IF the objective of sundry terrorists and gunmen who have been attacking trains, prisons and military formations across the country is to instill panic among the populace and weaken public trust in the government, then they could not be more successful. At the same time, and whilst it might not be its intention, the Federal Government couldn’t possibly do worse to demonstrate how utterly unprepared it is to safeguard life and property and take the fight to the bandits.
Last week’s brazen attack on some officials of the 7 Guards Battalion of the Nigerian Army Presidential Guards Brigade which left an unconfirmed number of officers dead and injured is the latest illustration that the terrorists and their backers are increasingly emboldened, and may yet attempt to carry out their threat to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari and other high-ranking government officials. Of all possible actions intended to throw down the gauntlet to the authorities, nothing could be more powerfully symbolic than an assault on an elite unit of the Nigerian Army, which comes after an equally bold attack on the presidential convoy in Katsina and the invasion of Kuje prison in Abuja.
The Brigade of Guards is responsible for the security of the president and his family, the vice president and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). We note with some relief that, unlike in the past when the Federal Government would react with accustomed impotence, the military has launched a ‘clearance operation’ against the terrorists. According to the Army Defence Headquarters, at least 30 terrorists were killed after a joint exercise by soldiers of the 7 Guards and 167 Special Force Battalions in the area around Kawu and Ido villages where the original attack on the Brigade of Guards had taken place. While this is commendable, we hope it is the beginning of a massive and sustained effort to take Nigeria back from the hands of marauders and insurgents who have made daily life a misery for the average Nigerian across the country.
President Buhari must step forward and address the country on how he plans to end the widening insecurity in the country. In this regard, his decision to travel to Liberia to attend the West African country’s 175th independence anniversary is unfortunate and goes to confirm the Nigerian public’s conviction that the president does not care. What happened to the man Nigerians elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019? Why is he increasingly aloof from the very duties he solemnly swore an oath to execute?
The National Assembly must continue to put pressure on the president to do his job. At this point, Nigerians are not looking for miracles. Just the barest minimum will do.
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