NewStats: 3,262,807 , 8,178,213 topics. Date: Tuesday, 03 June 2025 at 04:17 PM 3c363r

Buhari, bandits are taking over here

Punch Editorial Board

Bandits have become unstoppable, turning the country into a massive graveyard. Mourning, anguish and lamentations, therefore, have become routine to a lot of hapless citizens, compelling them to wonder what became of the government, whose statutory responsibility of protecting lives is a constitutional guarantee.

So unbearable is the situation that the Christian Association of Nigeria staged a nationwide protest march on Sunday. Instructively, the usually optimistic Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, in Lagos, led the church’s faithful in the march with a placard, “All souls are precious to God.”

Changing this horrific situation was one of the three campaign issues of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in 2015, for which Nigerians trusted and voted him to office, given his military background. But it beggars belief that he seems to now be all at sea. 

According to the Nigeria Security Tracker, 25,794 people were killed during the General’s first term.

This helplessness was shown in his recent retort that the level of insecurity was surprising to him.  He said: “I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising.  We have to be harder on them.”

But such presidential undertaking had been made before to no avail. In a recent interview, Onyema Nwachukwu, a Brigadier-General and acting Director of Information, Defence Headquarters, said “the hands of the Armed Forces are full with several operations across the country.” He is right. And according to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, the operational strength of the police is 301,737 personnel for about 200 million population. From this, only 20 per cent are engaged in core police duties while 80 per cent are attached to VIPs.

The result? “Mere anarchy” is let loose. Niger, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Taraba states in the North-West and North-Central zones have become a haven for bandits, forcing the President to periodically deploy the military in these areas without the desired result.

Last Thursday, the people of Kwatas in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State buried 20 of their own massacred early January by Fulani herdsmen. Their village was invaded by herders wielding AK 47 rifles. Benue State had in January 2018 similarly buried 73 people slaughtered by the herders. The same year, in April, two Catholic priests and 17 others were murdered inside the church in an early morning raid. More than 100,000 persons have been killed by Boko Haram since its murderous campaign began in 2009, according to the former Borno State Governor, Kashia Shettima. Nigeria’s northern land borders with Chad, Niger and Cameroon are major suspected routes of the inflow of illicit arms and ammunition into the country, which fuel this orgy of bloodbath.

In Zamfara State, Babban Rafi villagers are in grief following last month’s killing of 31 persons by bandits in two separate attacks. These atrocities came in the wake of the so-called amnesty the Governor, Bello Mattawale, had granted the bandits. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Usman Nagoggo, on January 8 said no fewer than 6,319 people were killed by bandits in the state in 2019 alone. In Katsina State, the General’s home state, begging bandits for peace, instead of routing them, has become an awkward attribute of governance.

Unnerved by the General’s ission that insecurity was worsening and the Service Chiefs seemingly at their wits’ end, the two chambers of the National Assembly last week erupted in disapproval of the status quo. While the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, during an imioned debate at plenary, asked Buhari to resign, the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, said the present central policing system could not guarantee security anymore and, therefore, required restructuring. In the House of Representatives, the consensus was that the Service Chiefs should be sacked.

Even the soldiers, police and other security personnel are as unsafe as the general public. It is a state of hopelessness that should have provoked new initiatives, but the regime appears impervious to change. This barbaric epoch can only change if the fundamental issues that underpin Nigeria’s abysmal failure in security are well dissected, appreciated, and a modern governance template put in place for remedial action.

The Federal Government should mount a serious campaign against the proliferation of arms and ammunition. Where non-state actors are in possession of weapons superior to what the police and other security agencies have, the reign of terror will not abate. This is why Nigerians feel petrified of travelling on the highways. Because of kidnappers, the Abuja–Kaduna Highway has largely been abandoned. engers are now hauled through the new Abuja–Kaduna railway transport, whose engers recently came under bandit attack, just as there are always ambushes on the Damaturu–Maiduguri Highway.

A post-graduate student of the University of Maiduguri, returning to school, was beheaded by Islamists. Terrorists blew up the Gamboru-Ngala Bridge in Borno State; this left 30 persons dead on January 5. The Emir of Potiskum, Yobe State, Umaru Bubaram, escaped by a whisker when his convoy was attacked on the Kaduna–Zaria Highway but six people were killed including his security details.

At the heart of this pervasive lawlessness is the inappropriate security apparatus for a federal system. In the true sense of the word, Nigeria is not a federation. In the classic sense, sovereignty is shared between federal and constituent governments. But sovereignty without the instrument of coercion is a ruse. Those who are notoriously impervious to restructuring should, therefore, have a rethink before it is too late.

There must be a comprehensive strategy to effectively curb lethal violence. It should include balancing crackdown and prevention priorities. Promoting better cooperation among security forces, prosecutors, and penal authorities is essential. But so are public policies directed at poverty reduction and job creation.

Most importantly, our political structure should enhance security by balancing shared rule with self-rule. There should be a proper division of constitutional and institutional responsibilities and the identification of mechanisms that will facilitate effective intergovernmental cooperation in public security for the good of all.

Therefore, state policing has become inevitable in line with every federal polity. Policing should be devolved as recommended by the 2014 National Political Conference.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/buhari-bandits-are-taking-over-here/amp/

Smh. Bandits are taking over. Whom are you directing your anecdotes to

This is an opportunity to do the right thing

He knows.

Same commander.

If you know, you know

sapientia:
How

Exactly sapientia, op needs to explain how BUHARI will agree that his kinsmen have taken over.

They are currently spreading fast across the SW and Amotekun will not be heard of again until all their jihadist factions have received their own ration of ammunition from libya

I really piiry pipo of south, they hear the rumblings but won’t know when the volcano erupts.

Okooo

He said: “I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising.

From claiming to have decimated boko haram and later itting to be taken aback by their activities shows clearly a confused president bereft of ideas.

Chicken-hearted president

The solution to these rampant insecurities is immediate dismemberment of Nigeria.As long as we are yoked together with imbecilic humans from the far north the problems of insecurity and other anti development tendencies will fester.

Nigeria may have offended God to have made him give her a president like Buhari

It is well.

Soon one failed human being will post a survey,where his/her friends and made up names,that will claim 95% of Nigerians view Punch as the least read newspaper with the Sun being the most widely read.

Even ers of PMB are tired. They cant blame PDP anymore.

“I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West & other parts of the country.During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram.What is coming now is surprising. 

It's a shame that Mr.President will open his mouth & say this unpresidential statement.So he means that as usual, he is not aware that global security challenges is an ever dynamic phenomenon that need proactive measures?

Yet the illiterate keeps telling the nation that "national security supersedes the rule of law"? Any wonder BH & terrorists are always taking the offensive to our military & kept on winning?

Meanwhile, he has not only granted unrestricted access to the so called immigrant Fulanis killing Nigerians, but himself & all officials of his govt have fiercely defended their countless atrocities.Tell us it's Mr.President.So the buck stops @ his table.So stop making blame for him.

Meanwhile, all officials of his regime, service chiefs, their families, aides, cronies go about with armed-to-the-teeth security details while hapless Nigerians are left @ the mercy of the ruthless killers.

"People who had constructed Buhari as an unerring, irreproachable demigod who is worthy only of worship and unquestioned iration have started to call him insensitive and clueless...

There suddenly seems to be an epiphany in the region that Buhari is an inept, uncaring fraud who scammed the people into attributing to him qualities he never possessed & would never possess in a million lifetimes.."

https://www.farooqkperogi.com/2020/02/insecurity-will-only-expand-and-fester.html?m=1#.XjUJRs75LXE.twitter

NothingDoMe:
Even ers of PMB are tired. They cant blame PDP anymore.

. This is the present reality.

They're not mincing words again. LOL.
That's nice. The thing has finally reached their neck.

I like making designs that are directly tailored to your needs.
If you need one, hit me up.
I'll be expecting to hear from you.

Have they stopped blaming GEJ?

Lol.. So even buhari is subtly turning into a wailer..

Why won't Bandits have a field day when you handled them with kid glooves..
But turn aggressive to defenless protesters.

And yet, you keep re enforceing the same bandits your complaining about by releasing "REPENTANT" "REHABILITATED" Boko haram insurgents from jail, Injecting them back into the society with to means of livelihood.


Who is fool who?

ATURU

lol

When will punch and Buhari finish their fight?

Community policing will help a lot. The government have to start considering that.

What I'll never understand is why anyone still and defend this government. The BBQ guy, omenka et al, do you guys have conscience?

Buhari pattern of governance can only grow and enable Banditry/Terrorism. #FACT

gurunlocker:
Have they stopped blaming GEJ?

Girls were being kidnapped during Gej.

Bombs were being detonated weekly in Nigeria during Gej.

Churches were being burnt every Sunday during Gej.

Herdsmen and farmers were killing each other in the middle belt during Gej.


This is not about Buhari or Gej.


Charge Buhari to do more but don't bring Gej to this matter.

Our leaders have failed the country,
Gej was no exception.

.

Those when nor know go think say Sanwo-Olu banning Okada and Keke na mistake not knowing it's a well thought out plan to drive Hausas/Fulanis from Lagos
Trust Me, about 90% of those with Keke and Okada are Northerners
#Amotekun

. 2023 is still far oo .Dis old daura Soldier sef

Again! Pres. Buhari seems to have run out of ideas.

oshe11:
Those when nor know go think say Sanwo-Olu banning Okada and Keke na mistake not knowing it's a well thought out plan to drive Hausas/Fulanis from Lagos
Trust Me, about 90% of those with Keke and Okada are Northerners
#Amotekun
N

I realised that today and immediately started ing the move ..Most of those Okada riders where from North and Niger republic