A country, the Giant of Africa, waits with baited breath, for the seven days recently spelt out by terrorists as the deadline for their demands to be met, to expire, so that it can know what next.
On March 28,2022, a day before Nigeria was expected to confirm qualification to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar against the visiting Black Stars of Ghana, daredevil terrorists successfully immobilized a train bound for Kaduna from Abuja, killed about nine passengers, injured dozens and made away with over six dozen others. An entire country was horrified. When Nigeria meekly surrendered the World Cup ticket in a supine 1-1 stalemate against the visiting Ghanaian team, Nigerian misery was complete.
Now, about two months since the passengers were snatched, most of them are yet to be rescued. The terrorists have occasionally put up pictures to show that their victims are still alive.
They have made outrageous demands of the country: that some of their commanders who are currently in custody, responsible for some of the worst atrocities committed against Nigerians, be released to them in exchange for those they hold. Understandably, Nigeria has balked at the demand.
Only recently, the terrorists issued a seven-day ultimatum for their demands to be met or their victims would pay with their lives. The anger, anguish and anxiety of their loved ones can only be imagined.
In many ways, the audacity of the terrorists mirror in chilling ways the precarious state of Nigeria at the moment. That terrorists can attack a train, pick off the number of passengers they deem fit, hold them for more than two months and then proceed to spell out terms to the Nigerian authorities alongside chilling threat tells a harrowing story of just how swiftly Nigeria has descended into insecurity.
Of course, it figures. It figures that with terrorists gaining grounds with new and deadly forms of terror, it was only a matter of time before they began to dictate terms to Nigeria and Nigerians.
When Boko Haram kicked off the season of abductions with the Chibok girls in 2014, Nigerians feared that the situation that allowed Boko Haram to kidnap the girls some of who are yet to return more than seven years later would allow for more to toe that slippery path. The fears have since been spectacularly confirmed. There has since been Dapchi, Kankara, Maramara and Tegina.
That these terrorists strike without fear and carry off as many as they want without any fear is truly terrifying. The situation has continued to deteriorate to push Nigeria to the edge of the precipice.
It is difficult to say what can done to immediately arrest the situation. There have been whispers for a long time that the terrorists who continue to lay waste to vast swathes of Nigeria have sponsors and collaborators plenty among Nigerians. There is only very little doubt that unless these sponsors are apprehended and prosecuted, the terrorist networks cannot completely be broken.
Unless something is done and urgently too to secure Nigeria, Nigerians will continue to live off the mercy of terrorists.
Kene Obiezu,
keneobiezu@gmail.com
