- The blast at Nwodo’s country home must be swiftly investigated and perpetrators brought to book
Last Sunday’s bomb blast at the country home of Chief John Nnia Nwodo, the President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo in Ukehe, Enugu State, is another sad commentary on the country’s security situation. Until then, explosions were strange in that part of the country. Even when abductions are staged, they are usually by gunmen who overwhelm the local security. Since the explosion, people have become more apprehensive that sophisticated crimes are being introduced in all parts of the country.
It is even more frightening because Chief Nwodo has, of recent, been critical of the Federal Government on issues related to the treatment of the Igbo in Nigeria. This has led to speculations that the explosion could have been politically motivated. Fingers are being pointed at the Federal Government and some local militia groups.
We are particularly concerned about this development because the 2019 general elections are around the corner. Given the history of the violence that attends the conduct of elections in Nigeria, we hope this is not an indication of the dimension the next set of elections will take. If so, the country’s stability and unity would be threatened. We therefore call on the Federal Government to immediately deploy the intelligence agencies and security organisations to fish out the perpetrators not only as a form of deterrence, but to exonerate the government.
The incident should not be regarded as one-off as some people in the South East contend that it was carefully plotted to indicate that the government has the capacity to clamp down on them, and thus ultimately make them switch support to the ruling All Progressives’ Congress (APC), or keep them away from the polling units. Others contend that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) could have thrown the bomb to terrify Nwodo and others regarded as opposed to its objectives, an allegation that has been denied by the organisation.
With the general state of insecurity in the land, we cannot afford to have the South East also set on fire. It is bad enough that the region is ravaged by armed robbery and kidnapping, adding terror to it is an indication that Nigeria’s move towards becoming a failed state is being accelerated. This is not good for the Buhari administration that came into office on the crest of a promise to check insecurity and generally protect all citizens.The alarming rate of unemployment and poverty in the land is an indication that there are many hands willing to be recruited for such jobs if urgent action is not taken.
Already, our soldiers are bogged down with a war that is becoming more difficult to win in the North East. Scores are being killed daily in that region, even as the killer herdsmen have seized control of many parts of the North Central, driving many away from home to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps. In the Niger Delta where the militants appear to have sheathed their sword due to the amnesty fund scheme, there have also been threats of renewed bombing of oil facilities.
These could plunge the country into anarchy. It requires concerted efforts by all arms, institutions and agencies of government to check the slide. Nothing must be done or left undone that could give the impression that government is intolerant of opposition or unable to safeguard the security of lives and properties of all Nigerians.
However, it must be noted, too, that the people should be more vigilant, and report suspicious movements to the security agents in their neighbourhood. The Nigeria Police Force does not have the capacity to keep watch over all houses and firms. Unless the people realise that they, too, are security men, it will be difficult to check this trend.
