EDITORIAL
IT is very shameful that it has taken a revelation from the terrorist organisation, Boko Haram, for Nigerians to learn that no fewer than 176 innocent citizens were actually seized during the audacious and bloody attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
That such a horrifying figure could only emerge through a disturbing video released by the terrorists themselves is not only depressing but also exposes a troubling gap in transparency and public accountability.
HAVING woefully failed to protect these hapless people, despite reports that threats had been issued beforehand, government has also not been sufficiently honest or forthright in handling the tragic outcome.
This has left the remaining members of that already distraught community even more hopeless, and the feeling of abandonment must be overwhelming.
THE painful footage showed dozens of women and children standing in rows, visibly distressed, their clothes dirty and worn, with several children appearing half-clad—an appalling reminder of the harsh conditions under which they are being held.
Three women, including a nursing mother, were heard confirming in Hausa language that they were abducted from Woro community.
Even more disturbing was the terrorist’s open accusation that the Kwara State Government had deliberately misled Nigerians and the international community by suggesting that only between 20 and 30 persons were kidnapped, whereas, according to him, 176 captives remain in their custody. “The Kwara State government lied to Nigeria and to the whole world,” the terrorist alleged.
WHILE the government has since responded through the Commissioner for Communications, Bolanle Olukoju, acknowledging the disturbing video and reaffirming commitment to the safe return of all those impacted, it is painful that citizens must depend on the propaganda of terrorists for clarity about the scale of such a calamity.
The state government explained that there had been varying accounts regarding the number abducted and that neither government nor security agencies had announced a definitive figure, insisting that the priority remains the safe rescue of every affected citizen and the prosecution of those responsible.
YET, the broader tragedy is that Woro was not merely attacked. It was devastated. Dozens were brutally massacred in the February 3 onslaught, including two wives of the Emir of Woro, several of his children, the Chief Imam, a school principal, a headmistress and students who had just returned from school.
The Emir himself, Alhaji Saliu Bio Umar, remains missing, his palace reportedly set ablaze and his official vehicle allegedly seized and used to transport abducted victims.
The attackers, reportedly more than 200 heavily armed fighters linked to a Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction with suspected ties across the Sahel, slaughtered indiscriminately, even slitting the throats of farmers and traders who had travelled from Ilorin for agricultural and commercial activities.
GOVERNMENTS at all levels must rise decisively to the occasion by protecting citizens who have increasingly become easy prey for these bloodthirsty extremists.
The continued ability of such terrorists to strike with impunity reflects the huge loopholes that still exist in the nation’s overall security strategies and architecture.
It is particularly alarming that the Emir had reportedly alerted military authorities months earlier about coercion, forced preaching, intimidation and extremist attempts to impose sermons on the community. But the attackers still returned with unprecedented violence, overwhelming security personnel who reportedly carried out a tactical retreat.
IT must be pointed out in no uncertain terms that, when government fails in its major constitutional responsibility of safeguarding the lives and property of its citizens, it begins to lose legitimacy. Nigeria must not be allowed to drift towards that dangerous precipice. The Tinubu administration, therefore, must work much harder, not only through rhetoric but through concrete reforms, intelligence-driven action and genuine protection of vulnerable communities.
IN this regard, the country must also embrace the kind of strategic international cooperation that has increasingly become necessary in confronting transnational terrorist networks.
The announcement that the Pentagon is preparing to deploy roughly 200 U.S. troops to Nigeria to train and support the armed forces underscores the urgent need for deeper counter-terrorism partnerships is heart-warming.
Nigerian officials have clarified that the American contingent will not engage in combat but will serve as technical and training personnel, supplementing U.S. officers already embedded with Nigerian forces.
THIS development follows the Christmas night operation in which U.S. Africa Command conducted strikes against ISIS terrorists in Sokoto State, reportedly killing multiple extremists.
That intervention, described as symbolic but effective, demonstrated the value of efficient, surgical collaboration against groups that have continued to destabilise Nigeria and the wider Sahel.
As Gen. Dagvin Anderson of AFRICOM noted, the goal is to increase counter-terrorism cooperation efforts related to ongoing violence and threats against innocent lives.
GOING forward, Nigeria needs more of such partnerships, properly coordinated and firmly rooted in respect for sovereignty but driven by the overriding imperative of saving lives.
Terrorist organisations such as Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa have slaughtered worshippers in churches and mosques, ravaging entire villages, especially in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region.
Beyond religious and ethnic tensions, these conflicts have also been fuelled by longstanding disputes over land and water resources, making the crisis even more complex.
BE that as it may, THE NIGERIA STANDARD strongly believes that Nigeria possesses the wherewithal to defeat these forces of darkness, provided the political will is firm, intelligence is proactive, security responses are swift and the protection of citizens is treated as the highest priority of governance. The people of Woro, and countless other vulnerable communities across the country, deserve nothing less.