The Rise of Kebbi’s Engineers and the Scenes from Warri

To fight terrorists which the Nigerian press continues to call bandits as though someone will be unlicensed for reporting facts, the Kebbi government has remodeled some Toyota Land Cruiser (Buffalo) vehicles into armoured personnel carriers (APCs) with gun turrets. I commend the government for this inventive mindset, understanding that waiting for APCs (as in war equipment, not a party) may not happen.

Yet, the paralysis in the northern part of the nation is not going to be won via guns and bullets. This is a war of the mind. As someone who has spent time with students in many universities in Nigeria, I have a very good understanding of Nigeria: people like lives, and good lives. So, that we are degrading to this current path seems there is a missing link somewhere. Yes, the battle ahead is a battle of the mind. Unless Nigeria wins that, even if we convert all the Toyota SUVs into APCs or ask Innoson Motors to make its own version, nothing good will happen.

Why did I write this? Mr. President’s state is in a state of absolute security mess. So, if the Commander-in-Chief cannot put Katsina in order, state governors in other states are wasting their time, expecting help. Kidnapping is happening regularly in Katsina and the state has not used the “connection” that its son is the president to fix the issue.

There was a nice event which happened in Warri yesterday. The good people of Warri crowned a new leader (Olu) in a colourful ceremony. As I watched some video snippets online, I saw young people who actually believed in a leader, rejoicing. Such men as leaders, across Nigeria, could help restore order. Yes, traditional and religious leaders can offer hope as they do have real following.

The politicians have failed because they have flushed the moral fiber of the nation into the toilet, and the youth do not care whatever they say. We need to get Olu, Obi, Emir, Oba, etc to begin to help even as pastors and imams are empowered to help restore hope.  

The battle ahead is now winning the minds because terrorism is now one of the largest business sectors in Nigeria, growing in triple digits quarter-on-quarter in some regions. That must stop.

LinkedIn Comment on Feed

Comment #1: I really keep wondering why the bandits have not been proscribed as terrorist groups. How many more do they have to kill? ?

I must admit I don’t know all the criteria/parameters for a group to be proscribed a terrorist group. Is it based on the number of people they have killed or the number of states/regions they have seized?

I think our lawmakers/government need to be transparent with us—the citizens—about those parameters so we can keep count/monitor with them.

In my own opinion, though, I think these so-called bandits have long earned that designation. Even the Northern Elders Forum has long designated them a terrorist group.

Just saying. ?????

Comment #2: Terrorist Groups by their nature have to be “A Group” to be proscribed as such. You’ll need a singular organization to point a finger towards. these gangs of bandits by their very nature are decentralized with no uniformity. There’s just so many of them operating independently.

In a situation like this, who exactly do you proscribe as the terrorist organization? 100+ distinct groups of arm wielding bandits? Their entire ethnic group? The herding profession which some otherwise innocent individuals also partake in? …..?

Another analogy is for example saying let’s proscribe armed robbers as a terrorist group. There’s too many of them with no singular organization at the healm that would make the proscription meaningless.

Moreover, the bickering on nomenclature they’re termed won’t solve the underlaying issues fueling insecurity in the land. Whether they’re termed terrorists or not, we all agree their actions terrorize the populace, the nomenclature shouldn’t hold back action to tackle the menance.

My Response: Nice perspectives there: they are not registered or grouped at scale, and there is nothing to proscribe. Yet, calling them “terrorists” should not be hard. When people ask for that classification, they do it to enable the nation to model the threat well.

“Moreover, the bickering on nomenclature they’re termed won’t solve the underlaying issues fueling insecurity in the land.” largely, banditry is for the state (using police) to deal with, but terrorism is for the federal (using military) to solve. So, when you classify, the nomenclature defines the rule of engagement for that threat.

More so, even the rule books you will use to try them in court will change; bandits cannot be prosecuted like terrorists. So, a change of name is actually important!

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