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Insecurity: Where are our $495m Tucano fighter jets?

It has become evident that insecurity, especially in Northern Nigeria, has become an instrument and a malevolent playbook for political actors. Events in the preceding weeks painted gory pictures of despair, sorrow, tears and blood. This however seems to reinvent the long held notion of conspiracies and intrigues bordering on the touchy subject and even the very concept of insecurity — state sponsored and the heinous activities of non-state actors.

Three critical and significant events shaped the discourse on insecurity in the region, lately. The gruesome killing of Sarkin Gobir and the renewed valour and intrepidity of terror kingpin, Bello Turji. There was also the gruesome massacre of about 100.hapless farmers in Yobe state by ISWAP.
The high ranking Sarkin Gobir was abducted around Sabon Birni, a notorious, yet known, enclave of bandits/terrorists. After spending weeks in captivity, and inability to have ransom paid for his release, in spite of a video of him soaked in blood, pleading, a week earlier, he was summarily executed with his body yet to be released.

For Bello Turji, the self-acclaim Fulani emancipator, he has been having a field day in his protective fortress in the forests of Zamfara. His daily upload of obnoxious videos on social media, brazenly challenging Nigeria’s security is an all time low in the fight against insecurity. His constant attacks and allegations on, especially, his namesake and Nigeria’s State Minister of Defence, Bello Matawalle, is a sad reminder of what many had in mind— politicisation and weaponisation of insecurity. His Shekau-styled display of theatrics and religious justifications for his inhumanity should elicit serious concerns among every Nigerian. Only recently, a video which has been in circulation showed an abandoned military vehicle, with Turji and his bands of lowlifes, celebrating what they called victory against the military. However, the Defense headquarters downplayed and debunked such narrative as untrue. So, what is the truth, or the factual narratives on the continued deteriorating level of insecurity, especially in the North-west?

Many factors are in play and the situation is getting more precarious and grim. For instance, in its latest report, the Global Peace Index ranked Nigeria 146th out of 163 countries with a score of 2.712, with regards to level of insecurity. while among sub-Saharan African countries the country was ranked 39th out of 44 countries examined. Why the spike in the level of insecurity? In every conflict and insecurity levels, there exist in abundance casual factors — natural, social and man-made.
For the most part, in Nigeria, both factors are in play, but insecurity fueled by conflict entrepreneurs remain the major reason the conflict would go unabated.

Recall, in 2018, the President Muhammadu Buhari government paid a whopping $495 million for the purchase of 12 new A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets from the United States. Owing to the sophistication of these beasts, one had expected a speedy end to all conflicts across the country. The Super Tucano fighter jets were thought to be game changers which would alter the course of these conflicts. In fact, it became a bragging right and center of discourse of the Buhari administration. The then Minister of information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, had said “the success of the military against terrorists and bandits would be sustained, soliciting Nigerians’ support for the military”.
Curiously, even the deployment of these aircraft to the battlefield in the forests of Zamfara, Kaduna and other bandits’ strongholds became a political issue. The debate then was the existence of a specific clause in the purchase or contractual agreement where the aircraft was to be used on terrorists alone. This prompted the government to pass a legislation which declared or branded bandits as terrorists.

Years gone past, the efficacy of these fighter jets are yet to be felt. They are known for precision and efficiency, the question is, why the snail like approach in putting them to proper use to degrade the bandits/terrorists? If anything, they have been emboldened. The Turjis of this world hai grown more liver, to borrow from a Nigerian parlance. The question remains, what is the state of these Super Tucano fighter jets, which had costs us a substantial amount of money? Had other countries with similar challenges had access to just a few of these jets, the story would be different in their quest to eliminate such terrorists.

Clearly, the notion of conspiracy in Northern Nigeria kind of insecurity is hard to dismiss. The allegations of complicity of both state and non-state actors, foreign and local collaborators is so strong and compelling, despite seeming efforts in combating the scourge. For instance, last July, the Katsina state government hosted the North-west Security and Peace Summit. Experts on security and development from within and outside the country converged for the two-day event. Months after the summit, despite all the pep talks, sophistry and grandeur during the event, sadly, it has ended like every other worthless summit before it.

This is Nigeria. Critics (including yours truly) had predicted it would be yet another futile exercise. It is laughable and implausible to go globetrotting in search for a foreign solution to a local problem. The wisest and most pragmatic approach should be to confront and tame the local monster, then go in search of external or foreign collaborations and build synergies. For any discerning mind, with a contrary view on the success or otherwise of the summit, Governor Dikko Radda, has affirmed it. He asked citizens to resort to self-help. As the chief security officer of Katsina state, he urged people to take up arms and defend themselves against marauding bandits and terrorists. If anything, it has proven the assertions that the summit was a waste of resources.

Calls for citizens to take up arms isn’t new. It is not exclusive to North-west alone. Former Army Chief, General TY Danjuma, had made similar pronouncement in the past. Such calls are in a way an affirmation of the failure of state to protect its citizens. A fundamental aspect of democracy, is right to life. And the role of the state is explicitly to provide security to those it governs. Northern Nigeria, unfortunately, has no semblance of governance, if security was to be a parameter to measure what a functional state ought to be.

Whether we admit or deny, the fact is, there exist a parallel authority governing most states across Northern Nigeria. Bandits/terrorists taxation system is effectively in place. It has been institutionalised. Several communities pay different taxes and levies – peace and security tax, farmlands and cultivation taxes. This is aside periodic payments for ransom. In fact, a recent report showed about 17 states in Northern Nigeria paid N160 billion as ransom to bandits/terrorists in a little over a year. Many are pushed to the brink as fallout of activities of these non-state actors.

With about 13 million children out-of-school in the region, and, the incessant attacks from bandits, which sometimes target schools, we are on the precipice, s ticking time bomb which explosion is imminent. It is high time we began some intricate soul-searching. The present leadership of the region benefited from a seamless system and finest Institutions or statecraft. It is, therefore, morally wrong and unjust to bequeath to this generation and the next a battered region.

Obviously, kidnap-for-ransom has become a lucrative enterprise. Different layers of insecurity in the region has multiple actors, with diverse interests. As it were, we have reached the zenith, or a point of no return. Dialogue with or amnesty for marauding bandits/terrorists must be discountenanced. We must take the battle to them frontally. Our forces must be brutal in their attacks.

We can’t invest a prodigious sum in a wasteful venture. The $495m Tucano fighter jets must be put to use. Its firepower, sophistry and precision must be unleashed on those running a parallel authority. The bandits/terrorists must be crushed, finally. The onslaught must be intense. That would send a signal that the government is serious about bringing to an end, all hostilities in the North and across the country.

The presence of Bello Matawalle and some service chiefs in Sokoto is mere cosmetics. It is superficial. In warfare, you do not announce or tip your adversary on your next move. What happens to the shock treatment? Of course, except if Matawalle has other plans which we are unaware of.

Truth is, every soul in Northern Nigeria is acutely aware that the current level of insecurity in the region has the backing of some individuals with various interests and stakes. The effrontery and audacity of Bello Turji, as shown in his numerous videos, are pointers to this fact. It takes Nigeria’s security forces less than 24 hours to clamp down and fish out any individual who posted on his social media platforms any
malignant content against government officials. But, lately, we’ve been inundated with posts from the Turjis yet he remains free and boastful.

Patience has a terminal or expiry date. You can’t beat up a child and stop him from crying continually. The earlier those vested with the constitutional mandate of protect us realise what they are up against, the better.

Abdullahi D Mohammad is a fellow at Initiative for Concerned Citizens Against Drug Abuse and Community Awareness.
He writes from Kano via
[email protected]





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