The unfathomable conundrum of the situation is less about how the perpetrators of these heinous crimes have operated with impunity and palpable lack of compunction, but more about how the government and security agencies have not been able to put an end to their menace despite having the power to do so.
How Nigeria became a country synonymous with perennial bloodletting and defined by large-scale violence and killings remains incomprehensible to many citizens of the once peaceful nation. In the last decade, mindless attacks and wanton killings of defenceless and unarmed Nigerians have become a daily reality for many. For many hapless Nigerians, the head-scratching and unfathomable conundrum of the situation is less about how the perpetrators of these heinous crimes have operated with impunity and palpable lack of compunction, but more about how the government and security agencies have not been able to put an end to their menace despite having the power to do so.
Many people believe that the freedom and ease with which these rampaging armed non-state actors commit their atrocities is not down to their invincibility or the sophistication of their planning and coordination but fueled by the sheer lethargy and, some will say, help from the very people who are supposed to stop them. This notion is held not only by everyday Nigerians and average citizens but also by influential and powerful politicians, especially from the North which has suffered most from the nefarious and abhorrent actions of these deranged criminal elements.
In a recent interview, former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, revealed that the federal government under President Bola Tinubu has security arrangements and appeasement policy with violent non-state actors wreaking havoc in the nation’s north-west region, where the government pays bandits and terrorists to stop them from attacking and killing people in the vast enclave. His statements did not come as a shock to many who have long viewed the nation’s deepening security crisis as a make-believe conundrum that is happening because certain state actors needed the staged chaos and instability to advance their own selfish and destructive agenda.
El-Rufai condemned the purported federal government payment to bandits to keep them at bay, stating that such a decision is counterproductive to ending insecurity in the country and that if anything, it will only worsen things as the move only serves the interest of very despicable people they should be neutralising but pampering. Make no mistake about it, El-Rufai, for the most part, does not enjoy positive and inspiring reviews among many Nigerians, his portrayal is damning and troubling and his revelation will not in any way kick-start a rebranding that will endear him to many Nigerians who see him as part and parcel of the problem he is now vociferously speaking against. His revelation has, however, offered a glimpse into the inner workings of how the nation is governed.
Following his remarks, other influential characters from northern Nigeria have lent credence to El-Rufai’s assertion. Speaking a couple of days after El-Rufai’s statement, former Labour Party vice presidential candidate in the last general election, Datti Baba-Ahmed, corroborated El-Rufai’s claim, saying that there is some truth to his revelation. He, however, said El-Rufai cannot exonerate himself from the destabilising insecurity ravaging Nigeria as he helped plant the seed in the build-up to the 2015 presidential election. Baba-Ahmed recounted how the All Progressives Congress imported armed thugs into the country from the Sahel, waiting to unleash them on Nigerians should they lose the election. He stated that El-Rufai should be facing prosecution for his role in the insecurity ravaging the country.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s allegation, the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said there is no iota of truth in the former governor’s claim. In a statement from his office, Ribadu said El-Rufai’s allegations “are not only false but also contradict verifiable facts on the ground.” Of course, one does not expect the office of the NSA to admit to being chummy with violent non-state actors who committed all manner of unspeakable atrocities and also have a policy of monetary incentives to stop them from perpetrating their unconscionable and barbarous acts. But the facts speak for themselves. The NSA can try to muddy the water with some tame and unconvincing clarifications, but Nigerians know better, and his response to the allegation is a flimsy deflection that seeks to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians. They
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