In Nigeria today, human lives are cheap as the price of a matchbox. Every you look blood is flowing, if it’s not Boko Haram on a killing spree, Its herdsmen against farmers in a senseless orgy for blood, otherwise, its a preventable ghastly motor accident claiming lives or Lassa Fever. All round, its sorrow, tears and blood yet the leadership of the country is far asleep.
A nation whose hospitals cannot dispense painkillers not to talk of carrying out major operations, where power is epileptic despite the investment of billions of dollars, where the roads are a path to hell and a nation where airplanes are robbed on the runway. A nation that honours and celebrates kidnappers, killers and thugs, where miscreants are placed on a higher pedestal.
The songs of celebration that characterized the coming of each successive government since the return of democracy in 1999 are replaced with a dirge, now its Zamfara who is burying its dead, yesterday it was Benue. The number of dead in Zamfara is between 18 and 44. Bandits suspected to be cattle rustlers had on Wednesday attacked Birane village in Zurmi local government killing.
The Police Command in Zamfara confirmed that 18 persons died in the attack, which appears to be a reprisal against the villagers for intercepting a suspected cattle rustler.
The Public Relations Officer of the command, DSP Muhammad Shehu, said on Feb. 13, hunters from Birani village of Zurmi local government area intercepted and accosted a herder in the bush with some suspected stolen cattle and sheep.
“The herder abandoned the animals and escaped into the bush, but unknown to the hunters, the cattle rustler went to Isah Local Government Area of Sokoto State and mobilized bandits to attack the hunters. “On Feb. 14, the bandits ambushed the hunters in the bush and there was a clash that led to fatalities on both sides. “Police/Military and other sister agencies reacted by combing the bush and it’s environs to salvage the situation and discovered 18 dead bodies.
Independent sources gave a much higher casualty figure.
The present administration in its usual lackadaisical manner is just responding to the incident. President Muhammadu Buhari, who is in Daura on a condolence visit to his family, ordered defence minister, Brigadier-General Mansur Mohammed Dan Ali (Rtd) to proceed immediately to Zamfara State for an on the spot assessment of the situation
Today, the President in the strongest term condemned the massacre in Zamfara. As noble as this might be, how come it took him 3 days to issue a statement, time for the expression of condolences is almost belated. The security situation in the country is worrisome. The government must put an end to all this senseless killings and clashes. The police must stop giving excuses. It has failed in its duty of securing people’s lives and properties.
Perhaps, the security apparatus in the country need urgent reinvigoration and the president need to be proactive and swift in decision making. Its high time we stopped playing politics with the people’s lives. The president must wake up from his sleep before the entire country goes up in flame.
