Why we need to rename our ‘bandits’

In the news, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did quite a presidential thing, as he “condemned the tragic circumstances leading to the death of Alhaji Isa Bawa, the District Head of Gatawa District in Sabon Birni Local Government Area (LGA) of Sokoto State”. But the language and wording of the message failed, in my opinion. How can you condemn the circumstances that led to an innocent man’s death, when you should simply condemn the killers of said innocent man? Anyways, some of you could argue that I am hair-splitting, and I would disagree. Like, for instance, the word ‘bandits’. I have for a long time condemned its usage, because even though it describes criminality, it does not adequately tag the wanton, abject wickedness and deadliness of the terrorists we choose to call that.

‘A rose by any other name is still a rose,’ you might say, and you would be right, if we were discussing poetry. What is at stake here is the security of Africa’s most populous nation, under threat by ridiculously potent groups of wanton criminals. The proverbial icing on the cake is that these criminals were brazen enough to have fought back when engaged by security operatives. My main question – which I have asked before – are we still calling them bandits? These murderous elements have raped, maimed, and killed people before, and they have destroyed entire communities and even government property. This is far more than enough to call them what they are: terrorists.

Now, the typical Nigerian contrarian would object, and ask unsophisticated questions like ‘What use is getting their correct name? Will that solve the problem?’, and I understand why. I will point out the maxim that knowing a problem exists is one thing, and knowing what it is, is another altogether. Let’s go to medicine, for instance. If a patient has cancer, but the medical staff and his family keep calling it a migraine, would that help in solving the problem?

Let’s take the Zamfara example. That state has been in the tight grip of terrorists for a while now. One cannot forget the imposition by ‘bandits’ of a ‘levy’ on innocent, law-abiding citizens in Jibia – and indeed some other parts of northern Nigeria almost three years ago. That kind of thing, like I said then, should be viewed as full-blown insurgency. This is because they are not only occupying areas, but they are also charging taxes, both things which only the Federal Republic of Nigeria has the legal right to do. The fact that they go about killing whoever does not toe their nefarious lines is enough cause for a heavy-handed response from the government.

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I also recall, with quite a bit of revulsion, the laughable ‘amnesty’ they enjoyed for bit in the past, and time and time again they pick up their arms and return to the forests, back to their evil ways. But I digress. The number of people who have been murdered by these terrorists, as well as that of the soldiers who fell to their bullets while doing their job, is far too high a tally. And the scariest part is that many states, not just Sokoto, are suffering from strikingly similar scourges. Kaduna, Plateau, Kebbi, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, and other states, as well as even the full-blown colony of terrorists in Niger State, if reports of their activities are anything to go by. Enough is enough. These terrorists need to be stopped now.

The terrorists have provided more than enough avenues to be utilised for just that. They are on TikTok, and are known for a strong, dramatic presence on social media, replete with professional rivalries, competing content, and show of strength. They use phones to call for ransoms, and to strike fear in the hearts of communities they want to sack. In case my point is somehow lost, what I am saying is that these mindless criminals use technology, which leaves them open to being tracked and neutralised using technology. At this point, I will not even float the hare-brained conspiracy theory of ‘highly-placed individuals don’t want them stopped’. I don’t even care. All I want is some decisive action that will eradicate this ridiculous scourge that has eaten – and continues to eat – through our national fabric like some toxic, ravenous moth.

Back to Alhaji Bawa, the beloved Sokoto monarch was abducted while returning from an event some weeks ago, before he was murdered by his captors. In a 59-second now-viral video, he could be seen tied up by his abductors, pleading with the state government as well as well-wishers to come to his rescue. It was utterly heart-breaking, which takes me back to Tinubu’s message, relayed in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity that “the savage attack on the traditional ruler as deeply disturbing and a heinous act that will not go without a decisive response.” The whole world is waiting. Heck, even the terrorists are waiting, for this much-awaited “decisive action”. And remember, a terrorist by any other name, is still a terrorist.