Editorial

The terror attacks in Zamfara, Bauchi

RECENTLY, the terrorists euphemistically referred to as bandits launched deadly attacks in Zamfara and Bauchi states, cutting down seven soldiers and 22 farmers in cold blood. The terrorists reportedly perpetrated the killings while engaged in a gunfight with troops of Operation Hadarin Daji near Kangon Garucci in Dangulbi district in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State. While some of the residents were killed after they were trapped while working on their farmlands, others were caught in a crossfire between soldiers and criminals. According to reports, the attack was led by one Ali Kawajo (Damina) and another terror mastermind called Black, who had enslaved the majority of the farmers in the area, compelling them to work on his farmlands. The attacks were said to have occurred just as troops of Sector 1, Operation Hadarin Daji, in conjunction with troops deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wanke in Gusau Local Government Area, killed at least seven terrorists. In Bauchi, the terrorists killed the village head of Kada village in Ningi Local Government Area, Mai Anguwa Ali, and five others.

It is disheartening, indeed tragic, that the outlaws who have taken it upon themselves to shed blood at will across the length and breadth of the North, and indeed across Nigeria as a whole, have not been stopped in their tracks years after they began their nefarious activities. Effectively taking over vast swathes of ungoverned territory, the terrorists have set up a parallel government, imposed draconian laws, and made the lives of the hapless Nigerians affected by their activities a nightmare. In the instant incidents, as in many others, they have laid a siege to farms and hobbled farming activities in many places; farmers can neither plant nor harvest crops until their demands, often utterly dehumanising, have been met. That is why in Zamfara, these terrorists killed the same farmers they had used as serfs for long simply to satiate their thirst for blood. Not even in the dark ages did non-state actors have this kind of unchecked powers over a hapless populace.

The Federal Government must rise to the occasion without delay. Human lives are being wasted on a daily basis and often without official recompense. That is a recipe for anarchy. Besides, food security is also threatened because farming has been made a risky vocation, with farms being, more often than not, vast killing fields. The more the government indulges these killers, the bolder they become in challenging the authority of the Nigerian State. Truth be told, the situation is disturbing because it seems the government, whether at state or federal level, is not serious about reining in the terrorists. As a matter of fact, it seems as if the government is comfortable with the hold that these criminals have over human lives, and is content with sharing its powers of enforcement with them.

The incidents in Zamfara and Bauchi are a gory indication of the fact that the change in government at the federal and state levels and the accompanying appointment of new service chiefs and other heads of security agencies have not had any salutary impact on the ravaging insecurity in the land. As it is, governments and security agencies still continue to exhibit crass incapacity in dealing with the forays of bandits and other criminal groups in the country, leaving many to wonder whether if that is a deliberate act or a reflection of structural inadequacies. Whatever is the case, the prevailing situation does not reflect positively on the capacity and responsiveness of the various governments. It portrays them as utterly ill-prepared for the important task of protecting the people.

Given the absolutely crucial nature of security to the proper functioning of any country, it should be clear to all those in government that with their failure to guarantee security of life and property, they are invariably calling their existence and standing into question. Apprehending this grave situation should get the governments and the security agencies to up their ante and put a stop to the rampage of terrorism and other forms of criminality in the country.

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