KANKARA SCHOOL BOYS ABDUCTION AND RELEASE: THE GORY TALE OF UNENDING INSURGENCY IN NORTHERN NIGERIA.

Updated from December, 2019

The circumstances surrounding the recent abduction and subsequent release of 344 school boys from Government Science Secondary school, Kankara in Katsina state have not only exposed the breach and mistrust in our security system as a nation, but have equally presented to us another highly sophisticated terror group. The operations of which are allied to the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group.

It should be put on record that top on the agenda and priorities of any responsible government is the protection of life and property of her citizens. This can be visible by ensuring a peaceful environment to facilitate other rights and privileges of her citizens such as the right to education. Furthermore, to ensure a peaceful atmosphere, government have been saddled with the supreme power of monopoly of use of force to counter any attempt of internal insurrection or external aggression. The aim is to ensure the security of her citizens as the primary responsibility. 

In the light of the foregoing, when a legitimate government attempt to (or) negotiate with criminals and terrorist who comes under different guise, it portrays nothing other than an acceptance of failure in their primary responsibility of protection of life and property. It further goes to show that the monopoly of the use of force have been taken away from the government.

As disappointed as we are as citizens of Nigeria, we continue to live in constant fear of the unknown.  The scenario of those vibrant Nigerian children who have been made to go through hardship from no any other crime but as a result of their desire to acquire education. Their goal is to contribute in building their communities. Our fears have  further been ignited due to the coordinated nature of the attack on the school and the strong ties shared between bandits in the North-West and Boko Haram in North-East Nigeria.

 In essence, the twilight of Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East have given birth and snowballed into a gory wave of Armed Banditry, Cattle rustling, kidnapping, killing and wanton loosing of hell on communities in the states of Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna,  and in short, all the states of Northern Nigeria.

Taking a closer lense at the abduction of the school boys; a conspiracy theory will be discovered aside what the government and the military feeds us through the media. It has left some questions on the lips of Nigerians which are yet to be answered. Let us not forget that a military operation code-named "Sharan-Daji" have been on the watch to dislodge bandits and other criminal elements from their hideouts in forest of the North-Western part of the country since the last 3 to 4 years.

How possible is the abduction of 344 school boys to have taken place and transported to a forest in Zango/Paula in Neighbouring Zamfara State without being sighted by locals and even intercepted by our security forces especially with the story that the boys were transported on motorbikes? This is a question that demands an answer.

Similarly, media reports have it that the bandits were sponsored and the abduction was orchestrated to embarrass the President, Muhammadu Buhari who was on a week-long vacation in his home state. What is stopping the security agencies from apprehending the Kingpin of the attack and their alleged sponsors if they actually exists, remains a nightmare to me and others who share same opinion.

Furthermore, the abduction and subsequent release portrays that the bandits have advanced and grown in strength. They have also developed their link with Boko Haram which was evident in the video released by the dreaded terrorist group a day before the release of the boys. This shows that the bandits are no longer mere criminals but terrorist, towing with Nigerian sovereign National security.

Alot of information remains undisclosed by the government on the demand of the abductors and the subsequent ransom paid for the release of boys. Although, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State claimed that, they entered negotiation with the abductors but no ransom was paid before the release of the boys. Indeed, this is hard to believe. 

It is pertinent to rekindle here that negotiating with criminals portrays an acceptance of failure. Permit me to equally ask whether the kidnapping and their prompt  release was  stage managed to show the power of the military or the activeness of government and (or) to further demand for more funding and allocation for defence?

The constant attacks on our educational facilities pose a threat to the education of the Northern Child. Those who choose to go to school live in constant fear not knowing where is the next target for the insurgents. The gory tale of attacks on educational facilities was unveiled by the dreaded Boko Haram insurgent group in February 2014 when over 50 male students were killed in their dormitory in Government Secondary school, Buni-Yade, Yobe State. The campaign for the education of the Northern girl child suffered a big blow with the kidnap of over 200 Chibok school girls in Borno State in April 2014 of which many still remain in captivity. Although the veracity of Dapchi School girls kidnap in 2018, comes with some question tags,  it exposed the weaknesses of our security system.  In another way round, the strength of the terrorist who despite being defeated tactically in the words of the Information Minister, Lai Muhammed continues to wage a campaign of terror on poor Nigerians living in Northern villages. 

When we were trying to breath a sigh a relief, comes the Kankara boys abduction taking the insurgents campaign against the Northern Child education to the next level. This attack have rekindle in bad light the unending insurgency in Northern Nigeria. It can be likened to a circular horizon which never ends but rather being capitalised as a venture for profit making while the poor masses suffers the brunt in the hands of Bandits.

It is high time the State and federal government wake up to their statutory responsibility. Let them take cue from how insecurity in other advanced country of which we copy our democracy from always puts the nation's sovereignty and interest first when it comes to issues of National security. The government must stop paying lip service to the fight against insecurity if truly the promise of ending insurgency and all other forms of criminality is genuine. With peace we can achieve a virile  Nigeria.

© Tijani A.H