₦airaland Forum

Punch Editorial

IN a single weekend marked by savagery, terrorists killed 38 persons who had been kidnapped months earlier in Zamfara and brutally murdered a promising entrepreneur in Anambra.

These atrocities underscore the brazen audacity of non-state actors and highlight the growing sense of helplessness among citizens. The government must not lose sight of its primary responsibility—securing the people. It must act decisively to rein in the terrorists.

The 38 victims, mostly women and children, were abducted a few months ago with a ransom demand of N50 million. After the ransom was paid, the terrorists callously killed them on July 27, shooting some and slaughtering others with machetes—a truly unconscionable act.

Less than 24 hours earlier, in Anambra, armed men broke into the home of Ifesinachi Chikere, a fish farmer. They shot him in the leg before abducting him in his car.


Like the Zamfara case, a ransom was demanded and paid, but the kidnappers killed Chikere and dumped his body by the roadside the next day.

These horrific attacks have sparked widespread outrage. Acting British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Levers, described the Zamfara massacre as an “unspeakable crime that damages people’s mental and physical well-being and retards economic progress.”

The British government is reportedly involved in initiatives to curb the rising trend of kidnapping in Nigeria.

However, the responses from the police and the state governments have been predictable, offering the same tired rhetoric that follows every act of violence. “These criminals must choose surrender or face total elimination. Their time is up,” declared Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal. But no one is convinced.

In Anambra, the police promised to deploy tactical security teams to apprehend those who killed Chikere. A week after the incident, the state government issued a press statement calling the attack “dastardly and heart-wrenching”.

Yet these official reactions fail to inspire confidence. Instead, they reveal the political class’s inability to confront this grave threat, which endangers Nigeria’s very existence.

A resident of a Zamfara community expressed this despair to Amnesty International: “The government issues media statements after we are attacked and killed. That is all they do. When the next attack comes, they will issue another empty statement while bandits escalate their atrocities. We are helpless.”

Fifteen years of insecurity have displaced and traumatised over 3 million people, mostly women and children, in IDP camps, desperately in need of assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

With Boko Haram gaining allies like Ansaru, ISWAP, Lakurawa, Mahmuda, Fulani herdsmen, and bandit leaders such as Bello Turji operating freely across state borders, insecurity has worsened despite the official narrative.

Since the start of the year, Boko Haram and ISWAP have targeted security personnel, killing many, destroying facilities, and looting armouries. Reports also indicate territory has been seized, although the military denies this.


In the last two years, over 10,217 people have been killed nationwide, according to AI.

Benue accounts for the highest death toll with 6,896 deaths, followed by Plateau with 2,630.

Bandits have reportedly sacked about 638 villages in Zamfara alone. Across much of the North, farmers cannot safely tend their fields for fear of kidnapping or murder, leading to worsening food insecurity. Some are forced to pay heavy levies to access their farms. This represents a clear failure of the state.

Like cancer, insecurity has metastasised, threatening every aspect of Nigerian life. Numerous schools have shut down; medical workers have been kidnapped. This must end.

Terrorists are gaining ground. They, along with collaborators such as gunrunners and informants, must be crushed.

Recently, the Katsina State Government blamed many bandit attacks on ordinary civilians who provide crucial intelligence about troop and aircraft movements, profiting immensely by supplying bandits. Such actions should be treated as treason.

The military must intensify its fight against these insurgents. The Federal Government should deepen collaboration with Nigeria’s neighbours and seek assistance from willing global powers to contain and defeat the rampaging terrorists

https://punchng.com/rein-in-the-terrorists/

Thank you Punch newspaper for speaking up to open the eyes of Nigerians to the many failures of tinubu government.

Punch Newspaper is owned by James Aboderin

Sane yorubas are beginning to speak up about the many failures and more failures of the man that claimed he developed Lagos .

Is Tinubu aware there is still terrorism rampaging the country?

Shettima will tackle security in mud.

APC is disaster

In those days when I was young, terrorists were only reported in far places like Afghanistan or Pakistan, the closest about terrorism news is probably Sudan or Mali. Now there is no day you will report a news in Nigeria and there wont be anything about terrorist since the beginning of APC government.

Terrorism is the crude oil of the Northerners and the FG, ...... opinion hardly changes when personal interest is involved

Tinubu will handle the economy.
Shettima will handle security.
It's been failure upon failure...from top to bottom.

very interesting read. Apc and Tinubu has finished d country. Thank God that house of rep member is renovating cemetery to Bury more people

Bobloco:
Punch Editorial

https://punchng.com/rein-in-the-terrorists/

Terrorists in nigeria have collaborators in government according to abacha

free2ryhme:
Terrorists in nigeria have collaborators in government according to abacha

shetima is your vice president of Nigeria till date o

Terrorists in government can not rein in thier terrorist foot soldiers

Security is everybody's business.

Some Nigerians are aiding and abetting them, most of these terrorists are known to the people, they have refused to give them up.

Peter Obi once said that he knows IPOB terrorists, in fact they they are well known to him but he has refused to condemn or mention who they are

Nigeria!!!!

How did we get here for crying out loud?

This is heart wrecking!

Nigerian government needs to do something about the terrorists before it swallow the nation

christejames:
Is Tinubu aware there is still terrorism rampaging the country?

Don't be partisan. This is from a neutral lady.
Most of this terror acts are self inflicted injury. Failure or each state actors.
When all tools are used to fight it. It will go down. Starting from northern clerics to continually protest against it, banning of certain dress codes than aid hiding of explosives, forming incorruptibles community s city outfits that has direct backing from all state governors who in turn directly report to the president. Eradicating property and Devin eating almajiri houses, streets, slums or any area of recruitment for foot soldiers of crimes.
It's a nationwide collaboration.

It is happening in Anambra, imo and Ebonyi state, specific locales are being targeted by people with weapons. Its becoming unsafe to travel to some areas especially if you dress nice and drive a flashy car.

There is suppression of complaints in these places, people silently migrate to less hostile areas, abandoning the land of their forefathers.

There seems to be a systemic plot to drive people away from prospering rural areas to city centres to become destitute and die slowly.

These activities contribute to the rural urban migration , they cause property values in the cities to increase while adding no real value to its occupants except the mafia that benefits from the crises.

Some of these local communities are farming centres, food production hubs, the impact of this trend will be felt in the coming months, it aint pretty.

The Government knows what to do but doesn't want to do it because the lives of ordinary citizens are not important to them.

/

Why bother?

Nigerians are professional victims who wear victimhood as badges of honour. They will complain but with N5k each, they will still vote in oppressors and go back to bitching and whining for another donkey years.

/

Some of these state governors need to go to Wike and ask him how he tamed the arise of these criminals in Rivers state when he was governor; especially the Zamfara state governor. He seems to be lacking any answers in dealing with these criminals 😎

Tinubu should step down. What an ineffective buffon in securing this nation. Hunger everywhere, i security, poor quality of everything

The sophisticated people said they have solutions to all our problems as a country but just look at this bloody mess

greatiyk4u:
Terrorism is the crude oil of the Northerners and the FG, ...... opinion hardly changes when personal interest is involved

Is that why ebilokan teamed up with El Rufai to make his fellow southerner Jonathan a one term president and install his 2011 expired soldier as the replacement?

Maxymilliano:
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has explained why he delegated some members of the party to respond to questions posed to him.
According to the former Lagos Governor, he adopted the delegation method “to show team-ship”.

Tinubu spoke at the Chatham House lecture titled: ‘Nigeria’s 2023 elections: In conversation with Bola Ahmed Tinubu’, monitored by The Nation.

At the lecture, Tinubu after his opening remarks, assigned Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai to speak on how his (Tinubu-led) government would address insecurity and asked the Director of Strategic Communication of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Aleke, to respond to the question on oil theft.

https://thenationonlineng.net/why-i-delegated-el-rufai-ayade-others-to-answer-questions-at-chatham-house-tinubu/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1670262252

LagosOrigin:
Thank you Punch newspaper for speaking up to open the eyes of Nigerians to the many failures of tinubu government.

Punch Newspaper is owned by James Aboderin

Sane yorubas are beginning to speak up about the many failures and more failures of the man that claimed he developed Lagos .

WhT is happening in South East is Igbo killing igbo

OPICANTO2223:
Tinubu should step down. What an ineffective buffon in securing this nation. Hunger everywhere, i security, poor quality of everything

Is it Tinubu that make ihno to be killing igbo.
You people will see the truth and not say it

Bobloco:
Punch Editorial

https://punchng.com/rein-in-the-terrorists/

Banditry economy thriving well under Apc government

Fifteen years of insecurity have displaced and traumatised over 3 million people, mostly women and children, in IDP camps, desperately in need of assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Three million people in IDP camps due to banditry and insecurity

Thats more than the population of many countries

kernniejay:
In those days when I was young, terrorists were only reported in far places like Afghanistan or Pakistan, the closest about terrorism news is probably Sudan or Mali. Now there is no day you will report a news in Nigeria and there wont be anything about terrorist since the beginning of APC government.

The only terror group during the period of APC is IPOB . Every other terror group predated the APC.
Bombs were going off every day in the major Northern cities during Jonathan’s tenure .
Tinubu has done better than Buhari and GEJ in terms of security

The financiers of terrorism ( both IPOB and Boko Haram ) are currently under the banner of the ADC.
Tinubu should go after them if he wants to win the war on terror

LagosOrigin:
Thank you Punch newspaper for speaking up to open the eyes of Nigerians to the many failures of tinubu government.

Punch Newspaper is owned by James Aboderin

Sane yorubas are beginning to speak up about the many failures and more failures of the man that claimed he developed Lagos .

My question is can't the states governors protect their own state? The governors too can provide means of protecting their citizens. Someone should correct me if am wrong with this. Not a supporter of politicians.

Tinubu is chasing 2027 while terrorists are being begged, released and still killing people...the North playing politics with their people's lives.

Everything is just wrong with these people, their ideology and their religion .
Why would you kill a fellow human being for whatever reason.

Krankhead:
Is it Tinubu that make ihno to be killing igbo.
You people will see the truth and not say it

As the head of security, he should be responsible for security. Everywhere is messed up. Holy shit what an irresistibility