The recent arrest of 486 suspected Boko Haram members,
including eight girls, by the 144 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in Asa, near
Aba, Abia State on June 14 has once again raised the question of how secure the
entire country is presently?
The timely arrest of the suspects who were moving in the
convoy of 35 buses at the odd hour of that day has shown that the Nigerian
military personnel in Abia State are very much alert. Many security agents on
duty at such an odd hour would have been asleep fail to notice or stop the
suspicious convoy. It is another milestone in the fight against insecurity in
the country by the Nigerian military. It could be recalled that the 144
Battalion of Nigerian Army at Asa was established at the height of the
kidnapping saga that once grounded activities in the commercial city of Aba.
The security agents should do everything possible to fish
out the two buses that reportedly escaped with their occupants as they still
portend danger to the people of the state and its environs. Also to assist the
security agents in their investigation is the unnamed person who came to secure
their release, but was arrested. The alleged statement credited to the Borno
State governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima that the arrest of the suspects
was a sign that if the Boko Haram insurgency is not tackled in the North, it
might consume the whole country, is misguided and unwarranted.
The claim by the military authorities that one of the most
wanted terror kingpins was among those arrested is a clear confirmation that
the insurgents are becoming more desperate to destroy the country by all means
and pull down government at all levels. It is also an indication that they now
have have allies or collaborators in the Southern part of the country who are
determined to use them to achieve their devilish aims.
It has been proved in our clime that nothing is impossible,
especially as the 2015 elections are fast approaching and people who have lost
out of the power equation are desperate to stage a comeback by all means. The
security agents in the course of investigation should beam their searchlight at
all corners, because some political opponents are capable of doing anything to
destabilise the present government in Abia State. Before the arrest, they have
been doing everything humanly possible to bring the government down, but have
failed. So nothing is ruled out here, because we all saw ahead of the 2011
elections how politically-motivated kidnappings became rampart in the state,
especially the commercial city of Aba. There is urgent need for regular
security meeting involving all stakeholders in the state to raise awareness of
the people on need for security consciousness. No stone should be left unturned
in nipping in the bud the forces of darkness trying to make a return to the
state.
It would be recalled that at the peak of the kidnapping
menace in the state which turned Aba to a pariah city, those suspected to be
behind it and their allies were in the fore-front in calling for the
resignation of the state governor and declaration of the state of emergency in
the state. It took the timely intervention and commitment of the state
governor, Chief Theodore Orji for the scourge to be tackled. For almost two
years plus, billions of the state’s funds which would have been used in the
development of the state were channelled into fighting the kidnapping. Special
allowances were arranged for the security agents and provision of operational
equipment and the people were very co-operative.
It was during the period that the state government, in
collaboration with the Federal Government established the Military Battalion in
Asa and another Military Base at Abayi, Ngwa area of the state. The state
government provided adequate incentives for the security agents which motivated
them to fight the kidnappers until their kingpin Osisikankwu was killed in a
gun duel. Since then the state government has been adequately funding and
supporting the security agents, thereby making the state one of the safest and
secured states in the country today. The arrest of the suspected Boko Haram
members at Asa is a true manifestation of the level of security in the state
which was made possible by the massive support of the state government.
The development is also a signal that the state is not and
can never be a safe haven for criminal elements and their collaborators under
any disguise. Other state governments have a lot to learn from Abia State on
how to fight insecurity. No wonder, today the state governor, Chief Orji is a
recipient of several awards on security by different organisations and
countries.
Charles Urattam , a security
consultant, wrote from Ikeja, Lagos
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