- Nigerians renew call for sacking of Service Chiefs
The horrific killing of at least 43 rice farmers at Zabarmari in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State has sparked outrage and fresh calls for more sustained military action and the sacking of the Service Chiefs by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Boko Haram had on Saturday round up the farmers, tied up the farmers, who were working in rice fields, before slitting their throats and allowed to bleed to death in the village near Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
President Buhari had in a statement on Sunday morning condemned the killing by the terrorists, calling the current shedding of innocent blood as ‘insane’ and ‘senseless’.
The President also said he has given all the needed support to the armed forces to take necessary steps to protect the country’s population and its territory.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, also condemned the killing, describing them as another act of babarism against innocent Nigerians minding their own business.
The Senate President said: “This incident is heart-rending and again demonstrates why we must all continue to support the security forces to thwart the criminals in their evil determination to impose a reign of terror on the North East of Nigeria.”
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, while condemning “in the strongest terms,” the killing of about 50 rice farmers, saying that the incident has once again brought to the fore the need for more military action against the terrorists.
Gbajabiamila said it was unfortunate that at a time the country was focusing on self-sufficiency in rice farming, about 50 of the farmers were killed in a most gruesome manner.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described the gruesome killings as extremely wicked, devilish and must not be left unaddressed.
“The PDP notes with pain that this horrific killing of compatriots comes
as yet another of the recurring horrid testament and badge of failure of
the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to secure our
nation and guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.
“Indeed, our party is distressed by the escalated killing and maiming of
innocent Nigerians by insurgents, bandits and marauders, who have
continued to ravage and pillage our communities, while the lazy and
lethargic Buhari administration continues with its lip service, rhetoric
and false performance claims.”
But tired of rhetorics, grieving Nigerians have taken to the social media to slam the President and his service chiefs over their collective and repeated failure to secure lives and property in the country.
The concerned persons also insisted that the President sack the service chiefs and rejig the country’s security apparatus.
Salihu Yakasai, Special Adviser on Media to the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, said it was shameful that nobody has been sacked a day after the tragedy.
The Kano governor’s aide, who tweeted @dawisu, wrote, “If this doesn’t move you to tears, I don’t know what will. 43 souls woke up and went to earn a living, only to be slaughtered like rams. 24 hours later, nobody has been sacked, no major action taken, and in another 24 hours, the outcry will end and we will move on.”
TV host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, wrote, “If Buhari does not sack the service chiefs over the brutal killing of these farmers, then our lawmakers need to start talking about impeachment.”
Social commentator, Gimba Kakanda, also knocked the President for not addressing the nation on the tragedy.
“The first thing Buhari ought to have done today was appearing on TV, bearing the pain of the people he had failed, to announce the sack of his overstaying service chiefs,” Kakanda stated, adding that “even our military Heads of State didn’t take the country for granted as Buhari has.”
Another user, @SodiqTade, also commented, “Anything outside sacking the service chiefs is not a positive action to me. Buhari should sack these men and not having meetings with them. The meetings have never and will never be productive.”
@josanyaolu kicked against the deradicalisation of former terrorists by the Federal Government. “It is clear that the service chiefs lack the know-how to tackle insurgency in the north, we need big bold ideas, no amnesty for terrorist,” he wrote.
On his part, popular comedian and #EndSARS campaigner, Debo Adebayo also known as Mr Macaroni, tweeted, “We are either being killed by terrorists or by security operatives. Either ways, the country isn’t safe. Where is the government when you need them? Oh I forgot! They are busy oppressing Nigerian youths.”
The Senate had in the past asked the service chiefs to step down following the worsening killings of civilians and soldiers in parts of northern Nigeria.
But the Presidency had disagreed, saying it is the prerogative of the President to appoint and sack the service chiefs.
Some of current service chiefs include the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar; and Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
The PUNCH reports that Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, at the burial of the rice farmers today, described the carnage as a very sad one while expressing his sympathies to the families of the victims.
He also asked the Federal Government to “ensure recruitment of more our youths in the Civilian Joint Task Force and hunters into the Nigerian military as well as the Civil Defence so that they can form part of the agro rangers that will protect farmers.”
“We need many boots to protect farmlands and our youths understand the terrain. We will not lose hope because we have to remain optimistic about ending the insurgency” Zulum added.
