Ustaz Murtala Bello Asada, an Islamic cleric in Sokoto has become somewhat of a persistent critic of the bandits, and their sponsors, allegedly, in top places in the country. But Ustaz Murtala is not alone in the intense dislike for the bandits, even if not for their alleged sponsors.
By Abdu Labaran
Some very determined young soldiers are prepared to lay down their lives if the entire bandits can be decisively defeated for good. Specifically, they want to see the tragic end of the kingpins of the bandits. They are roaring to go after the boastful bandits if only they could get the order from their bosses. Plus many others spoke of the bandits with distaste.
Ustaz Murtala never missed any opportunity to be very acerbic in his words against the bandits and their alleged sponsors in high places, for which they (bandits) have promised to ‘deal’ with him, in statements made by them in video clips making the rounds on the social media.
That has, however, not deterred the fiery Islamic preacher who continues to allege the complicity of some very highly placed individuals, including ministers, in the persistence of the menace of banditry in the North Western part of the country.
The young soldiers, who also spoke boastfully to the bandits’ kingpins in an equally trending video clip, called the bandits cowards who could only kill, abduct or levy “innocent and poor civilians who are not the government you claim to be fighting with”. They challenged the bandits to take their fight to the military “if you feel you are manly enough, instead of your normal victims”.
There are also other Islamic preachers, among them Isa Assalafy Garo, who are either speaking in the same vein as Ustaz Murtala or are calling on the bandits to repent before they eventually die and meet their Maker to explain why they killed their victims. Die, they would, now or later, so always added the clerics.
Then there is of course the indefatigable Dan Bello with whom there is no love lost with the bandits. If anything, only extreme dislike has Dan Bello for the bandits, and he keeps on saying so in an unambiguous language in trending video clips too. It was he who first suggested that the banditry endured because of the huge deposits of precious stones in the area on a commercial quantity whose value far exceeds that of the oil reserve that Nigeria is so blessed with.
And then there are the Bukartis of this world, whose disdain for the bandits and their modus operandi is so strong that they would not mind seeing all the outlaws dispatched from this world the same way they callously killed their victims. Their many interviews shown on trending video clips are all over the place.
The death of the notorious super kingpin of the bandits, Halilu Sububu, mentor and leader of another equally notorious kingpin, Bello Turji, coupled with the similar death of yet another kingpin of the bandits, Sani Wala Burki, by the military in separate operations, has decimated the outlaws. And, according to the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the bandits’ days are now numbered. The NSA made the reassuring pronouncement in Yobe State.
The danger may be over by half if allegations of complicity by the very high-ups in the country, or even their direct sponsorship of the bandits are not just mere conjecture. According to the statements of many people, the bandits have been able to last and terrorise the ordinary Nigerian for so long because of the unseriousness of past leaders to see to the end of their heinous activities for good. Some of the past and present leaders are alleged to be in cohorts with the bandits. A number of them were alleged to be sponsoring the bandits, because of the alleged gains they were making.
They were alleged to be using the bandits to scare away the peaceful people from their lands so that the precious stones that were buried underground could be mined for them. The most affected states where the bandits regularly engaged in their horrendous ‘businesses are Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina. In the past, Niger, Kebbi and Kaduna states were also not free of the violent banditry. Not that these states are now banditry-free. The regularity is less than that of the aforementioned states.
It is only in Nigeria a public officeholder would sit tight on his seat no matter the weight of the allegations against him. The official may even blame the victim for being a victim. A minister once blamed the dead for being responsible for their death. He remained in his office until the end of the term of the administration he ‘served’.
Anyway, there is what may be called ‘an intense love for much money among the elite in this country. They would rather see or even have some helpless and hapless poor person killed than lose the money coming to them, regardless of the manner of the murder suffered by the victim. Rituals, drug pushing and the like are not beyond them, so long as there is a lot of money to be made.
And many former this, former that are today very rich, courtesy of the offices they have held, not because of any business activity they are into, inheritance from their father or a bequest by someone else.
It is the situation that Nigeria has found itself, with many of the members of the leadership worried only about themselves, not the concern for the country. Service is to self, not to the people. Hence the do-or-die contest on these shores for high office, whether elective or appointive.
This may perhaps explain why most of the stupendously monied people in the country outside big business are those who have held public offices but abused them. The same people, many of who are now in some sort of ‘protective’ positions, later come to ‘donate’ some negligible things or money to the people whose trust or Commonwealth was abused earlier. Some donations.
The peace, not the money, loving people of Nigeria want the success and victory of those who are against the bandits, and will therefore continue to pray that they achieve them, by the Grace of God. May success and victory be for you over the bandits, and other traducers of yours.
Labaran wrote from Abuja.
