By Olisemeka Obeche
Human Rights Lawyer, Barrister Ifeanyi Ejiofor has pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government to muster the political will to tackle the security crisis that has bedevilled the country in recent weeks.
Ejiofor, a lead counsel to the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, expressed displeasure over the Tinubu administration’s inability to identify and bring to justice those behind the security breaches that had emboldened terrorists attacks in parts of the country in recent times.
In a statement titled: WHEN SABOTAGE WEARS UNIFORM AND GOVERNORS BEGIN TO WHISPER THE UNSPEAKABLE’, the Anambra based legal expert described the claim by Kebbi state Governor, that Soliders deployed close to the school attacked last weekend by terrorists, withdraw moments before the attack, as a confirmation of involvement of elements in the army in the country’s security crisis. He lamented:
“Within the space of a single week, more than 80 innocent schoolchildren have been whisked away across Northern states. Several families have also recorded fatalities.
89 futures, bright, hopeful, and undeserving of this nightmare, now suspended in agonizing uncertainty. We have mourned, protested, complained, and prayed, yet we remain trapped in a vicious cycle where tragedy has become routine, and outrage has become fatigue.
“But this Kebbi State abduction carries a disturbing twist, one that forces even the most indifferent citizen into uneasy reflection.
“The Governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris, did not mince words. He accused soldiers, plainly and directly, of abandoning their duty posts shortly before the terrorists struck.
“According to him, credible intelligence was provided; the state mobilized soldiers to guard the school; yet, mysteriously, and in a fashion that reeks of choreographed treachery, the soldiers walked away mere moments before the attackers arrived. And like vultures descending on an unprotected carcass, the bandits met no resistance. No warning. No challenge. No uniform in sight.
“The question now confronting the nation is brutally simple: What has gone wrong? Who among the uniformed men is communicating with the enemies of the state? Who is coordinating this theatre of bloodshed from within?
“Earlier this week, I raised concerns about the insider complicity surrounding the death of Brigadier General Uba. I insisted it was near-impossible for General Uba to walk blindly into an ambush without help from within. I argued, repeatedly, that the greatest enemy of our security agencies is not hiding in the forest, but is embedded in the system, wearing the same uniform, collecting the same salary, but feeding the enemy with state secrets.
“Today, a sitting Governor has echoed the same unsettling truth. He was not vague.
Not hesitant. Not relying on “allegedly.” He called it what it is: sabotage.
“When a Governor, an occupant of the highest political office in a state, begins to publicly articulate what Nigerians whisper in private, the nation must pause. Because Governors do not casually accuse soldiers of dereliction, not in a country where such statements are treated as near-blasphemy.
Ejiofor reiterated his call for a swift measures to get rid of the elements sabotaging the country’s security system.
“For years, some of us have raised concerns about the deepening cracks within the security architecture. We were dismissed as alarmists. Told we were exaggerating. Advised to be “patriotic” with our criticism.
“But truth, like smoke, always finds its way out. And here we are.
“A Governor has now confirmed, on record, what citizens have long suspected: that somewhere within the chain of command, something is terribly, dangerously wrong.
“If soldiers truly withdrew moments before an attack, what shall we tell the parents whose children have now been swallowed by the forests?
What consolation do we offer a nation whose trust in its protectors has been repeatedly betrayed? What explanation suffices in a country where every week comes with a new set of victims, a new set of coordinates, but the same tragic script?
“The Kebbi Governor’s disclosure is more than an accusation. It is an indictment, a sobering declaration that the security system, as currently structured, is bleeding from within.
He insists that time has come for Nigerians to stop asking whether sabotage exists, and begin asking who profits from this orchestrated theatre of chaos.
“Because no nation suffers this level of insecurity by accident. Somebody, somewhere, is benefiting from the bloodshed.
“Until that uncomfortable truth is confronted, weekends, like weekdays will continue to serve us the same bitter menu: abductions, killings, denials, and finger-pointing”, he said.
“When those trusted to guard the gate quietly walk away, who is the real enemy?” he queried.
