The rising insecurity across the country, which has seemingly defied all strategies adopted to stem it is, no doubt, gaining new dimensions and twists by the day following revelations by eminent Nigerians including the Borno and Zamfara governors, Prof Babagana Zulum and Dr. Mohammed Bello Matawalla, respectively, as well as a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Obadiah Mailafia. Mailafia, whose allegation is the latest, is that a serving northern governor is one of those behind Boko Haram and bandits’ operation.
Mailafia, who revealed this penultimate Monday via Nigeria Info Abuja 95.1FM, said he had a chat with two repentant terrorists who identified the northern governor. He said the terrorists and bandits were one and the same. Mailafia, who was the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the last election, said the terrorists moved weapons even during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said, “Some of us also have our intelligence networks. I have met with some of the bandits; we have met with some of their high commanders – one or two who have repented – they have sat down with us not once, not twice. They told us that one of the northern governors is the commander of Boko Haram in Nigeria. Boko Haram and the bandits are one and the same. They have a sophisticated network. During this lockdown their planes were moving up and down as if there was no lockdown. They were moving ammunition, moving money, and distributing them across different parts of the country.”
Mailafia said Boko Haram had already infiltrated southern Nigeria, adding that their plan was to spark a second civil war. The former CBN deputy governor, who holds a PhD from Oxford University in the United Kingdom, said he was not one to make spurious and unfounded allegations. Governor Zulum had earlier alleged sabotage in the military’s fight against insurgency, while his Zamfara counterpart, Matawallen, accused some ‘power-seeking’ politicians of benefitting from the nation’s security challenge, particularly in the northern part of the country.
In recent time, the northern part of the country has continued to face one security challenge or the other. While the North-east states contend with insurgency, the North-west as well as some parts of the North-central battle banditry and kidnapping. Governor Zulum had, while on an inspection visit to the IDPs’ camp in Baga, Borno state, come under attack from suspected Boko Haram fighters. And in a reaction to the development, the governor, among other things, said there was sabotage within the military. And speaking in similar tone, Governor Mutawallen said some politicians were benefitting from the increasing wave of security challenges facing the nation.
He spoke at the Special Army Super Camp 4 in Faskari town in Katsina state. The governor was of the view that some notable politicians were exploiting the poor state of security the nation currently contends with, and rushed to the media to slam the military. Although the governor did not name names, he said this class of politicians were making some political fortune from the escalating security challenge, and therefore wanted the status quo to remain. Contrary to the belief in some quarters, the governor said the politicians were only on self-serving mission and not standing up for the people or even the efforts of the military.
“These unscrupulous politicians would hardly commend the military for their successes at the battlefronts. However, they would be eager to rush to the media to report attacks by bandits or other miscreants. For this crop of politicians, politics is not about genuine commitment to the well-being of the people; it is all about power and nothing more,” the governor said. Speaking further, he said: “Let me at this point stress that the issue of security is everyone’s concern. Safeguarding and ensuring security is not just the responsibility of Mr President, the governors, the service chiefs and security apparatuses but that of every patriotic citizen. In fact, we, the politicians are to be blamed for the intractable security challenges bedevilling our communities. It is evident that some politicians exploit insecurity for political gains.”
He urged the security agencies to deal decisively with anyone found politicising the nation’s security no matter how highly placed. Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari and governors Tuesday ended their meeting on the state of the nation’s security with calls for a joint strategy to bring various conflicts to an end within time limits, while field commanders would take measures to protect civilian communities as a confidence-building mechanism between the military and those communities. The president and the governors believed that when the trust that had been lost between the parties is re-established, there would be improved cooperation in intelligence-gathering and sharing.
It is without doubt that the allegations by these eminent Nigerians which were made on the heels of each other are quite weighty and must, therefore, be thoroughly investigated with a view to ascertaining their veracity or otherwise. The nation has suffered greatly from the Boko Haram insurgency, which should not be allowed to fester. The huge resoucers being deplored to fight insecurity must be properly accounted for while saboteurs of the fight must be fished out and dealt in accordance with the law.
