I felt the earth vibrate under my feet. I was momentarily scared — bombs were going off. I counted twelve explosions but soon lost count as I was swept into the melee that ensued as people ran helter-skelter for refuge and safety.
The events that occurred earlier this week probably set the tone for Boko Haram's most coordinated act of terrorism on innocent Nigerians. It is not unthinkable that the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, with the help of CP Zakare Biu, could bungle the arrest and subsequent detention of Kabiru Sokoto — a Boko Haram leader suspected in the Christmas day bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State, that killed more than forty people.
It is also not unthinkable that the IG of Police will still keep his job. After all, we are in an era where government rewards service chiefs who have glaringly failed in their responsibilities with National Honour Awards, and clamps down on citizens exercising their freedom and rights to free speech.
What these attacks actually are
These are dangerous times for our country. The angst currently befuddling the nation has its roots in the brazen corruption of our political and economic system, bad leadership, and the underdevelopment facing a nation as blessed with resources as ours.
It is high time we see these attacks clearly for what they are — an attempt to destabilise Nigeria and lead our beloved nation into the throes of civil war. We must stop seeing Boko Haram as an Islamic organisation with a jihadist vendetta against Christians, because as the Kano attack has demonstrated, this is a fight against Nigeria, its government, and its people.
It is time for Nigerians to take these attacks personally. We must occupy Nigeria and demand that our government stamp out this menace and provide us with security. We deserve to go about our business without fear. We deserve to go back home at the end of the day in peace to the love of our family and friends.
As we demand changes from the leadership of our nation, we must be ready for these changes. It was a wise man that once said: be the change that you seek. We must totally overhaul the Nigerian system — our politics, our economy, our security. We must all join hands to win the battle for the soul of Nigeria.