I am dedicating this episode to my comrade, Kadaria Ahmed whose strong voice is helping shape the discourse on Zamfara’s worsening insecurity situation and why we must keep pushing until all gangsters killing our people all over Nigeria are located and destroyed. This is the only way peace will return to us.
Who is Kadaria Ahmed? She is a Fulani lady, a Nigerian journalist, media entrepreneur, and television host who started her career at the BBC London and has worked in print, radio, television, online and social media platforms.
In recent times, Kadaria is mostly recognized as that lady that asks very tough questions not forgeting that some people have rightly or wrongly accused her of protecting her favourite politicians from her tough questions. In politics, we are hardly neutral, our sympathy is always somewhere and I think Kadaria is human and entitled to her personal feelings. This does not mean that she was absolutely right and her accusers entirely wrong. It all depends on the side where you stand.
I never knew Kadaria was from Zamfara until she led that public protest against the killings of her people. Her faith also came into question as a result, especially when a deranged twitter user called her out as a walking corpse and an apostate who is supposed to have been killed for converting to Christianity. Is Kadaria a Christian? I am not sure what faith she practices after marrying her husband who was a Christian. Whether they both later converted to Christianity or remained Muslims is a non-issue. The important thing is that she is a good woman who stood for her people and led them from the front.
For being a woman and perhaps a ‘converted Christian’ as alleged, though doubtful, she was abused and threatened with death in 21st Century Nigeria while the government looked on. No one deserved to be killed or threatened on account of her political affiliation or religion. Nothing should happen to Kadaria and not a single hair from her shall fall. There will be need for those who still nurse the stupid ideas that they can kill because of religion to purge themselves and exorcise themselves of their evil spirit.
I salute Kadaria for her courage and passion for what she does. Her activism helped brought to the fore the worsening security situation in Zamfara and the everyday danger the people faced. It’s sad to see Zamfara hurt and bleed every other day. The once peaceful people lives in fear as tens and hundreds are killed, no thanks to Miyetti Allah-sponsored militias also known as bandits. Just at the point of this writing, another 30 persons were reportedly killed, an indication that government at all levels have failed in their primary duty of providing protection for lives and properties.
It was indeed the failure of government to secure lives in Zamfara that forced Kadaria to describe former Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State as the most useless governor in the history of Nigeria.
Her words: “Quote me: he (Yari) is the most useless Governor in the history of Nigeria. This is a governor whose reaction to the killings in his state was to resign as the Chief Security Officer. He went on the record to say that he cannot be the Chief Security Officer. So, I don’t know what he is still doing in office; he doesn’t care.’’
Why was Kadaria putting the blame only on Yari instead of the President who actually is in control of both the police and the Army? What can a governor do under the present security arrangement in Nigeria? No doubt, Yari may be part of the big problems but by far he isn’t the real problem and I think Kadaria failed to put the blames where it ought to be.
As Allah permitted, the ‘useless Yari’ has gone and is no longer the governor of Zamfara yet not so much has changed as Zamfara remains under attack by bandits who kill and kidnap people, as well as burn down farms and houses. So, in a way, the problem wasn’t just Yari. The blame lies squarely on federal government not doing enough to protect the people and yet refusing them from organizing themselves to fight back.
In places where insecurity is the issue the military and police were on record to have employed the services of the local vigilante groups to assist them. In Borno for instance the local JTF are still fighting side by side with our soldiers with great success. Why is Zamfara different? Why was the government more interested in disarming the natives rather than dislodge and destroy the killer bandits? Why is the government feigning ignorance of the real killers in Zamfara when the words in the streets are that the so-called bandits are Fulani militias sponsored by Miyetti Allah? The people know who is at war with them.
Government complicity is no longer a secret. Just recently, in a meeting between the Police and the people, the State Commissioner of Police who represented the Federal Government warned the State Volunteer Group against fighting and killing bandits vowing to deal with anyone killing the bandits. This is both incredible and astonishing. Now, rather than arm the people to help fight back, security forces are threatening them for killing terrorists? Where on earth does this happen?
Before now, the police had compelled the natives to surrender over 9000 rifles meant for their defense which they gladly did with the hope that the government was honest about securing them. But as soon as the natives gave up their weapons, the bandits resumed the killings with ferocious frequency while the police looked the other way.
I support the position of the people of Zamfara who have vowed never to drop their arms again but rather fight to defend their land no matter what happened. It is very unfair for the police or anybody to ask the people to stop defending themselves while they have done nothing to protect them from violence and attacks
If the security forces are for the protection of bandits , they should declare so openly. They should come out clearly and kill the people on behalf of bandits so that they will earn their well deserved dubious medals. Otherwise, if the police still have any modicum of integrity, they should leave no stone unturned in the bid to protect and secure Zamfara State. The people want nothing but peace. They seek no war with the Fulani but will not put their necks on the guillotine to be willfully chopped off.
I salute Kadaria Ahmed for her courage. She should not be discouraged by the attacks on her person. I admire her for what she is doing. If many of us will stand up when it mattered most, Nigeria will be a better place. Truth is that one outing is not enough, she and others must keep pushing. The peace and security we need in Zamfara and across Nigeria cannot be obtained by one protest. We must continue the struggle knowing we are doing this, not for our personal comfort but for our future and the future of our nation and children.