Kuje Attack: Who Will Remind Buhari He Is The President Of Nigeria? By Philip Ibitoye
Yesterday, July 6, 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari shocked several Nigerians by asking a ridiculous question on social media. A staunch Buhari supporter reckoned, “E shock [It shocked] me o. Who is to answer?” I was certainly not shocked. The old soldier stopped shocking me many years ago.
In a tweet via his Twitter handle, Buhari asked, “How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it?”
In a typical fashion, he described the attack as a “shocking incident”. No Buhari statement—after a disaster—is complete without the words “shock” and “shocking”. He is always shocked. You wonder why.
Recall that gunmen—now believed to be Boko Haram terrorists—attacked the Kuje Correctional Centre, a medium-security prison, on Tuesday night. In an embarrassing admission, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, announced that all 64 Boko Haram suspects being held at the facility were nowhere to be found. The correctional service also announced that 879 inmates escaped with more than 400 at large by Wednesday evening.
ISWAP, the dreaded terror group, later appeared to claim responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters had succeeded in “freeing dozens of prisoners”. According to Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), the terrorists gained entry in 50 minutes with prison security personnel disappearing. The terrorists also reportedly delivered a 15-minute Quranic lecture—a move that underlines their sheer confidence.
I’m no prophet of doom but Nigerians should be scared. The fact that terrorists can invade a prison within the federal capital territory—the seat of presidential power—and get away with it paints the stark reality that no Nigerian resident is safe today. Hours before the prison attack, the president’s advance team had been attacked by gunmen in Katsina.
Moreover, Buhari’s stunning question is an admission that he’s lost control amid heightening insecurity across the country. Every day, the security situation worsens as the president continues to be shocked. In his Wednesday tweet, Buhari said he was disappointed with the intelligence system. Mr President, all reasonable Nigerians are disappointed in you! Every day you are their president, you continue to fail them.
In light of Buhari’s shocking question, I hope Mr Ibrahim Gambari, Mr Femi Adesina, Mr Garba Shehu, Mr Tolu Ogunlesi, and other aides who are close to Mr President can remind him that he is the command-in-chief of the armed forces of Nigeria. Please, remind him that the buck stops at his table.
The best option for the reminder would have been First Lady Aisha Buhari but only a few people can tell if she’s in Nigeria or has returned to her base in Dubai.
One day, my children would ask me to tell them a tragicomic story before they sleep. I would tell them about one time a Nigerian president asked citizens how terrorists were able to carry out a brazen attack on a security installation—on his watch. They would ask me if it was fiction. I would say no. I would open my google photos app, scroll to the year 2022, and show my children the screenshot of Buhari’s tweet. They would express shock and then laugh. I would end the bedtime story by telling them Muhammadu Buhari was the worst president Nigerians had ever elected.
Saddened by the attack on the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Kuje. I am disappointed with the intelligence system. How can terrorists organize, have weapons, attack a security installation and get away with it? I am expecting a comprehensive report on this shocking incident.
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) July 6, 2022
