Nigeria: Not Yet Buratai Republic -By Olusegun Adeniyi

When two weeks ago someone sent me a WhatsApp message about a nationwide ‘Operation Positive Identification’ by the military, I instantly dismissed it as fake news. But to be sure, I forwarded it to THISDAY editor in Abuja, asking him to investigate. But by last week, some online media had started to run the story, following confirmation from the verified Twitter account of the Nigerian Army. On Monday, the report hit the mainstream media. In a bid to “checkmate bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, ethnic militia, cattle rustlers as well as other sundry crimes across the various regions of Nigeria,” according to the statement, all citizens and residents of our country will, effective 1st November, be subjected to a martial law dictated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Yusuf Buratai.

Nigerians, says the decree, should move about with “legitimate means of identification such as National Identification Card, Voters Registration Card, Drivers’ License and International Passport or other valid official identification” during the duration of the so called OPI scheduled to hold throughout the country from 1st November 23rd to December 2019. Mr Femi Falana, SAN, has most appropriately described the purported directive as “a sad reminder of the illegal practice of the white minority rulers which compelled Africans to carry pass books outside their homelands or designated areas under the apartheid regime in South Africa.”

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives waded in by calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the army to suspend the controversial exercise, following a motion moved by the Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu. According to Elumelu, the OPI would “downgrade Nigerians to suspects and in fact conquered persons in their country, thereby stripping them of their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of movement.” In his contribution, Hon Ahmadu Jaha, said the army was only good at coining code names for military operations that have not been able to address the growing insecurity in the country. “How do you tell a common man from my village that he must have an identity card before he moves around?” asked Jaha.

Apparently in response to the nationwide criticisms, the Army, again from its verified account, on Tuesday evening tweeted another version of the statement, emblazoned with a ‘Fake News’ alert. But there was no assurance that they would not do what is being reported. Yet, what Nigerians demand is a clear assurance from the military that there is no plan to trample on their rights to move about their country without let or hindrance. We are still waiting for an official statement from the army to that effect.

Despite the security challenges we are facing today, Nigeria remains a democracy. And for that reason, we cannot be taking dictation from anybody in the army on how to conduct ourselves as free citizens with basic rights. Since we are now at that critical juncture when the liberties of citizens can no longer be taken for granted, when crude coercion seems to be overwhelming the rule of law and public decency, eternal vigilance—as the old saying goes—is the price of liberty!

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