I wish to state, firstly, that Nigeria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national institutions must be respected by all. At the same time, I fully support any collaborative action aimed at eradicating the murderous bands of terrorists who have wantonly slaughtered thousands of our countrymen and women — Christians, Muslims, and people of other faiths alike.
For almost 15 years, jihadist terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and affiliates of ISWAP, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and, more recently, groups like Lakurawa and Wulowulo, have wreaked unimaginable havoc. They introduced suicide bombing in Nigeria and began a murderous campaign, especially in Borno State, from which it gradually spread across the northeastern part of our country.
Places of worship — both churches and mosques, as well as palaces and traditional rulers have not been spared in their bloodbath. School children have been kidnapped, killed or forcefully married off. The victims of these jihadist attacks, which began in Borno, were Muslims and Christians.
As fundamentalist groups opposed to Western education, these terrorists have consistently targeted schools and students, leading to the abductions of the Chibok girls, Dapchi girls, and Buni Yadi school children, among others. Till today, Nigeria has not fully accounted for the whereabouts of many of these students — for instance, Leah Sharibu and some Chibok girls remain missing.
Universities and their students have also suffered attacks, and these terrorist groups still maintain footholds and control territories within Nigeria. In states such as Borno, Zamfara, and Katsina, according to accounts from government officials and community leaders, these terrorists continue to control territories, impose taxes on locals, and generally exercise authority — by their own rules, not by the laws of the Nigerian state or the Constitution.
This is a direct affront to Nigeria’s sovereignty and should not be tolerated any further. President Trump’s statement is a wake-up call to action. If the Nigerian government is unable to address this issue effectively, then it must collaborate with those who can help us flush out these terrorists.
At the Senate, my colleagues and I have repeatedly raised these issues, even beyond the floor of the Senate. Hardly a week passes without a member of the Senate drawing attention to reports of killings and attacks on villages in one constituency or the other.
The Senate has paid countless tributes in memory of those killed, as well as several suggestions and proposals to the Executive, including the proposal for a National Security Summit to be held soon. Most recently, the Senate took a motion and directed its leadership to interface with the President to dispatch a non-partisan team of experts and statesmen to Washington D.C.
Even states that were once considered safe zones have now been affected, as the insurgency, banditry, and terrorism have spread to places like Sokoto, Zamfara, Taraba, Katsina, Niger, and even Kwara. Everyone in Nigeria knows that in the Middle Belt regions of Benue and Plateau, and also in Southern Kaduna, the coordinated massacres of innocent citizens by marauding terrorists and bandits, coupled with the displacement of Indigenous communities, have been going on for many years. Some of the footages of the carnage are unimaginable, while efforts by government and security agencies have clearly not been effective in tackling the menace.
The failure of successive governments in Nigeria to prevent, arrest or punish perpetrators decisively created room for several conspiracy theories, including state complicity under late President Buhari’s administration — a concern once raised by no less a person than General T. Y. Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff and former Minister of Defence, in reaction to the slaughter and unrestrained killings in his home state of Taraba during the Buhari administration.
Late President Buhari’s policy of appointing mostly Muslims to head all the security services during his eight years in office further worsened these perceptions.
As Nigerians, we must be honest with ourselves that the killings have gone on for too long and government and security forces have been overwhelmed. We need help! No nation can confront terrorism in isolation. We must therefore work with our allies and partners to defeat this menace once and for all.
It is on the strength of the foregoing that I strongly recommend that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should collaborate with President Donald Trump, the US Government, and other allies and friends of Nigeria to flush out these marauding terrorists. He should also improve relations with our neighbouring countries whose cooperation and support will be essential in the war against terrorism.
I have, on several occasions, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, raised concerns about the non-appointment of ambassadors for over two years. This anomaly should be corrected as soon as possible to enable our country maximise its diplomatic resources and options.
May God help Nigeria.
HSD.
