they had also been complaining stridently about the military’s alleged bias in handling herdsmen’s issues in the state. The truth however is that the controversy over Danjuma’s statement is really uncalled for given the massive killings in the North-East despite the heavy presence of the military there.
The dangerous impression that the country’s armed forces are in collusion with ethnic bandits is very disconcerting and the fact that it is now coming from Danjuma, an elder statesman who is not known for flippancy, has worsened the situation. Could it really be true that the government is condoning an ethnic cleansing agenda? Ordinarily, the government ought to be worried that such an impression is gaining ground. It is capable of discrediting the sincerity and integrity of the administration in protecting the lives and properties of citizens irrespective of their status and gender. Nigerians certainly do not deserve a government that deliberately spurns its statutory duty of protecting life and property.
Ever since the former Minister of Defence made the grave allegation of collusion between the country’s armed forces and ethnic bandits, Nigerians from the affected areas have sided with him, providing further evidence of partiality by security agencies. The government therefore needs to prove that it is faithful to its oath of office by ensuring that the continuous killings in the North-East and other areas in defiance of the heavy military presence there stop forthwith. It is imperative for the government to dispel the negative impression of collusion with ethnic bandits in order to secure its legitimacy and credibility, both of which are fast waning.
The administration really needs to prove that the herdsmen are not being unduly favoured in order to retain the people’s trust and faith in its intention to seek the good of all. Its admission that it had been aware of these allegations from certain quarters before the outburst from General Danjuma without doing anything to dispel it is very disconcerting. Danjuma’s reference to Somalia is actually scary considering the size of Nigeria’s population. Clearly, suffering the same fate with Somalia should be out of the question. The impression of lassitude in the governance of the country is also not helpful. Governance is a very serious business that promotes responsibility and commitment. These attributes need to be well displayed in administering the country.
It is advisable for the Buhari administration to dispel the impression that it has a policy of ethnic cleansing. That a former Defence Minister is at the vanguard of the military’s accusers has negative implications for the administration’s goodwill, integrity and credibility.
and then