Angry reactions have continued to trail gruesome massacre of over 43 rice farmers in Zabarmari community, Jere Local Government Area of Borno State.
Reacting to the incident, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Imo State, Sir Chimezie Nwalozie, said: “It is part of our nature sometimes, as humans, to want to wait for others to tell us exactly the same thing we know, we should do.
“It is obvious that both President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the security agencies, have failed us woefully.
In better developed countries, the security situation in Nigeria is enough to make the President resign or lead to the kind of uprising that would eventually lead to his resignation.
“However, this is Africa and the recent experience from #EndSARS is still fresh in our minds.
Nevertheless, if the President is really sincere, he should know that the time to rejuvenate the security apparatus is now.
The heads of the security agencies have been there for over five years and in the present circumstances, we all know that they have exhausted their strategies.
We need fresh minds with fresh zeal and a new approach to tackle the menace before the terrorists begin to think of expanding their acquired territories.
“One is also tempted to advocate the legalization of arms for the citizenry. This is how any threatened person, can defend themselves to an extent.
Again, one may ask if we are matured enough to handle that with the present regional tendencies problem. Indeed, Buhari and his service chiefs have failed Nigeria and Nigerians.
A social crusader, Mazi Shedrack Nzediegwu, described the growing insecurity in the land as “a rampaging cancer that is about to swallow Nigeria”.
His words: “What we are seeing is the shadow of the true cancer, about to swallow this thing called Nigeria. A faulty foundation cannot stand for long. Quote me, the foundation of this country, Nigeria, was faulty from the beginning.
“They said that Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was not good and they had a better material in Muhammadu Buhari. Let’s stop pretending. We are all responsible for Nigeria’s problems, by allowing all manner of persons to occupy public offices.”
An obviously angry citizen, who identified himself as Victor Ekwomadu, said: “You people should not disturb yourselves. They know what they are doing and their motives.” In his own reaction, an educationist, Dr. Imma C. Ikoro, said:
“Personally, I don’t believe that the President has done all he needs to do, so long as he remains adamant about rejigging the security apparatus in the country. Also, how were the monies budgeted in billions for security, over the years, spent? This needs to be addressed first.”
An Owerri electrical engineer, Ikechukwu Ukaegbu, opined that Nigeria’s problems are more than the citizens think.
“Nigeria’s problems are more than what we think. Again, nobody can solve any problem by denying that it exists. I have not seen anything that will convince me that the Federal Government believes that insecurity in the land is a huge problem”, Ukaegbu said.
Reacting also, a legal practitioner, Mr. C. E. Nnodu, lambasted the presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, for saying that the farmers did not get clearance from the military before going to their farm.
“The most pitiable of the reactions to the massacre in Bornu State, of the 43 farmers, was that of Garba Shehu, the senior Presidential spokesman on media where he alleged that the beheaded farmers did not get clearance from the military before going to their farms to harvest.
“Pray, I believe the army garrisoned the entire troubled areas of the conflict, as well as securely liberated them. The poor peasant farmers going to the army high command to seek clearance is, to say the least, extremely nonsensical.
“To me, this is an insensitive and irresponsible response from a highly placed spokesman drawing salary from public coffers.”
