Who Is Fooling Who? -By Adeparua Damilola

Saying that the recent happening in the country and the prompt attention of the Federal Government is commendable will amount to nothing other than an understatement. The government deserve an accolade for the display of intelligence in trying to prevent the impending civil war which has been hovering over the country in the past few months.

However, the intelligence displayed seems misdirected, too malicious and bias due to the fact that even though the country is wallowing in insecurity which has its stem in the North, the federal government has been quite inactive and incompetent in dealing with the issue of Boko Haram which has been terrorizing the country for more than a decade, causing havoc and kidnapping people’s children especially female children in secondary schools. There is a pressing need to inquire from the government; why have they been able to put the likes of Nnamdi Kanu to order within a twinkle of an eye but yet to incapacitate the peril of Boko Haram?

Nnamdi Kanu in handcuffs at the Federal High Court Abuja.

That aside, the Fulani herdsmen have appeared to be a worse menace in our society today due to the rate of killings perpetrated by them and the effect of their actions on the Agricultural sector in the country. They do not just destroy farm produce, they steal, kill, kidnap innocent villagers and demand for exorbitant ransom. For the record, these herders also possess the dreaded weapon; Ak-47 with which they render people’s lives lifeless. How intelligent has the government been in curbing or putting an end to this?

Many pictures of the Fulanis in possession of guns like Ak-47 while being celebrated by their leaders has been surfacing on the social media. Should whatever seems good for the goose not also be good for the gander? There has been many reported cases of the herders causing havoc, there has been many cases of death, children becoming orphans and wives becoming widows, all thanks to the gruesome brutality of these same herders but it is quite unfortunate that the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies in the country have either turned a blind eye or have just chosen not to be intelligent in matters as such.

It is quite interesting to see the intelligence of the DSS surfacing when it got to tracking down someone who has only been protesting peacefully in different states. The DSS was on a mission to kill him. They vandalized properties and killed some of the people they met. The accused has been protesting openly against the invasion of the herdsmen in Yoruba land and this makes the level of the brutality questionable because it portrays more of revenge than the prevention of secession. It also appears like a threat to the whole Yoruba nation while serving as a cautionary picture to other tribes, which are against the herdsmen and their cows.

How indeed credible is the taking of innocent souls by the DSS? How many people has the man killed? How many people reported being kidnapped or malevolently manipulated by him? There is a need to remind ourselves that we are no longer in the military regime where peoples rights and freedom are tampered with. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights listed by United Nations General Assembly,” Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”

It takes bravery to protest against an incompetent Government but now that the Federal government is bent on silencing the people with violence and unfounded accusations, it looks more like tyranny than security of people’s lives and properties.

Nnamdi Kanu and President Buhari

It has also been reported that the DSS stole 2 million naira and that got many people wondering if that was part of the exercise or just another case of stylish stealing on the part of the law enforcement agents. Are individuals not allowed to possess their hard-earned money anymore in the country? Things have indeed fallen apart as people’s lives are less valuable than that of cows!

People are no longer allowed in the country to protest peacefully as it is now seen as rebellion against the government. The death of those youths who were killed at the toll gate still remains fresh in the people’s memories yet numerous lives have been lost after then with the law enforcement agents debunking the truth about being involved. Where exactly are we heading to?

Gone are the days when journalists enjoy their freedom of speech. These days reverse is the case as they are being kidnapped, killed and confined for indefinite reasons. We have moved to a time whereby if the government can possibly have an access to the people’s thoughts, they will be prosecuted.

Sheikh Gumi with fulani herdsmen terrorists

There is no other bad leadership than a bias leadership! The recent happenings in the country shows that the government have the ability to curb the issue of insecurity especially the menace of the herdsmen but has only decided to be silent about it.

A competent and accountable government has nothing to fear. If the Nigerian government has been favorable and accountable to the promises made before getting into power, there would have been no need for the people to protest or try to secede in the first place but looking at the rate of unemployment which has push majority of the Nigerian youths into condemnable acts such as internet fraud, prostitution, and the likes coupled with the level of insecurity, poverty and the government’s partiality, the people are left with no other choice than to clamor for secession.

Why is the government interested in fishing out the sponsors of Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Igboho but has not yet shown any iota of interest in fishing out the brain behind Boko Haram? How come the herdsmen are found in the possession of Ak-47 and the government has not for once thought about how they got the guns? Why has the government chosen to hunt down people who are just protecting the interest of their people with the help of the uniformed men who don’t feel bothered by the insecurity of the citizens of the country?

The efforts of the government should be appreciatively acknowledged and the fact that the presidency is eventually awakening to its responsibilities is worthy of kudos. Need I mention that the DSS will be more than capable in handling and tackling the insurgence of Boko Haram? It is high time the DSS went in search of the insurgents considering the level of intelligence displayed and its promptness in tackling issues related to such!

A fulani herdsman with gun

In effect, the government needs to awaken to the fact that brutality can only aggravate the issue on ground because if people are perpetually killed and their properties destroyed while a particular tribe keeps getting favored and avenged, how many people will be left for the other tribes? it may likely get to a stage that the other tribes will eventually join forces and voice out in unison and the unprecedented may eventually happen. The government needs to know that it can only take the people away from the folk but can never take the folk away from the people.