By Adetunji Ayobrown
We spend so much time planning our lives, convincing ourselves of what we want to do or have to do but often we don’t see what we are meant to do. World over, it is a known fact that self defence has always been the best line of defence. From north to south, east to west, angry reactions continued to trail the Miyetti Allah Kaute Hore’s comments that the South West should terminate its security outfit codenamed Operation Amotekun, warning that failure to do so may affect the region’s chance of producing the next president in 2023. It is now clear that only very few in the entire north are suspicious of the Amotekun security outfit.
Let us create space for wisdom, is daily killings and kidnapping for ransoms a good way of life, when the developed countries are looking for way to better the lives of their citizen? And then in Nigeria, a region or group is thinking otherwise.
Who will want to lie down and allow marauding herdsmen to kill them and their people with impunity? No one except a bastard!
Control freak, or how else can this be termed. The truth we all know, the oga knows this himself; was the submissions of Nigerians after watching all the recent unfortunate scenarios. How do they arrived at this, please let me use the little but biggest gift you gave me, your attention to do the analysis.
How come the organisation that should have been cast out from our society, but for highhandedness and ‘I-don’t-care’ attitudes of our rulers and leaders, should now be the decider of who becomes Nigeria president? Where then is our democracy? If a group of herders now see the protection of lives by other regions as bad politics, then we are definitely in a wrong and impossible country.
At this age and time, why are they still like this? This is the question I woke up with from thinking and waking up to listen to government’s inconsistencies in both body language and statement about the creation of Amotekun for instance. Was the FG and security agencies not part of several meetings held in the cause of creating Amotekun Sincerity to Nigerians should rather be my president’s number one priority. Little wondered, many see Buhari as the wrong number. ***If what report said is not true, Niger state just had his share of the high level insecurity.
Since all this while, Mr President just saw the need for community policing, which he just approved with the promise that it would be funded, an action many Nigerians felt has taken too long. If southwest would be colonised, of course it will not be by those **should employ on ranches will do that.
The need to know is now greater the desired to be fooled. Certainly, we detest those feeding upon the gullibility of the masses. In reality, Amotekun outfit is in line and in tune with community policing or multi-layered policing, which is very effective in ensuring safety and crime prevention. Warning the South-West to give up on the idea of Amotekun because they felt the security outfit is politically motivated is rather not it. But shouldn’t the government tag those bandits and herders that are killing across the country? This has, however, drawn reactions from notable Nigerians who said that Miyetti Allah Kaute Hore should go to hell with its presidency. This came as Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, yesterday, said the Community Police already in the state would soon grow into a state police. Also, backing Amotekun, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, said the outfit has come to stay, warning that nothing untoward should happen to the outfit.
Everywhere in this world, self defence is the best form of defence, if these killer herders can abandoned stick to carry guns, and not just ordinary guns but sophisticated and expensive guns, many are wondering why a whole region should wait. Amotekun’s castigation and classification by this government seems to have crossed the bar and rather unnecessary considering what Nigerians are suffering from Miyyetii Allah.
Other regions should rather wake up before it is too late. The Yorubas are ready to rise against their governors if they dare attempt to go back on this present arrangement of securing the area with Amotekun, even if Miyyetti Allahi needs to speak before its godfather uttered a word concerning the outfit, nothing should make the governors shiver in this regard. Perhaps, the FG had tried and done its best, but maybe they just could not give us the needed security, Nigerians are not just too dense to be hypnotised in this age with flimsy excuses. Indeed, Nigerians can now see through this smoke screen, many agreed they choose a wrong number in their previous support. If they see the protection of our lives as politics, we are definitely in a wrong and impossible country.
Buhari seems to be the bane and burden of this country. I believe the citizens of this country now know the need for an enlightened government that would be tough on the likes of the killer herdsmen, a government that would speak with a strong voice whether he is their godfather or not.
Alas, as it is, Buhari’s government does not fit that description as anecdotal evidences of this administration is preaching. A sharp divide cutting the Nigeria’s society.
It has now become a crime that many tribes inhabit the same country, a group now owns the presidency, which they feel they can give as gift to who they want and deny who they choose? Many saw this as an act of insolence, a slap on the face to true Nigerians. Imagine cow herders threatening a people that produced the first lawyer in 1879. ‘We have our own defence mechanism’, Miyetti Allah said this openly. Buhari did nothing, none of his ministers too, including that of justice raise an eyebrow to declare Miyetti Allah illegal. And to crown it all, this group of killer herders does not want a whole region with millions of people to have any form of protection. Can you imagine the callousness? So, who is in-charge of the country? To say that many have lost faith in the present leadership is saying the least.
Nothing is ever locked, democracy is about freedom. If the killer and terrorists thinks they can have a field day, they better think twice because even the north central and other parts of the country are following the southwest in protecting themselves. Police authorities were involved in the setting up of Amotekun and the promoters of the project made it clear that it was in response to the security challenges in the zone and that it was designed to complement efforts of the established security agencies.
Balkanization of Nigerians was never intended, and if the motive of the security outfit is not clear to these few, they should consult those who are involved like the police IGP team, other security agencies and even Buhari himself (who was in full knowledge) for clarity and better understanding. For the records, mannerism has just been proven to be accurate. The entire South West made a bold and brilliant move, though some are of the opinion that it is in alliance with the Biafrans, which probably is not true.
If you want rainbow, you have to deal with the rain, let us embrace our destiny, because people don’t understand the purpose of their making. It is rather better to express concerns when security situation is not palatable. Most Nigerians are interested in the restructuring of the country but are not keen on who becomes the president come 2023. As it is, defending yourself is not a political scheme, a self defence scheme as the constitution expressly allows such to defend ourselves. Nigerian foundation allows forming organisations and agencies to defend ourselves. Even this was stated by Nasarawa Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who said the community police already in the state would soon grow to become a state police.
Doing what might constitute a sequel. Nothing untoward should happen to an outfit like Amotekun, many Nigerians warned the federal government. Issues of kidnappings, banditry and armed robbery along the highways are totally condemnable; our security agencies are seriously overwhelmed, therefore, self defence is the best line of defence. If any group felt offended, then restructuring the country may rather be the best solution before we start the unnecessary cold war while trying to do what we are not prepared for. Let’s restructure Nigeria now.
Adetunji Ayobrown is a Public Affairs Analyst.
