There are times when all manner of differences are put aside in order to forge a common front to fight and subdue a more common lethal enemy. That time is NOW for Kebbi state. The events of the last couple of days and their subsequent fallouts have left us with no option than to put our thinking caps and work out the best strategy to keep ourselves safe and alive. Only the living has the luxury of dillydallying or wasting precious time on frivolities.
The unfortunate abductions of students and teachers of the Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi state was a reincarnation of similar absurdities that have sprouted and festered out of the neighboring states of Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger where bandits have had, and are continuing to have field days. As it is today, signs are that the bandits have overwhelmed the nation into surrendering all initiatives to them.
The only difference in Kebbi – and a welcome one at that, was that our people in the affected areas and the security units around the axis have refused to be cowed into abandoning wares and running for their lives. The bandits, regardless of their numbers were chased into the forests, trapped and given their just desserts. A number of the kidnapped students and teachers were rescued while dozens of the bandits lay dead. In other climes like we have been having in Zamfara, Katsina and Niger states, the bandits were never sufficiently, comprehensively and effectively confronted and annihilated, to send a message to them that violence is never their exclusive preserve or monopoly.
For the first time since he came to power, Governor Atiku Bagudu has never warmed himself into the hearts of his people like in this charged and scary situation where he took effective charge, mobilized rapid response and made the necessary follow ups to ensure that the bandits did not merely walked over his territory, killed his people and literally picked vulnerable and helpless students and waltzed out of sight and into the bellies of the forests. I must confess that whoever choreographed this fire-for-fire response has done an excellent job. For the first time since this kidnapping (business) changed color and import and blossomed into taking students hostage because that was one effective way to blackmail state and federal governments into paying hundreds of millions as ransom, it was only in Kebbi that the right response was dished out, to convey the message that with the right mobilization, leadership, support and community participation, the nation has the capacity to reign in these mindless, dirty and bloodthirsty animals in human clothes.
The prompt visit to the area of conflict by Governor Atiku Bagudu, the several security meetings held to work out effective response and the limitless support which the communities churned out were the most result-oriented preliminary approaches which changed the narratives and gave the kind of bite required to speak the kind of language which all bandits in the world understand; fire for fire.
The “call-to-war” speech which Governor Atiku Bagudu delivered on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi when some Governors visited to sympathize and show solidarity with the people of Kebbi on the unfortunate development had made the day for all men and women of goodwill, who genuinely wish good for Kebbi state and its people. The call for the people to mobilize and get ready to follow him into the forest to confront the hoodlums may not necessarily mean an immediate mobilization for war, but you cannot take away the symbolic substance and the courage embedded in it which was sort of a reassurance that if it comes to that, the Governor himself was willing to lead from the front, to deal with these nasty hooligans.
To begin with, we cannot afford to surrender to the bandits like other states have almost done because the implication of doing that is rather unimaginable. It means we cannot go to the farms or the markets; we cannot travel from one point to the other; our schools will have to be closed; our people will be killed continually in such a way that nobody will ever be safe; our women would be at the mercy of these ruffians and at the very end of it, we will be at a standstill, answering only to these beasts who will take land, keep that land at their mercy and run the show on us. They will, literally be the government.
You can see that the scenario is utterly unthinkable. So, when the authorities came up with this effective response, it gladdened the hearts of all men and women of goodwill, because for two reasons, we can see some lights at the end of the tunnel. One is that the message (in the language they understand) has been amply and without mincing words been sent to all bandits prowling and pillaging the Northwestern zone of the country. Secondly, a way out of this malady of unrestraint genocide against Nigerians by soulless outlaws has been found. In other words, the courage that was on display by our soldiers, policemen, yansakai and other vigilante groups as well as the capacity to trace the bandits in the dead of the night, successfully engage them and subsequently inflict casualties on them in the number it was done, will galvanize and encourage the entire nation into rising up, to save the nation from going under the weight of organized criminality.
The Governor, regardless of whatever opinion one may have on him, has shown some glimmer of capacity to lead in times of war. He tended to, by his comportment possess the right temperament in dire situations such as we are in presently, he also appeared to possess the oratory skills to charge his people and on top of that, he has proved to have the energy to walk his talk. His vows to talk to the nation’s top security officials and our neighboring states to ‘’meet us in the bush’’ to fight was damn inspiring and simply charging. If you remember how Adolf Hitler mesmerized Germans and talked them into an unfortunate massive decapitation campaign, you are near the point I am trying to make.
The added advantage to us in Kebbi is that we have proved, all through our history that out of our diversity, there is a melting pot of a one hell of warrior-like tenacity. When bandits attempted to make the bushes of our borders with Sokoto on the Arewa flanks of Argungu Emirate a while ago, the people themselves with critical support from our security forces, launched coordinated and relentless assaults on them until those who managed to escape with their lives took to their heels swearing never to set foot in that area again.
In the Zuru axis too which spread to Yauri and into the forests of Niger state, the Zuru Warriors were never ever found wanting in the way they always respond to acts of violence by the bandits who usually launched daring attacks from their “daba” bases in Zamfara and Niger states and rushed back with the intention of running away with their booty. So, our capacity to rise up to challenges and deal with them has never ever been in doubt.
If we are able to rally round support to our Governor, remain steadfast in prayers, maintain that valor and courage, keep our eyes on the ball and internalize intelligence-driven attributes we will, In Shaa Allah, defeat this band of common enemy.
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