It is evident that the Nigerian government has lost its coercive authority to non-state actors as they become embolden by the day kidnapping at will and making a show of those in their captivity.
More than 3 weeks after the March 28 train attack on a Kaduna-bound train, the federal government has remained stoically quiet on the fate of the over 100 passengers unaccounted for and believed to be with the terrorists.
Since the tragic and unfortunate attack in which some Nigerians were killed, the terrorists have made two videos showing some of the abductees as well as giving indication that the federal government is aware of their demands.
Speculations have remained rife as to what the demands are. Some security analysts and experts have suggested that the demands include the release of some arrested commanders linked with the terrorists.
The closest the Nigerian government has come to speaking on the matter is the Information minister, Lai Mohammed, saying that the government was “doing all it can to free the victims,” without offering any specifics of what the government was taking to free the victims.
While this newspaper appreciates the sensitive nature of the happening, the idea that there has been no formal interaction with family members of the victims speaks of insensitivity and the continued anyhow approach of the government to the security and wellbeing of Nigerians.
It is for this reason that nobody feels safe and secure in this country except those at the very top echelon of power.
Here in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, kidnapping for ransom is rife with no tangible or discernible strategy to tame the scourge.
It is saddening to note that just two days after the fatal train derailment, killings and abductions, the chief of Bukpe community in Kwali area council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, was also forcefully abducted from a mosque and whisked away for 18 days.
His Royal Highness Alhaji Hassan Shamidozhi was taken alongside two of his subjects by suspected terrorists on Wednesday, March 31, 2022 and were let go after a ransom of N6.5 million was paid the sons of the devil.
While this matter lingered, the police did not as much as spoke on the matter. Perhaps, if the chief had not spoken immediately after his release from the abductors, the police will claim responsibility for his “rescue.”
The federal government albeit the FCT administration should not lose cognizance of the constitutional demands of their being in office.
For clarity, the constitution of the federal republic, 1999 as amended, in Chapter 2 Section 14 (2 b) is explicit on why the government exists. It is regrettable that on a daily basis Nigerians are caught in a vortex of insecurity with little assurance from its government.
It is not enough for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to wax philosophical that insecurity is a global malaise. In other countries faced with such dilemma, their governments are adopting technological and human measures to deal with the problem.
To suggest that that is the case in Nigeria is to play the ostrich. The Abuja Inquirer will not join those who say the president should resign, rather we demand that the president should rise to the occasion by acting decisively in arresting this existential threat.
One thing he can do is to demand more from the police and military and when it is not enough as it has not been, fire and hire the top brass until this menace is curbed.
Enough is enough!
