Head of State Muhammadu Buhari
Terrorists who recently kidnapped, bombed, and attacked passengers on an Abuja-Kaduna train have made a fresh threat. In a brief video tape released last week, the terrorists were seen beating the defenseless train hostages and threatening to kidnap both President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufa'i.
President Buhari, according to Governor El-Rufa'i, was not aware of the threat until he was informed of it. The threat has been characterized by the administration as absurd and simple propaganda. However, the threat should not be viewed as propaganda or handled with kid gloves by Nigerians who have continued to experience frequent attacks by bandits and kidnappers.
Numerous events have demonstrated that these crooks have gained confidence recently. In Dutsin-ma, Katsina state, the bandits first ambushed Mr. President's advanced team, killing two of his security personnel. Over 900 severe inmates, including members of the infamous Boko Haram terrorist organization, were released after they attacked the Kuje Correctional Centre in the Federal Capital Territory, or FCT.
Their audacity and seriousness to attack further targets were reinforced by the most recent attack on the Guards Brigade, which resulted in the deaths of two soldiers who reacted to a panicked call from the Law School in Bwari, on the outskirts of Abuja.
States surrounding the FCT including Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger are insecure because of the risky activities of bandits. Suspected bandits are believed to be responsible for a rise in kidnappings in the FCT communities. We were not shocked to learn that kidnapping for ransom was a common occurrence in the countryside surrounding the nation's capital.
The governor of Niger state, Sani Bello, alerted authorities to Boko Haram invasion last year. The governor claimed that the deadly individuals were only a few kilometers from Abuja. The governor's remark has put an end to rumors that they were present in Abuja.
Any threat from terrorists should worry Nigerians if they can be so brazen to carry out such planned strikes in advantageous locations and get away with their destructive deeds. The Kaduna-Abuja road is already a no-go zone. Attacks have been made on the rail services that provide Nigerians with an option.
Our airports themselves are no longer secure. After killing, kidnapping, and forcing tens of thousands of peasants from their ancestral homes in the North-west states, many Nigerians have expressed concern that the criminals aim to take over the country's capital.
The administration should take swift action to foil their ambitions to kidnap our president rather than dismissing their threat as baseless. If their sinister plans are not revealed, the terrorists will strike more locations. They must submit to the firepower of our security personnel. The nation's ongoing fight against terrorism has not yielded any notable successes.
There is a need for the government to reexamine its plans and provide practical remedies. Allow the government to investigate whether there is a link between unlawful mining and banditry in Zamfara and other states in the North-West. Unsettlingly, it would appear that the majority of ransom payments made to the kidnappers typically end up in the hands of their supporters.
There is proof that whenever these kidnappers are caught, they appear exhausted and defeated. This has demonstrated that they are controlled, armed, and funded by war profiteers. The government can identify their sponsors, apprehend them, and prosecute them in accordance with the law by acquiring effective intelligence.
In its fight against terrorism, the government must embrace technology. Drones and other technologically advanced weapons might be used to locate and bomb these criminals' hiding places. We don't have to continue fighting terrorism in analog or asymmetrical ways in the twenty-first century. Nigeria should switch to digital instead.
Ibrahim Mustapha, Pambegua, Kaduna state, phone: 8169056963.
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