PRESIDENT BUHARI’S “SHOOT-AT-SIGHT” ORDER TO ARMED FORCES

NOTE: First published on June 11, 2021. The “Published” date on the tab is the date that it was uploaded on this new site. Though some issues in this piece may still be current (depending on…), this is to avoid mistaking it as current news.

This is “No Bullshiting”, by Harry Agina.

Greetings, folks!

You know, I truly agree with President Mohammadu Buhari of Nigeria on his recent repeated order to Nigeria’s Armed Forces to “Deal ruthlessly with bandits and other troublemakers” who have turned Nigeria into an ungoverned killing zone. I also don’t mind his complimentary “Shoot at sight” order against the criminals. Anybody who feels or knows the pain of Nigerians in the hands of those criminals since the advent of Buhari’s government, should support the president’s position now. If his position will solve Nigeria’s current huge insecurity problem, then, I applaud it, meeeeeeeen!!!

But, of course, there are several matters that arise from Mr. President’s orders, thus:

1) Is extrajudicial killing that come with the “Shoot at sight” order good in a democracy?

2) HOW SINCERE is Buhari with the orders, and, HOW FAIR and RIGHTEOUS are the operatives of his Armed Forces in carrying out the orders?

I will quickly gloss over my first question that has to do with a shoot-at-sight order in a democracy, which negates some principles of the judicial system in a democracy, including “Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law”? Obviously, shoot-at-sight circumvents the law court and promotes extrajudicial killing. But, guess what, I don’t even mind this circumvention of the court, because extreme situations often call for extreme measures. After all, with the present situation in Nigeria, the man has the power to declare MARTIAL LAW, which would suspend the nation’s constitution and administrate the country as a military regime. My problem is with the question about some evil applications of the orders, meeeeeeeen!!!

This brings me to my key interest in this blog, which is stated in my second question above, and, I repeat: How sincere is Buhari with the orders; and, HOW FAIR and RIGHTEOUS are the operatives of his Armed Forces in carrying out the orders? Let’s start with Buhari’s sincerity, and the reasons behind the question. 

If you ask OBJECTIVE Nigerians about the sincerity of Buhari’s “Deal ruthlessly with criminals” and “Shoot at sight” orders to his armed forces, they are wont to give you a response that is neither ‘black’ nor ‘white.’ They would give you some ‘grey’ areas in an analytical form, which would put into consideration all the statements and body language of Mr President. For these reasons, it is difficult to conclude decisively if Buhari is sincere or not, and anybody who does not consider these facts is anything but sincere; indeed, such person is hypocritical, period! For one thing, Buhari has shown too many nepotic or clannish tendencies in favor of his Fulani tribe and his Muslim religion, as well as terrible bigoted tendencies against members of other tribes and other religions of Nigeria. These tendencies cast SERIOUS DOUBTS on his sincerity to “deal ruthlessly” with, or to “shoot at sight” all criminals, regardless what tribe and religions that they belong. 

It is a clear fact that SOME of his Fulani herdsmen constitute a HUGE threat to Nigerians, worse than any other source of security threat across the nation in this most perilous time in the history of Nigeria.  So, the nagging question is: Are Buhari’s armed forces “dealing ruthlessly” with, and ”shooting at sight” the jihadist, landgrabbing killer Fulani herdsmen as they do other criminals?

The information in my possession says that, rather than apply the orders across the board, operatives of Buhari’s armed forces are actually protecting and defending the Fulani killer-herdsmen-cum-jihadists when they attack communities across the country, especially so in southern Nigeria. And, on the other hand, they are currently hiding under the orders to kill and torture INNOCENT Igbos in Igbo land, whom they MISCHIEVOUSLY indiscriminately label as IPOB and ESN members. My point is made, and I am gonno leave it at that without expatiation, because it is not the key topic of this piece.

However, in conclusion, I have to cite Buhari’s recent un-presidential condemnation of the decision of the southern governors to ban open grazing of cattle in the south. This is one example of his obvious atrocious clannishness, when we consider the fact that open-grazing is the main cause of all the atrocities of Fulani jihadists across the country. You do know that I ain’t bullshitting ya, meeeeeeeeeeeen!!!