Politics
Nationwide Harvest Of Corpses
Bandits, herdsmen, insurgents, professional kidnappers, hooligans, cultists and gangsters, religious fanatics, highway robbers and sea pirates: you just name them, are now holding the nation to ransom. There is no week that we don’t hear of reports of atrocities carried out by these miscreants in the country.
Prior to the 2015 presidential elections, the then opposition presidential candidate was touted as the best candidate that can handle the menace of Boko Haram, being a retired general and a former Head of State with vast experience in security matters.
But today as an incumbent president with all the instrument of coercion at his disposal, how have Nigerians fared with him being in power for four years? From reports across the country, nothing has improved but rather things are getting worse day-by-day.
Boko Haram is still very much active, herdsmen are still killing, our highways have become the playground of armed robbers, kidnappers and rapists with our rivers and seas a fishing pond for sea pirates.
In Zamfara State alone, it is estimated that over 11, 000 persons have lost their lives between 2011 to date to the activities of bandits, not counting those kidnapped or raped.
In virtually every state of the federation, these criminals are having a free run with the security forces looking helpless. The situation has been so bad that even retired generals who are supposed to live out the remaining part of their lives in peace are either shot dead at their homes or on their way to their farms.
We are indeed experiencing a harvest of corpses in Nigeria, with most people feeling unconcerned at the situation until the gale of violence hits their loved ones or communities.
In Nigeria, we don’t take criminal activities seriously, and tend to look at them from either ethnic or religious prism. If we recall prior to 1999, there was nothing like bandits, cultists, religious fanatics and other criminally minded miscreants rearing their ugly heads, but sadly some of these problems could be traced to the activities of politicians who employed some of these youths as thugs to do their biddings at all cost.
Today, the thugs have graduated to become gun totting menace to our collective peace of mind. Even our houses with series of gates and padlocks cannot stop their determined effort to harm us. And those privileged to have armed excorts are not totally safe even on the streets and highways.
It is too bad that people read political meaning into a lot of security issues in the country. Under former President Goodluck Jonathan, a group known as the Bornu Elders and the Northern Elders Forum vehemently opposed the call for a state of emergency in Bornu State because of the security challenges and some of them even went further to say that the fight against Boko Haram is a plot to reduce the population of the North. The then Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Azubuike Ihejirika was accused of carrying out a genocidal plan to wipe out people from these areas. They threatened to take General Ihejirika to the International Criminal Court at The Hague.
This is 2019, is there any improvement in the war against insurgents and their fellow comrades in arms? The answer is yet to be a yes! From May 2015 to date, more Nigerians have died than at any period of the country’s bloody history. We are not at war yet the body count is still mounting.
Let us do away with politicians’ security issues and look at it from just the professional and nationalistic point of view. In Sri Lanka, it did not take the government more than a week to identify the culprits of the Easter Day bombings and less than three weeks to discover the hideouts of some of the culprits and their sponsors. But in Nigeria, the response to such security challenge is always inept, delayed or never sees the light of day. This is 2019, yet, we are still waiting to hear the security services tell us how many of the masterminds or sponsors of the criminal activities have been identified or charged to court.
Although moves have been initiated by the National Assembly and State Governments to tackle the security challenges, but there must be sincerity on the part of the federal government if these problems could be tackled successfully.
While vigilante groups like Hisbah in Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi would be allowed to operate in the North, some State Governments in the South have made attempt to set up security outfits to lessen the burden of the regular police only for the army to disperse them and tag them as thugs. Yet we are in one country.
If the ruling class continues to see critical issues, from the prism of politics, then, where are we heading to? Security problems should always be a collective issue where every stakeholder in the Nigerian project makes his or her own contribution as we are all affected by the wave of killings, kidnapping, rape and destruction.
Just recently, one of the image makers of President Muhammadu Buhari, Garba Shehu opened his mouth too wide and insulted the sensibilities of Nigerians by classifying Miyetti Allah, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and Afenifere as belonging to one category.
This is just the problem with Nigeria, it is either we trivialise issues or we play the ethnic card. If we keep on playing these cards, the owners and masters of the Abuja/Kaduna highway of death, the East/West road and other major roads in the country will continue to have a field day while the high command of the security services will be busy touring state commands and having security seminars on how to tackle insecurity.
It is high time President Muhammadu Buhari wielded the big stick as those he has given the task of safeguarding the security of the country have failed in their primary assignment.
Let heads roll!!!
Tonye Ikiroma-Owiye
Claiming that elections in the country are typically characterized by vote buying, Mr Nwosu said a repeat of such phenomenon would taint the credibility of the forthcoming gubernatorial poll.
Mr Nwosu is among the 16 governorship candidates listed by INEC in a June 4, 2025 statement to participate in the November 8, 2025 election in Anambra State.
His party, the ADC, will battle it out with other parties to unseat incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Mr Nwosu, in a statement on Saturday, said it was baffling seeing voters openly selling their votes to party agents and other representatives around polling units on election day.
According to him, “such practices not only derail the true will of the people but also reduce elections to an auction, where the state is effectively handed over to the highest bidder.”
Mr Nwosu urged INEC to introduce secure voting cubicles that would safeguard the legitimate rights of voters and uphold the sovereignty of democracy.
“INEC must provide secure voting cubicles to ensure ballots remain private and secret. Currently, many polling areas are too exposed, allowing others to see the voting process. This not only encourages vote buying but also undermines the integrity of the elections.
“Voting must remain secret. Nigeria already has strong electoral laws which, if properly enforced, can deliver outcomes that truly benefit society”, Mr Nwosu said.
He held that the Anambra governorship election was another opportunity for INEC to secure the trust of Nigerians about its commitment to transparency and fairness during polls.
He also noted the role of security agencies in tackling the menace of vote buying on the day of election.
He said, “The success of any political activity depends largely on security, because security is key. While it is not solely INEC’s duty to ensure elections are properly conducted, the Commission must create an enabling environment that allows citizens to participate freely, conduct themselves properly, and exercise their right to vote.”
The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, called on the relevant security agencies to investigate the attackers and their sponsors.
“The Labour Party is perplexed by the physical attack on our National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, by agents suspected to be working for anti-democratic elements who have tried unsuccessfully to wrestle the leadership of the party from him.
“Few hours ago, a prominent member of a known political family, Ms Precious Oruche, alias ‘Mama P’, accosted Barrister Abure while on a queue at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport Abuja, boarding a Max Air flight en route to Benin, and attacked the Labour Party’s National Chairman unprovoked.
“The attacker, Madam P, who is also a known content creator, continued the attack all through the duration of the flight, defying all attempts by the Max Air flight attendants to calm her.
“The assault, which attracted a large population of onlookers, continued unabated on disembarkment at the Benin Airport while she continued recording the scene.
“It took the intervention of the security agents on hand to whisk Abure to safety while the attacker was handed over to the police for questioning.
“In one of her films released, the lady, who is a prominent member of the ‘Obidient’ and claimed that she has contacts with the highest police hierarchy, boasted that nothing will happen to her.
“She vowed that she will not stop attacking Abure or any member of the Labour Party executive because, according to her, ‘you have killed Labour Party and you are the reason why Obi is no longer in the Labour Party.’
“The leadership of the Labour Party is completely troubled with this cyber-bullying and the consequences of the action of this political agent on the party. We are by this statement calling on the Inspector General of Police to thoroughly investigate this suicidal aggression against the leadership of the Labour Party and Barrister Julius Abure in particular.
“We sincerely believe that the lady-agent was on an assignment to accomplish the desires of her paymasters. Assault and cyber-bullying are severe crimes under our laws and we think that the Police must fish out her sponsors and cohorts, and bring them to book.
“We are calling on the members of the Labour Party to be calm, even in the face of this unwarranted provocation and wait for the outcome of the investigation on the unprovoked attack against the leadership of the party,” the statement read.
Speaking during the party’s congress in Yola, the state capital, on Saturday, Mr David Lorhenba, the chairman, Adamawa Congress Committee, described the exercise as hitch-free.
He said that a total of 2,656 delegates from 21 local government areas came out and elected 39 officials.
Mr Lorhenba commended the delegates for conducting themselves in an orderly manner.
“The conduct of the congress is very successful, all the delegates come from 21 Local Government Areas and cast their votes peacefully.
“We have a total of 2,656 delegates and we have announced the winners very successfully”, he said.
In his remarks, Alhaji Attahiru Shehu, the outgoing chairman, congratulated the new executives and charged them to continue on what they have already done for the party to remain strong.
According to him, they started as opposition in the state and produced Gov. Ahmadu Fintiri who is serving his second term, opining they “he has done well for the state.”
In his acceptance speech, Mr Madagali thanked the delegates for the confidence they reposed in him.
He promised to run an open door policy in manning the affairs of the party.
“Let us continue the legacy of good governance and prepare ahead for 2027 with focus, discipline and unity.
“To those outside our party, especially the youths and women of Adamawa, we invite you into our party.
“PDP is your home. Our doors are open to all who wish to contribute positively to the development of our state.
“Our party will continue to be a shining example of people-focused on leadership,” he said.
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