The arrest and subsequent detention of the
Borno State Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), though tragic,
has vindicated our position of nearly two years ago when we posited that some
powerful political forces are behind the barbarous killing binge that took over
the northeast. It was our position then,
and remains so now, that politicians who created and nurtured militias to
assist them in scaring and intimidating their opponents to submission and also
snatch boxes on election days, leave these unfortunate boys to their devices
and the vagaries of live after elections.
With nothing to do and a hopeless future staring them in the face, they
turn to brigandage and petty misdemeanours, which soon turn to murders. This then, is a conducive nestling ground for
the likes of the late Mohammed Yusuf, Buji Foi and their patron, then Borno
State governor, Modu Ali Sherriff to create a monster, which is now threatening
to consume the country.
It was our contention then that Ali Modu
Sherriff, may know one or two things about the Boko Haram and should therefore
be invited by the authorities to shed light on the sect. Both Yusuf and Foi were taken by the Police
to see Modu Sherriff before the police killed them. We are yet to know why they were killed
suffice it to say the nation was deprived of the opportunity of knowing
“why”. It was our position at that time
that the duo was silenced in order not to “tell all”. We still maintain this position. The arrest and detention of Othman, the Borno
ANPP Chairman and of Ali Modu Sherrif’s henchmen only goes to strengthen our
position on the culpability of SAS and other politicians in the mayhem
bedevilling the state in the past two years..
Whatever may come out of the party chairman’s arrest, at least we are of
the opinion that the JTF (or is it the government) is now pointed in the right
direction and might have gotten the courage and political will to bring to an
end an insurrection many people believed was created by them in the first
place.
Every Nigerian knows the role SAS played in
the creation of the ECOMOG killer squad that was used to terrorise his
political opponents in Borno state since around 2003 when he first contested
the gubernatorial seat. The criminal
abandonment of these misguided kids, used and dumped by the political class,
has turned a whole region into the world’s laughing stock.
The security challenges facing the
north-eastern part of the country has effectively crippled all economic and
commercial activities in the region thereby rendering the inhabitants poor and
hopeless. All human activities have
virtually grounded to a halt, no thanks to the surfeit of military roadblocks
dotting the whole region. A military
personnel behaving like an army of occupation treat human beings like
dirt. While the ordinary citizens bear
the brunt of the federal government’s scorched-earth policy, the perpetrators,
or at least those who began this in the first place are walking free, and some
even walking the corridors of power and rubbing it into the faces of the
poor. While Goodluck Jonathan and his
funky fellows are wining and dining in Abuja, the northeast is on fire and
those that lit it are dining on the same table with Jonathan, with the blood of
the innocent dripping from their fingertips
If the federal government is serious about
ending the insurgency in the north in general and the northeast in particular,
the arrest of the ANPP chairman in Borno State should be the first step in
unravelling the genesis and therefore the way out of this mess. The government must muster the political will
and decisiveness to extract information from Mr Othman the way it does with the
Kabiru Sokotos and whoever is implicated must be brought to book and made to
face the full wrath of the law. It is
not about firepower or Tanimu Committee.
This is about human lives, which has become valueless under Jonathan’s
watch. Conspiracy theorists have
pontificated for long that the Jonathan administration is interested in the
continued human and material destruction of the north and by implication has a
hand in the on-going insurgency. To
disabuse the minds of the doubting sceptics and disprove the conspiracy
theorists, the federal government should treat this particular case with all
the seriousness it deserves and take it to its logical conclusion critically,
government must ensure that Mr Othman doesn’t get the Mohammed Yusuf and Buji
Foi treatment.
It is alleged that Mr. Othman is not talking
and insists he won’t say anything unless Modu Sherriff is brought to his
detention centre. Equally disturbing is
the fact that most of the about 200 kids arrested confessed to being armed by
Mr. Othman. This is a very serious
allegation and must be treated with all the seriousness it deserves. Everybody must ensure the survival of Othman
whose investigation may finally help us bring an end to this dark spot in the
region’s history. Also, the connection
between Mr Othman and Ali Modu Sherrif must be investigated thoroughly and if
nothing incriminating is found, both should be cleared with Othman released
from detention. If anything, anything at
all, no matter how tenous it may appear, that links the duo with the
insurgency, the full weight of the law should be brought on them and their
associates. The government must of
necessity, show Nigerians that they are serious about bringing to an end the
killings and that no one is above the law.
Clichés and Church pronoucements by Jonathan is no way to end the
troubles. Our people are tired of the
destructions and dislocations arising from the failure of the government to
provide them security and protection which in turn is as a result of the
government’s protection and pampering of criminals.
The so-called “Civilian JTF” rampaging Borno
State and who are instrumental in unmasking Othman know more about Boko Haram
than the security forces. We may not
know yet whether they are part of the problem who decide to repent and be part
of the posse. We may do well for
ourselves to listen when they talk.
Many have lost either their lives, property
or careers therefore it will be criminal for the government to discontinuance
anything that may point to a final solution to the menace. Whoever or whatever is found culpable of
involvement must be made to face the wrath of the land. We must begin to show that we are a country
with a set of laws meant to be applied and obeyed. The much sought after foreign investment
won’t come to the shores of a troubled nation.
Dealing with the big fishes will send the right signal to the
smaller. That is unless someone,
somewhere is more interested in a north bended on its knees politically,
economically and commercially with a bewildered population suspicious of each
other.
