It’s no longer news that banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and other forms of insecurity are nightmares to Northern Nigeria. Perhaps, people share divergent perceptions on how to tame the issue of insecurity in the region, some go with the idea of negotiation like Sheikh Gumi of Izala and some set of people hold another belief like taking a drastic action against the imbecile to restore peace.
Anyway, it’s an opinion everyone is spewing and no one has the ultimate assurance that his solution is the way out. However, even the governments of the affected areas have such conflict of opinion or interest, but that’s not what we need. All we want is to have a harmonious entity where we will study well, have our daily transactions freely, and enjoy the fragrance of development.
Well, as both ideas are getting massive endorsement from the general public, sincerely, whether government negotiates with armed bandits by paying the ransom or launch a draconian attack on the monsters and wipe them all out from this sinful world is not what Nigerians (victims ) are after.
All we crave is peace, let government do whatever it feels is right to restore peace in our states. We are weary of this nonchalant attitude of “I don’t car sowing wing by our government upon our poor souls. The coronavirus pandemic, hunger and insecurity are too heavy for our heads to bear.
However, even if hunger was not ravaging our society we can’t be reluctant towards the issue of insecurity as with it in existence our lives are in absolute jeopardy for none will be safe from the bloody hands of such animalistic monsters because the clowns know nothing apart from bloodshed.
Furthermore, we are incapacitated to keep engaging in the ransom payment business. We are financially crippled and this is a clear fact to all. Nonetheless, how can a person who is fighting with two square meals per day afford to be saving tokens for some idiots and nincompoop as exchange objects? This will never be possible, let government explore an alternative.
The dirty game of banditry and kidnapping could last indefinitely, God forbid, I’m not praying this but the way government is mishandling the issue is very irritating. So, let them keep utilizing our share from the national cake and be freeing us from the captivity of the death merchants instead of expecting our poor families to be paying.
Honestly, this thing called banditry or whatever they call it in Nigeria is just a mere movie or game. The parties involved know themselves and they are mostly the ones wallowing in pretence while making a lot of ransom payments. Meanwhile, they enjoy the gutter money together by taking their time to meet at the table where they wine and dine together.
So let them spare our hand out of this nasty game and let them keep participating in it if it persists or last forever. Seriously, the matter looks so riskyand untidy but those people are not taking it seriously or as something worth their time and attention.
And when it comes to the issue of projects in our localities as dividends of democracy, we unanimously surrender that one for our lives. If they will be taking the whole grant to bandits or any terrorist group to keep us in peace, honestly, we don’t care much about that, for our lives matter first before anything. Take the money and let us live in peace.
Finally, I reiterate it, we crave nothing but to have a better chance of living a free life devoid of chaos where everyone will thrive in society peacefully and earn the little he can, eat, buy clothes, shelter, and sleep for resting purpose.
May North succeed against all odds!
Elizabeth Ali Yidawi,
Department of Mass Communication,
University of Maiduguri
