Harvest of Blood
By Miracle Egbo
Medieval behaviour is abhorred in the modern governance all over the globe but in Nigeria the reverse is the case. The barbaric displays of non state actors in mowing down innocent citizens with impunity are evidences that the security agents may have been overwhelmed by the activities of these barbarians that are allegedly enjoying some government officials’ patronage. These non state actors have been confirmed to be allies of politicians and in most cases have held negotiation that was at the detriment of resolving insurgency in the country.
In one of his campaign promises, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured the electorate that if he was voted into power insecurity would be a thing of the past. Although the electorate insist that they did not vote him, the judiciary foisted him on the country but months into governance, insecurity has assumed a life of its own making killing a ritual in a country that if the insurgents did not kill you hunger will do.
On daily basis our national dailies are replete with senseless killings at the prodding of the non state actors who are operating brazenly without any consequences. Yes on assumption of office President Tinubu tried to rejig the security architecture but that drastic measure in this regard has not been able to meet the desired results the rejigging intended.
In few weeks of their appointment, the Service Chiefs tried to stamp out the excesses of the non state actors but the endemic activities of the non state actors appeared to have defied solution because allegedly some members of the security agents are known to be sympathetic to the cause of the agents of the non state actors. The tales of collaboration between some soured security personnel and non state actors coming out of the 36 states of the nation is not palatable.
Since May 29, 2023 that President Tinubu took oath of office, the non state actors have increased and it appears the security operatives are doing little or nothing to rein these non state actors. Few weeks back brutal killing of farmers in Kastina, Kaduna hogged headlines of national dallies, the security operatives feebly told the public that they were on top of the matter and those behind the dastardly act would be brought to book according to the dictates of the law of the land. The non state actors appeared to have upped their game by beating security operatives to whatever strategy they might have devised to rein the activities of these licensed killers in the land.
The ambushing of soldiers in Niger State by the dreaded Boko Haram operatives is a classical example that the security operatives might have been infiltrated by the agents of the non state actors, the reason they are always a step ahead of the security operatives. Since the inception of this administration despite the rejiging of the security architecture, the non state actors have been holding the long end of the stick in the battle to control the security space in the country.
Even the court marshalling of some indicted officers in the course of prosecuting the war against the non state actors, the measure has not been a deterrent to some of the security operatives who profit from unholy alliance with the non state actors. The pecuniary attached to the unholy alliance with the non state actors has been the main reason that unholy alliance across all strata of the security agents has refused to go away.
Facts checked by this medium revealed that the nerving activities of the non state actors have further heightened the investment flight in the country because potential foreign investors and local alike are not comfortable with the bold way and manner that non state actors have been holding government to its jugular with impunity.
Whatever is the case, these resumed festival of blood by the non state actors hasreached its crescendo, and the best thing for the administration of President Tinubu is to think out of the box on how to rein the activities of the non state actors via the help of the Service Chiefs he just engaged to salvage the bad situation.
