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In the Shadow of the Crescent: The Tumultuous Terrain of Nigeria’s Security Landscape
By Ashineko Ayinya
As Nigeria grapples with the specter of its security challenges, the appointment of Christopher Gwabin Musa, an Atyap man, as the Chief of Defense staff has sparked a maelstrom of criticism. The outcry, primarily from Northern clerics and politically motivated instigators, exposes the deep-seated ethnic and religious fissures within the nation. This article explores these tensions, the political maneuverings around them, and their implications for the nation’s security.
Since the ascension of Christopher Musa, an Atyap, to the mantle of Chief of Defense staff in Nigeria, a veritable Pandora’s Box of controversy has been unlatched. A chorus of Northern clerics, spurred on by Machiavellian politicians seeking to portray themselves as the guardians of Islam, have been vocal in their dissent. In a sweeping act of political grandstanding, they targeted the Atyap Development Association in their twilight hours of power.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, like Odysseus navigating the tumultuous seas, sincerely seeks to shore up the security of his nation. Appointments like Musa’s are born out of merit and necessity, a lesson learned from the previous regime’s missteps, which led to a veritable Trojan Horse situation with Muslims monopolizing all strategic security positions, resulting in the country’s descent into its darkest period of insecurity. President Tinubu’s move may be more of a strategic maneuver than a show of favoritism towards Christians. In matters of national security, religious and ethnic affiliations should be relegated to the background.
Yet, these clerics, like sirens calling out to a ship, are desperate to discredit and possibly pressure President Tinubu into retracting the appointment. They have propagated the unfounded claim that Musa, who has merely been in position for two months, is planning a purge of Hausas, beginning in Zaria. Their references to the 1992 Zangon Kataf crisis, a dark chapter in Kaduna State’s history, are one-sided and exclude the instigations that sparked the conflict. They demand the execution of General Zamani Lekwot, rekindling old tensions and risking the resurgence of conflict.
The clerics’ selective amnesia extends to the security challenges faced under the Buhari administration. They conveniently overlook the rampant kidnappings and killings unless someone from a non-Muslim background assumes a position of authority. They remain silent on the violence, abductions, forced marriages committed by Fulani individuals against their fellow Hausas. Their selective outrage and consciousness paint a puzzling picture.
The discord surrounding Musa’s appointment is symptomatic of the complex interplay of religion, ethnicity, and politics in Nigeria’s security landscape. These complications, if left unchecked, could further destabilize the already tenuous security situation. It is therefore crucial for the government and its citizens to rise above the divisive rhetoric and work towards a harmonious and secure Nigeria.
About the Author
Ashineko Ayinya is a writer, researcher, and mathematician from Southern Kaduna. In 2018, he faced persecution from the government led by El-Rufai and narrowly escaped with his life. As a result, he is currently an internally displaced person. He sustains himself amidst the economic challenges in the country through his professional writing.
Footnotes:
– Christopher Gwabin Musa: General Christopher Gwabin Musa OFR, an Atyap man, (born 25 December 1967) is a Nigerian Army general who is the 18th Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria. He was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on 19 June 2023.
– Zangon Kataf Crisis: The Zangon Kataf Crisis refers to a violent ethnic conflict that occurred in Zangon Kataf, Kaduna State, Nigeria, in the early 1990s. The conflict involved clashes between the Kataf ethnic group and the Hausa-Fulani Muslim settlers, driven by issues of land ownership, political representation, and religious tensions. The crisis resulted in casualties, property destruction, and mass displacement. Major General Zamani Lekwot, a key figure in the Nigerian Army, was implicated in the crisis and faced legal consequences, highlighting the complexity of managing communal tensions and the need for effective conflict resolution strategies.
– Zamani Lekwot: Zamani Lekwot (1947-date), an Atyap man, was a Nigerian military officer known for his role in peacekeeping operations, particularly during the ECOMOG intervention in Liberia and Sierra Leone. He rose to the rank of Major General in the Nigerian Army and served as the Force Commander of the Nigerian contingent in ECOMOG. However, Lekwot’s career was marred by controversy when he was implicated in the Zangon Kataf communal clashes in Nigeria and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. Despite the controversies surrounding him, Lekwot’s contributions to peacekeeping efforts and his complex legacy remain significant.
Former governor of Sokoto State and current Senator, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has reaffirmed his party’s commitment to reclaiming power in 2027.
Speaking on Monday at the launch of a Ramadan aid distribution programme, Tambuwal assured supporters that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would regain its “stolen mandate” in the next general elections.
The initiative, aimed at assisting fasting Muslims during Ramadan, will benefit 30,000 households across Sokoto State.
Tambuwal noted that this effort was in addition to food assistance programmes being carried out by PDP lawmakers at both state and federal levels.
“As you are aware, many people have lost their lives and are no longer with us. By His grace, we are here to witness another Ramadan and provide support to our people once again,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to party leaders and supporters for their commitment, stressing that the PDP remained united in Sokoto.
“We are one big, united family. We shall continue to work together towards reclaiming what has been taken away from us.
In the last elections, our mandate was forcefully stolen, but we are restrategising and reorganising. By the grace of Allah, we will reclaim it in 2027,” Tambuwal declared.
Sokoto State PDP chairman, Comrade Bello Goronyo, echoed similar sentiments, thanking party members for their loyalty.
He criticised the current government, attributing the economic hardships faced by Nigerians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We urge the people of Sokoto and Nigerians at large to free themselves from the misgovernance of the APC in 2027,” Goronyo stated.
The PDP’s Ramadan assistance programme includes the distribution of thousands of bags of rice and other essential grains to youth and women-led organisations across the state.
Senator Shehu Sani has downplayed ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the move won’t impact the ruling party’s fortune in the coming elections billed for 2027.
El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State on Monday left the APC, a party he was a founding member, and pitched his tent with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in a move pundits believe will change the political texture of the country.
But Sani, who is also from Kaduna like El-Rufai, believes the former Minister of the FCT holds no political relevance.
“Well, first of all, for those of us from Kaduna State, it [his defection] is a good riddance because he stands as a liability to the party in the state,” the former Kaduna Central senator said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, citing the APC’s losses under El-Rufai.
“I can back this with facts. In 2015, APC had two senators. By 2023, all the senatorial zones were taken over by PDP. Out of the 14 House of Representatives seats in Kaduna State, by the time he left [office as governor], almost nine of the seats were won by PDP, two by the Labour Party, and then three by APC. With him as a governor, the APC also lost the presidential election in Kaduna State.”
El-Rufai had cited the party’s departure from progressive ideals as his reason for defection.
“At this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish,” the former governor said.
The former FCT minister was a founding member of the ruling party. He was instrumental to APC’s victory in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 presidential elections. His relationship with the party, however, soured after he was not screened for a ministerial role.
But Sani, who recently returned to the APC, accused El-Rufai of destabilizing the party and believes his defection offers an opportunity for the APC to rebuild and come out stronger.
“So, you can see that by the time he left, already the party was an unpopular platform in the state. So his exit now is an opportunity,” the APC chieftain said.
“For the governor and party leaders of the state to embrace the people of the state and to reconfigure and reset the party towards the next election.”
Oby Ezekwesili, former minister of education, has urged Senate President Godswill Akpabio to step aside until an investigation into Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan’s claims against him is concluded.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, senator representing Kogi central, had accused the senate president of sexually harassing her.
The allegation followed a heated argument between Akpabio and Akpoti-Uduaghan over seating arrangement.
Subsequently, the senate referred Akpoti-Uduaghan to the committee on ethics, privileges, and public petitions for disciplinary review.
The senator was thereafter suspended for six months.
In a statement on Monday, Ezekwesili demanded that Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president, should preside over a session tasked with conducting a swift and independent investigation into Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition.
The former minister said the senate should reverse the suspension of the senator and retract all punitive measures imposed on her.
“The senate president steps aside, and the deputy senate president immediately convenes a session that rescinds the unconstitutional and illegal suspension of senator Akpoti-Uduaghan and reverses all punitive measures imposed on her so she resumes her duties as a duly elected senator representing her Kogi central constituency and gets the fair hearing due her within senate processes,” Ezekwesili wrote on X.
“Resolve and announce that a prompt independent investigation into the resubmitted petition by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is imperative and swiftly request ICPC to designate the Independent Investigation consistent with the ICPC Act which designates sexual harassment as one of the corrupt practices it can investigate and prosecute.”
Ezekwesili urged the senate to restructure its ethics committee in response to the allegation, harping on the need to appoint an independent investigator to thoroughly examine the matter.
“Reconstitute the senate ethics and privileges committee under a new chairperson with the mandate to commence a public hearing on the resubmitted petition on sexual harassment by the senate president Akpabio,” she said.
“The committee receives informed recommendations from the Independent Investigation by ICPC-appointed investigator and appearances/oral and written testimonies and evidences from the two parties to the matter — Senators Akpoti-Uduaghan and Akpabio respectively.”
She advised that the findings of the committee should be referred to the attorney-general of the federation for action.
“The senate in plenary receives the report findings and recommendations of the ethics committee, debates and refers the matter to the attorney general as may be appropriate,” she added.
“The senate and HoR partner with women in Nigeria groups and other relevant stakeholders like NBA and Nigeria police to launch a comprehensive diagnostic review of laws, regulations, policies and procedures that prevent SGBV and protect the rights of women in public and private spaces, identify existing barriers and gaps, develop and implement specific action plan on a fast track timeline.”