Nigeria and a 'Taylored' Security Netwrork

By
Dr. Yakub J. Abdalla
Abdallaissues@yahoo.com
abdallajd@aol.com
 

Apart from the third term debate, the non-performance of our elected or is it selected officials, poverty, non-provision of social, health and other infrastructures, one of the issue that has dominated the Nigeria atmosphere apart from mother nature’s eclipse, is our inept security system.
 
I personally would not won’t to delve into the intrigues and politics of the Charles Taylor’s disappearance and subsequent arrest as many analysts have done so and the general conclusion is that there is more to it than the eyes meets.
 
Nigeria is a nation that never cases to marvel me. Fani Kayode in addressing the Charles Taylor escape and arrest drama said it was not embarrassing but it was regrettable. I must state here that we have gotten to stage where nothing is embarrassing to this present PDP led error that we refer to as government. The Presidency said it had in no hand in the escape, so it is on that premise that I would outline this essay. But if the escape of a warlord under our custody can just disappear like daylight into night then nothing more can be embarrassing.
 
Before this Taylor security gaffe, we have seen a government that despite all the billions of Naira expanded on its security network. Bola Ige was killed, Henry Marshall was killed, Dikibo was killed, Rimi's wife Sa'adatu was brutally murdered and yet government-spoken person says it is not embarrassing. It is not embarrassing indeed that no of these murders have be explained till date but it is regrettable that with the retinue of security details attached to the Liberian warlord at his palatial home in Calabar, he left unnoticed decided not to use the Calabar borders for 'security' reason and headed to Borno.
 
What more can we say of a security system that is most negligent, suspicious, suspect and embarrassing. I watched the Minister for Information Frank Nweke Jr. on CNN likens the escape of Taylor to that of Alamiyeseigha when he was in British custody. I could only smile at our collective foolishness because when Alams escaped we sang the conspiracy song against the British, so how come this time our own government is saying they did not know anything about the escape and they want us to believe them.
 
A lot about our security network, one-week earlier we were given assurances on the BBC to the world that Taylor was “under very good protective custody and he will not walk away”. With all our noise the man escaped under our very own noise, better put he actually walked away. I will even suggest that Taylor had not learnt much from his stay in Nigeria if not his disappearing act would have been better than it was.
 
As usual the federal government of Obasanjo ordered a probe, arrested all the guards, and security details attached to Charles Taylor and the man was arrested. Some people upstairs certainly believe that those of us downstairs are glorified fools.
 
I do not know how Obasanjo felt telling people that he had been vindicated, especially Bush, and trust our white friends they simply will only smile and wonder on what day of creation Allah created us.
 
The President postulated that if he had connived with Taylor, the Liberian mafia would have gotten away, what a security theory, my question is, was it not because the mother monkey had her baby taken from her that she let go of the banana.
 
Once more, now that Taylor has laid bare our security nuisance called network that the President is bold enough to declare that Taylor is not our friend. Despite the diamond deals his cronies and the Taylor gang were involved in. Despite the cries and calls by all before now that this man is sent away.
 
Unfortunately we have a glorified upper and lower houses of almost idle persons called a National Assembly, under normal circumstances in governance they would have facilitated the passing of a bill to compel the President to act, but that was least of their problems, it is with bitter nostalgia I asked is this not the same Taylor that was in Liberia when Nigerians were being killed. These re some of the reasons I say that the National Assembly needs an overhaul.
 
I cry aloud for someone to tell me how many waters and land Taylor passed before he got to the village called Gamboru-Ngala in Ngala Local Government Area of Borno the warlord was not disguised, he was calm, cool and collected, no Alams style.
 
Our security system is laughable, from sources the Liberian warlord was apprehended by a fisherman, then between the Immigration and Customs there was a serious battle as regards who was to take credit for arrest.
 
Charles Taylor may have been finally arrested and Nigerians spared the good riddance to the rubbish that he was but there are several questions begging to be answered, like really, how secure are we as Nigerians, is our security this easy to breach? Taylor must know quite a lot about our map as he headed towards Borno. We need a new crop of focused leadership is not an understatement, the wind of change is blowing, this PDP led government has failed in everything. Has anyone explained to them the image implication of this tailor made escape.