The era in which government
monopolize the flow of infor-
mation has since gone. For
that reason, government must be hon-
est and patient in relating with the cit-
izens.
One of the biggest lies ever told by
any government in the history of Ni-
geria is that Boko Haram has been
“technically defeated”. Boko Haram
has not been defeated. It is, in fact,
waxing stronger. Any government
spokesman, presidential media as-
sistant or service chief, who says that
Boko Haram has been defeated, will be
answerable to God for every life that
Boko Haram has destroyed. Nigerians
have the right and duty to interrogate
government on the level of insecurity
in this country. But instead of honest
responses, they are insulted by Presi-
dential spokespersons who combine
insolence and mendacity.
How many innocent Nigerians will
be killed before our government and
its functionaries admit that Nigeria
is not winning the war against ter-
rorism? Incontrovertible evidence
abounds that government is simply
incapable of protecting the land and
the people.
As the year 2019 was coming to an
end, a faction of Boko Haram under
the banner of Islamic State of West Af-
rica Province (ISWAP), intensified its
terrorist acts.
On December 12, ISWAP executed a
police officer and 14 civilians in north-
eastern Nigeria.
On December 13, ISWAP executed
4 of the 6 workers it abducted in July
- One of the abducted workers
had already been executed last Sep-
tember.
On December 14, as many as 19 Fu-
lani cattle herders were killed by Boko
Haram near Ngala, close to Nigeria’s
border with Cameroon.
On December 22, near Maiduguri, 6
persons were killed while 5 were ab-
ducted by Boko Haram.On December
24, Christmas Eve, Boko Haram visit-
ed Chibok, a Christian town, killed 7
and abducted a teenage girl.
On December 26, a day after
Christmas, Boko Haram released a
56-second video of the execution 11
Christians. Timing of release of the
video was obviously meant to dampen
Christmas celebrations. Perpetrators
of this heinous crime claimed it was to
avenge the death of Abu Bakr al-Bagh-
dadi, leader of Islamic State.
Then came the year 2020. It began
with the abduction on January 2 of
Pastor Lawan Andimi. He was even-
tually murdered by Boko Haram.
Pastor Andimi was Chairman of the
Christian Association of Nigeria in
Michiki Local Government Area of
Adamawa State, a state that has been
repeatedly harassed by Boko Haram.
On January 7, not less than 20 sol-
diers were killed, and more than 1, 000
people were added to the number of
displaced persons in Borno. Mean-
while, Nigerians saw on video how the
Governor of Borno State witnessed
extortion on the highway by soldiers
mounting a checkpoint in Borno. Ni-
gerians are yet to be told what hap-
pened to those soldiers.
On the night of January 8, 2020,
gunmen wearing military fatigue in-
vaded the Good Shepherd Catholic
Seminary in Kaduna at about 10.30
pm and abducted four seminarians,
young men being trained to become
Catholic priests, namely, Pius Kan-
wai, Peter Umenkor, Stephen Amos,
and Michael Nnadi. The story bears
the trappings of Boko Haram’s mass
kidnappings. One of the seminarians
was found after his captors inflicted
serious injuries on his body and on his
mind. Another one, Michael Nnadi,
was murdered.
On January 9, young Daciya Dalep,
an indigene of Plateau State on his
way back to school at the University
of Maiduguri was abducted and later
executed by Boko Haram child sol-
dier. Dalep was abducted along with
Lilian Daniel Gyang, another student
of the University of Maiduguri and
fellow Plateau State indigene. Mean-
while, Leah Sharibu, a young Chris-
tian woman, has spent over one year
in Boko Haram captivity. Abducted
among other young schoolgirls, she
has not been released because she re-
fused to renounce her Christian faith.
Her release does not look like some-
thing that will happen soon. Uncon-
firmed reports say she was forced into
marriage and has given birth to a baby
boy.
There is a noticeable pattern. While
Boko Haram has not spared members
of the Muslim community, the fact of
the affiliation of these aggressors with
Islamic religion is undeniable. Nei-
ther is it deniable that many of their
victims are Christians. Young Chris-
tian women are abducted and forced
to marry in the Islamic way. While it
is true that friendship in Nigeria does
cut across religious boundaries, it is
also clearly evident that some practi-
tioners of Islamic religion are saying it
is a crime to be Christian in Nigeria.
Examples cited here are not exhaustive
but illustrative. With these and other
indices available in the public domain,
can it be sincerely said that Boko Har-
am is in any sense defeated? And
there are other questions our govern-
ment must not shy away from. For the
truth shall make us free.
With heightening insecurity in the
land, Nigerians have a right to ques-
tion the competence of the service
chiefs. They are yet to demonstrate
that they have solutions to the menace
of Boko Haram. Nigeria is at war. But
can it be said that she is showing signs
of winning the war? If indeed Nigeria
is a democracy, then Nigerians have
an inalienable right to ask government
questions. This right is not limited
by party affiliation. It is not limited to
those whom government perceives as
admirers. Even those who are rightly
or wrongly perceived as opponents of
government have a democratic right
to interrogate government.
A democracy is not led by a mon-
arch who is above and beyond ques-
tions. It would, therefore, be a great
disservice to the government and peo-
ple of Nigeria for government spokes-
persons to heap gratuitous insults on
those who demand accountability of
government. As government spokes-
persons, they are officials who are
paid by the people. Of course, there
is the mistaken assumption that Ni-
geria’s money is “government mon-
ey”. But there is need to interrogate
this assumption too. Nigeria’s money
belongs to Nigerians, not to govern-
ment. Such a mistaken assumption
encourages mismanagement of Nige-
ria’s wealth. It also makes government
officials ignore the fact that the people
they insult by their insensitive and un-
guarded utterances are the same peo-
ple who pay their salaries.
Presidential media men tell Nige-
rians that the President is in control.
But President Buhari has himself ex-
pressed shock and disbelief at the level
of insecurity in the land. He expressed
shock at the killing of Pastor Andimi.
If, in the past, he said he did not know
that the Inspector General of Police did
not relocate to Benue State, as he had
commanded, and if he now expresses
shock at the level of insecurity, can it be
sincerely said that he is in control of the
security situation? Are those working
with him telling him the truth about Ni-
geria?
While this country is burning, presi-
dential spokespersons, allergic to dissent-
ing voices, deceive Nigerians by peddling
the myth of an omnipotent and omnisci-
ent President. The most potent dangers
to our hard-earned democracy are the
President’s men. It is disheartening that
while the government they represent has
failed in matters of security they tell lies
and insult us. They are neither helping
him nor helping Nigeria. A President
who is really in control would have
called them to order or fired them.
