As the thick smoke billowed into brunch time skyline over Abuja, my heart sank. I knew the enemy had struck again. The sound I heard was unmistakably that of bombs going off.
As the thick smoke billowed into brunch time skyline over Abuja, my heart sank. I knew the enemy had struck again. The sound I heard was unmistakably that of bombs going off.
Located in an office very close to NTA, the reverberation of the twin bombs shook the window panes of the office where Waziri Adio, Mallam Bello and I sat ruminating on how to employ our intellectual skills to make some headway in Nigeria’s challenging market.
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Our rumination was cut short by the bomb blast and the pandemonium that followed. Again, Nigeria and Nigerians were under attack. This time it was the symbol of the nations’s security that came under attack-the Force Headquarters, Abuja. For Boko Haram, the suspected perpetrators of the dastardly act, the Police Headquarter was a prime target. Their action was symbolic yet with a powerful message to the powers that be that the mean business. Well, most Nigerians have never been in doubt about the fact that the radical Boko Haram sect meant business. Whether the government shared the same sense of dread like Nigerians is difficult to ascertain at this point. Since the Boko Haram sect stole into our lives a little over two years ago, Nigeria has been under a different kind of siege. The killings, massacres and later bombings they unleashed on their victims inflicting maximum damage in the process were acts of terrorism simplicita. Soon enough, they gained more grounds, became bolder and called the bluff of the government. From Bauchi to Maiduguri, Jos and other parts, Boko Haram operated as if there was no law in Nigeria. During the April elections, they exploded multiple bombs at INEC offices and other areas around the country.
In the face of multiple provocations and mindless killings of innocent victims, the government sought a path of reconciliation. Rather than call their bluff and employ the apparatus of state to defend our lives and commonwealth, the government has dithered and has been ambivalent in its response. Imagine if similar militia and bomb throwing and machete wielding groups emerge today all over Nigeria- will the government have the same tactical but ineffective response? Right now, our sense of nationhood is being assaulted. Our rights to choose who to worship, where to worship, and what education to have, what to wear and where to go are under attack. It behoves on the government to stand up in defense of our rights and not to just cave in to a group who have shown no regard for the lives of others.
In America, the UK and across Europe, we have witnessed how the power of the state has been employed and deployed effectively against similar groups. The welfare of the majority cannot be sacrificed to satisfy the whims of any group or sect. Nigeria I am afraid is not yet a nation. Of times when decisive action is needed we falter. When the very essence for which the state exists is under attack we seek for convenient exits and in the process things blow up in our faces.
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Just like the previous bombings and killings across the country are unacceptable, the recent bombing of the police headquarter in Abuja is a joke carried too far and a serious danger to national security. Suddenly, no one and nowhere is safe in Abuja and indeed around the country. It immediately calls to question the ability and capability of our security chiefs and the government to respond to such an issue of urgent national security. Nigeria is now under siege held in fear by a group of a few thousands. The recent Iraqi and Afghanistan style suicide bombings like we saw in Abuja on Thursday is a path we do not want Nigeria to go. Unless something is done urgently to reverse the trend the country will become a huge theater of war. Amnesty cannot be an option at this time for any group with terrorist agenda. It is time for the security forces in this country to flex their muscles. It is time for some action. Personally, I am at a loss as to what exactly the demands of the group really are. I am however vehement in my position that it is too late in the day for any group from anywhere to want to tell us how we should live our lives or what we can do or not do. Nigeria has been left for too long in the hands of radicalized sects, militant groups and bands of bigots; it is time for us to take our country back. Will President Goodluck Jonathan please help take our country back or should we all surrender and pray that when the next bombs explode we will not be there both as witnesses and victims. Amen.
Sunday Dare is a Journalism Research Fellow at Oxford University and currently a media development consultant funded by Knight Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
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