As President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari ruffled feathers in both security and political circles when he gave an indication that his convoy would not jump the red light or use siren to harry other road users from the highway when he assumed the mantle of leadership from May 29, 2015. Many were quick to refer to the tragic fate that befell his compatriot and former head of state, Gen. Murtala Ramat Mohammed, who was caught in a notorious gridlock around Obalende, Lagos, on a sunny Friday afternoon while commuting to the Juma’at prayer.
His attackers cashed in on the rare opportunity and gunned him down in cold blood. His killers could not believe their luck and the general’s carelessness. Yes, Murtala was loved by the masses because of his populist posture, zero tolerance for any form of abuse of office and aversion to deadwoods in the public service.
Murtala was a firm believer in coming to equity with clean hands. He purged himself first. Putting it in another way, he removed the beam in his own eye so that he could see clearly in order to deal with the others with optical mote. (Look Luke 6:42). Corruption has been the nation’s number one enemy since independence in 1960. In 1966 when Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu staged the first coup in the country, corruption was the main culprit, alluding to ten per-centers who worshipped the monster that impoverishes the masses.
Many who felt very worried about Buhari’s decision to obey traffic lights and not to jump the queue like Murtala did on the fateful Friday, February 13, 1976 were quick to recall how a suicide bomber ran into his convoy at the outskirts of Kaduna township exactly one year today.
But for his bullet-proof SUV which shielded him from harm, the people’s General would have since joined Murtala Mohammed at the other side. Did I hear the late general quaking in his grave and screaming to Buhari not to make his kind of mistake that made him a sitting target for his assassins? Although Buhari was yet to be named his party’s presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections, the theory in some quarters was that his enemies foresaw that he would clinch the ticket at the end of the day and even win the presidency. And scared of his antecedents as an anti-corruption czar, the high-profile crooks, swarming all over the country, would go to any length to get rid of him, using Boko Haram’s tactics.
the state of insecurity in the land, it is very easy to gun down or bomb anybody and append Boko Haram’s imprimatur on the tragedy. One could not say for sure that the Kaduna attack was the handiwork of the terrorists. It could have been politically motivated, using the familiar signature of Boko Haram. Politicians are terrible people.
Why would the terrorists target Buhari? Many had wondered. The preposterous conclusions reached by some were that the attack was stage-managed by Buhari to convince his traducers that he was also a target of the insurgents he was accused of sponsoring in order to destablise the Jonathan government, Unfortunately, the mystery behind the assault, like countless other terror attacks across the North, has remained unraveled till date. The truth is that not all killings that bear the terrorists’ identity are thoroughly investigated by the security agencies.
Last Friday at the Eid Prayer Ground situated along the airport road, Abuja, serious concerns were raised about the President’s personal safety when his security details were overwhelmed by a large crowd of excited youths who swooped on him like ants on sugar as he made for his car after the ceremony. When I watched the kerfuffle at the Eid ground on the television on Friday night, I could not but fear for the masses’ president. In this season of suicide bombings by innocent-looking minors, the terrorists could have brainwashed one of them with a guarantee of an automatic visa to Paradise if he/she could assassinate the president.
As Buhari himself acknowledged when he played host to the Muslim community in Abuja who paid him Sallah homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, later in the evening, it would have been easy for anybody armed with a dagger to cause havoc in such a disorderly scenario.
His words: “Today, immediately after the prayers, I think I was bombarded by the youths, who almost overwhelmed the security, and I had to hold tight to my gown to get into my car. I went across trying to wave my hands to the wild youths who wanted to see me. On an occasion like this, it shows that it is only God Almighty that protects leaders because in a mob like this, anybody with a sharp knife can get access and do a lot of damage… Only God protects and I hope God will continue to protect us.”
And I say Amen to that prayer. Buhari needs God’s protection. Every one of us does. But while looking up to God to protect us, we should not throw caution to the wind. Heaven, it is said, helps those who help themselves. The Friday mob action came on the heels of the suspicion that the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), was planning an insurrection against the federal government. With kid bombers on the prowl, everyone is an easy target. Nobody is safe anymore, except those protected by God.
As I have always said, we live in a world where everyone is someone’s enemy. In this season of insecurity, just pray that your enemy does not remember you. Yes, PMB belongs to everybody. But does it include those who have looted the nation’s tills? Certainly, he does not belong to the corrupt elements who are afraid of the gathering Hurricane Buhari, and whose philosophy is “kill or be killed”. The president is now our collective property. And nobody leaves his/her property unprotected. We should not watch him sacrifice his life on the altar of mass appeal like Murtala did 39 years ago.
