By Chuks Eke
A social critic, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor Esq. has demanded an explanation from the federal government about the actual methodology with which all the abducted Jebbi school children and the Kwara church worshippers were rescued from the grip hands of the bandits who abducted them.
In a press statement titled: “a miracle without a blueprint? The puzzling rescue of the Kebbi school children and Kwara church worshippers”, Ejiofor stated that in as much as Nigerians are rejoicing about the success of the rescue mission, they are at the same time earnestly demanding answers.
According to Ejiofor, “In the last few days, Nigerians have been treated to what appears, at least on the surface, to be a heartening spectacle: the triumphant return of the abducted Kebbi school children and the Kwara church worshippers who were released earlier in the week. Joy broke out across the nation; families wept in relief; and even the ordinarily sceptical citizens momentarily exhaled”.
“But the question remains that at long last, there seemed to be a flicker, however fragile, of restored public confidence in our security architecture, which has lately been battered by a series of blood-curdling incursions, including the recent assault on worshippers in Nasarawa”.
“For these outcomes, the Federal Government and the security agencies have been lavishly decorated with praises from every corner. And indeed, commendation is deserved. No well-meaning society begrudges success, especially one achieved in times as perilous as these. However, and here is where the drums of celebration mellow into the whispers of unease, Nigerians have begun murmuring in subdued but unmistakably troubled tones.
“These murmurs are not the idle gossip of a restless populace. They are the rational queries of a people familiar with the perpetual mystery that often shrouds matters of national security. Across parlours, offices, bus parks and beer parlours alike, citizens are asking questions that the authorities, quite curiously, seem reluctant to address”.
“Questions are: How exactly was this daring rescue executed? Where are the abductors? Were any arrested? Neutralised? Apprehended in any capacity whatsoever? Or did they, like apparitions in a poorly written Nollywood thriller, simply vanish into thin air?”
“These are not trivial inquiries. They cut to the very heart of national security and collective trust. Indeed, Nigerians are wondering, quite legitimately, whether these operations were true rescue missions or negotiated releases, the latter being a euphemism for scenarios where ransom payments, secret agreements, or unsavoury compromises may have paved the path to freedom”.
“And truthfully, such suspicions are not conjured from a vacuum. They are fuelled by the evasive and painfully elliptical explanations offered thus far. Only a few nights ago, the Presidential Spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, made an appearance on Arise TV’s Prime Time. When asked pointedly about the nature of the rescue operation, he embarked on what can only be described as a diplomatic waltz, graceful in its rhythm, but conspicuously devoid of substance”.
“He attributed delays in the rescue mission to the fact that the abducted children were surrounded by their captors, as though being used as human shields. Fair enough. But when pressed further, Were the abductors arrested? Was ransom paid? What pressure was applied? How were negotiations initiated? Who contacted whom?, the answers dissolved smoothly into convenient vagueness”.
“And so the nation is left to wonder:
Do these bandits possess active phone numbers through which they can be summoned as though they were dispatch riders? Who exactly placed the call? What terms were discussed? What assurances were exchanged? And, most critically, have we inadvertently strengthened the very merchants of terror we seek to defeat?”
“Because if ransom did in fact exchange hands, and again, we are not asserting it, only acknowledging the widespread speculation, then we may have simply injected fresh capital into the ever-expanding war chest of these outlaws. Funds that can be used to purchase more sophisticated weaponry, recruit more fighters, and launch even deadlier incursions into our communities”.
“One must also ask: What has become of the teachers and worshippers who tragically lost their lives during these attacks?
Have their deaths been noted only in passage, as statistical footnotes in our spiralling security tragedy?”
“After all, we remain demonstrably and profoundly grateful to the Government and to our security agencies. After all, were our Chibok girls ever liberated with such commendable speed and dexterity?, they would today be graduates, spouses, businesswomen, and active contributors to society, instead of painful reminders of a national failure we have yet to confront fully”.
“And so, until the security agencies provide Nigerians with a transparent, comprehensive briefing, as they undoubtedly owe the people, our collective anxiety remains justified. We cannot, in good conscience, sleep with both eyes shut, knowing that the architects of these recent horrors may still be comfortably perched somewhere, weapons in hand, waiting to strike again”.
May God grant our security agencies the wisdom, courage, and sustained effectiveness needed to restore true peace to this beleaguered nation. And may Nigeria, battered as she is, never tire of rising each time she is pushed to her knees”.
