The recent bomb blasts in Nyanya and Kuje, both suburbs of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as continued bombings in Maiduguri, Borno State capital and other locations up North, call for sober reflection and not necessarily passing the buck on any security agency. Over 30 deaths were recorded during these said bombings, reports had said.
We agree with the exasperation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly after the Nyanya and Kuje bombings, which the party voiced through its Acting National Chairman, Mr. Uche Secondus, and in which it blamed the leadership of the Department of State Security (DSS), purportedly for not being in full grip of Nigeria’s security intelligence. We do not intend to lay bare the details of the statement and their full implications in this time of national emergency. For, Nigerians are aware of the obvious setbacks, especially the in-house sabotage, which the war against terror in the land has been suffering since Boko Haram insurgency became intensified in 2009.
Recall that former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and the ex-Chief of Army Staff, General Kenneth Minimah, during the pull-out ceremony marking their exit from the military, spoke up on some of such issues the PDP complained about. They included the lack of equipment and motivation to fight Boko Haram terrorists; exploitation of the huge national security challenge by vested interests to gain political mileage; as well as the activities of fifth columnists in the military and other security agencies, who leaked operational plans and other sensitive military information to the terrorists, among others. Even before Badeh and Minimah spoke up, former President Goodluck Jonathan, when it became extremely difficult for him to determine how best to handle the Boko Haram crisis, opened up to the nation, lamenting that Boko Haram supporters and possibly sponsors were most probably among those he wined and dined with in government.
Quite recently, too, the Nigerian military revealed that some prominent individuals and political groups, from Borno State in particular and the North East in general, were undermining the fight against terrorism and insurgency in the country. “It has come to our knowledge that they are employing all means to see that our operation does not succeed, in order for them to continue to enjoy certain benefits. People should place the interest of the nation above any personal gain or ambition”, the Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Colonel Sani Usman, was quoted as saying. All these point to the fact that some enemies that are laying ambush against the fight against terror in the land are still within. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the security agencies – Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), police, DSS, and their sister agencies, including paramilitary agencies and communities habouring the saboteurs, to expose them.
It is now clear that the general impression that once President Muhammadu ascends to his high office as president, insurgency would stop, is misleading. Buhari himself, even with the string of successes the military has recorded against the insurgents since his rise to power, and notwithstanding the purported surrender of some insurgents; and Federal Government’s seeming preparedness to negotiate with the ‘real Boko Haram’, has said publicly that bombings, such as the ones now being witnessed, would not likely cease immediately. Boko Haram, it would seem, has developed a life of its own; and may be sustaining a lot of dubious characters, like the alleged stimulants’ dealer and financier of the group, which the military said was arrested in Bama town, Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
Both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition PDP should persevere in finding lasting solutions to the Boko Haran carnage. Recriminations and counter finger pointing would not solve the problem at this stage. If what the nation knows about how the security agencies have been tackling the problem is really true, it is defensible blaming all of them, without singling any out, as having contributed to the cumulative failure. Concerning the Nyanya and Kuje recent bomb blasts, however, it does seem all the security agencies have shifted their attention to the North East, without remembering past bombing experiences in the North West and North Central, including Abuja, the nation’s capital and elsewhere. This is a huge mistake, if our guess is right, that must be corrected immediately, in the interest of the seat of power and all it represents, as well as other endangered zones, where Boko Haran cells exist.
