The resurgence of senseless killings in different parts of the country in the past few weeks and months is not only scary but disturbing . More painful is the fact that when the situation appears to be getting under control, something somewhere just get snapped, suddenly, and before anyone could say Jack, the killers are back on their killing fields, leaving in their trail tears, blood and sorrow.
From Kaduna through Jos to Zamfara and from Lagos through Abuja, Kogi, Benue to the remotest parts of the North-east, the challenge of insecurity is still real. The Eastern part of the country and the South-south are not in any way immune from the spate of killings. There is no doubt that many people have continued to live in fear, more so, as the value of life of the ordinary Nigerian is almost becoming something else, thus compounding the state of helplessness and despair many people have suddenly found themselves in a country that has been described as the world’s poverty capital.
Only recently, the body parts of a former Nigerian Army Chief of Administration, retired Major- General Idris Alkali, was finally retrieved from an abandoned well in a village in Plateau State, after weeks of intense search for his remains by the military, who had earlier found his uniform and car in a shallow pond in the Jos South Local Government area of the state
So painful is the fact that hardly would any week pass without reports of these killings in different parts of the country and one would only be deceiving himself or herself by playing the ostrich, pretending that all is well. At a time the people of Zamfara were heaving a sigh of relief from the activities of armed bandits who had turned the state into a killing field for several years, the heartless bandits returned with full force, vowing to avenge the way the security agents dealt with them on the people. The northern cities of Kaduna and Jos, which used to be peaceful, are now under siege by these heartless killers.
Only recently, the body parts of a former Nigerian Army Chief of Administration, retired Major- General Idris Alkali, was finally retrieved from an abandoned well in a village in Plateau State, after weeks of intense search for his remains by the military, who had earlier found his uniform and car in a shallow pond in the Jos South Local Government area of the state following his abduction by some people while on his way to Bauchi . A traditional ruler was also killed by his abductors in Kaduna same day the ransom for his release was allegedly paid recently. The rising insecurity in the state led to the imposition of a curfew by the state
government.
Apparently worried and disturbed by the spate of killings and growing insecurity in the country, leaders of the National Assembly led by Senate President, Olusola Saraki, had met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa to chart the way forward. The meeting was a follow-up to a similar meeting held earlier between the Security chiefs and President Buhari on ways of tackling the challenge.
The consultations actually triggered the visit of the president to Kaduna, penultimate week , where he commiserated with the government and people of the state over the recent killings even as he warned the criminals that they would be ruthlessly dealt with for causing international embarrassment to the country through their activities.
According to Buhari, Nigeria had become a laughing stock in the comity of nations as the global community no longer takes the country serious because of the general state of insecurity in the country despite efforts of the government. The global attention drawn to the country in the wake of the Boko Haram insurgency is still here with us till today even as the terrorists have not shown any remorse, especially with the recent killing of an abducted aid worker and the threat to kill the Chibok schoolgirl, Leah Sharibu, if their demand was not met by the Federal Government, a threat that was later changed to the vow by the insurgents to keep the girl as a “slave for life.”
We are really sad with the resurgence of this menace and we are more worried by the nature and magnitude of these killings even as it is sad and unfortunate that most of the perpetrators of these despicable acts pretend to be unaware of the consequences of their actions. Pockets of killings of innocent people even by security agents in cases of “accidental discharge” of bullets and cases such as that of a cook killing his master and many more , definitely, will not do any good to the image of the country. A nation that takes the lives and well-being of its citizens seriously will not be happy with the spate of killings in the country.
While we commend the efforts of governments at various levels to stem the rising tide of these senseless killings, we salute the courage of our armed forces and other security personnel, especially the foot soldiers and the Police, who have continued to show resilience and determination in fighting this menace, even with the readiness to pay the supreme price with their own lives in the course of national assignment.
We however want to warn that issues of inter-communal clashes and religious demonstrations should be handled with extreme care. The handling of the recent clashes involving the armed forces, police and members of the Muslim Shiite group in the course of a protest for the release of Shiite leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzakhy, is also disturbing, especially with the fatalities recorded on both sides. We advise that our security personnel should be more humane and cautious in handling future occurrences so as not to cause more troubles for the country in the future.
Political campaigns are due to begin in earnest very soon with all the hooliganism and threats to live and property .There is no doubt that global attention is currently on Nigeria, especially as the country begins the countdown to the forthcoming general elections next year. Foreign investors and potential ones are already jittery with most of them currently in a panic mode due to the recent developments in the country. This is definitely not the time to compound our economic problems with senseless and heartless killings.
