TERROR: JAGABAN OF BORGU, BORGU IS UNDER SIEGE - Lauretta Onochie

 

There is a bitter irony unfolding in Niger State.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu bears the traditional title Jagaban of Borgu. But beyond traditional titles, ceremonies and political symbolism, he occupies a position carrying a far greater constitutional responsibility: President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

And today, the question from the traumatised communities of Niger State is painfully simple:

Who will protect the people?

The latest report of gunmen invading a mosque during Friday prayers and abducting worshippers is yet another frightening reminder that insecurity is no longer merely disrupting ordinary life. It is invading farms, roads, villages, homes—and now places of worship, all under a Jagaban.

People went to the mosque to pray.

They were not combatants.

They carried no weapons.

They were worshippers observing Juma’at prayers.

Yet armed men entered their sanctuary and carried Nigerians away from Borgu, under Jagaban.

THE PEOPLE OF BORGU HAVE ALREADY CRIED OUT

Only weeks ago, residents of Borgu publicly raised the alarm over worsening insecurity.

That should have triggered urgency at the highest levels of Jagaban's government.

Borgu is not some politically insignificant name to President Tinubu. It is the land from which he derives one of his most celebrated traditional titles—Jagaban of Borgu.

A traditional title ought to represent more than prestige.

It should signify a bond with the people.

So what meaning does Jagaban of Borgu retain for frightened villagers if the people of Borgu must sleep with one eye open?

What does the title mean to farmers who fear going to their farms? Under Jagaban of Borgu. 

What consolation is it to families wondering whether their loved ones will return from the market, farm, mosque or highway? Under Jagaban of Borgu. 

Traditional honour must ultimately be reflected in concern for the people whose community bestowed that honour.

AND THE GOVERNOR CALLS HIM “FATHER”

Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago has repeatedly spoken warmly of President Tinubu as a political father. There is nothing inherently wrong with political affection or loyalty. But Niger State does not principally need a father-son political relationship between Abuja and Minna.

NIGER STATE NEEDS SECURITY.

When citizens are being kidnapped, the relevant relationship between a governor and the President is not one of political parentage. It is constitutional responsibility.

The Governor is responsible for relentlessly demanding protection for his people, while the President, as Commander-in-Chief, carries ultimate federal responsibility for the Armed Forces and the enormous national-security machinery placed at the disposal of the Federal Government.

President's son is mute. Jagaban is silent. 

Citizens therefore have every right to ask:

What exactly is being done to stop these attacks?

HOW MANY MORE ABDUCTIONS?

Nigeria cannot normalise mass kidnapping.

We cannot become a country where another attack generates another press statement, another condemnation, another promise that the perpetrators will be brought to justice—and then everybody waits for the next atrocity.

That cycle must be broken!

Every successful kidnapping potentially emboldens criminals.

Every community abandoned to fear loses confidence in government.

Every farmer frightened away from his land threatens food production.

Every road surrendered to kidnappers damages commerce.

And every mosque or church that becomes vulnerable to armed attack strikes at something fundamental: the citizen's expectation that he can worship his God without being dragged into captivity.

This is bigger than party politics.

Muslims are being attacked.

Christians are being attacked.

Farmers are being attacked.

Travellers are being attacked.

Children are being abducted.

Ordinary Nigerians are paying an intolerable price for the incompetence of Jagaban of Borgu. 

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF IS NOT A CEREMONIAL TITLE:

The constitutional title Commander-in-Chief carries enormous responsibility.

Nigerians are entitled to demand measurable results from the security architecture funded with public money. 

Jagaban failed here but the funds are gone.

Where are the intelligence networks?

They are busy hounding Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and other opposition members.

Where are the rapid-response capabilities?

Not in existence.

Where is the surveillance?

Not in existence. 

Where are the coordinated operations capable of identifying terrorist and bandit enclaves, disrupting kidnapping networks and making rural communities safer?

In bed with the government. 

And when attacks recur in particular areas, what changes operationally?

Nothing!

Government cannot simply count attacks.

Government must prevent them.

Government cannot merely condemn kidnappings.

Government must dismantle the networks carrying them out.

MR PRESIDENT, BORGU IS CALLING AGAIN

President Tinubu should hear the cries coming from the communities associated with the very title he proudly bears.

Not as Jagaban alone.

But as President.

As Commander-in-Chief.

As the man constitutionally entrusted with the enormous coercive and security powers of the Nigerian state.

The people do not need another speech.

They need to travel without terror.

They need to farm without paying ransom to criminals.

They need children who can attend school without becoming bargaining chips.

They need Christians who can enter churches without fear.

They need Muslims who can bow their heads in prayer without wondering whether armed men will burst through the doors.

A nation in which citizens cannot safely pray is a nation confronting a profound security emergency.

And the responsibility of government is not merely to sympathise with its victims.

It is to protect citizens.

Jagaban of Borgu, the people of Borgu are crying out. 

Governor Bago, the people of Niger State are crying out. Your and your useless father have failed the people of Borgu. 

Mr President, Nigerians are crying out.

The time has passed for condolences to substitute for security.

Protect the people.

Rescue the abducted.

Pursue the perpetrators.

Restore the authority of the Nigerian state.

Because ultimately, history will not judge leaders by the traditional titles they accumulated or the political relationships they celebrated.

History will ask whether Nigerians were safe under their watch. In your case, Nigerians are not safe. 

— Lauretta Onochie

@Laurestar