DOUBLE STANDARD We are still at a loss as to why Ali Modu Sheriff has to be guarded by many soldiers Ali Modu Sheriff, former Borno State governor is one man that never ceases to be in the news; albeit for the wrong reasons. At various times, he was alleged to be Boko Haram sponsor and sometimes pointedly accused of playing politics without principles. Since he decamped from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the patronage he enjoys from the centre government has been unsettling. Recently, Sheriff in his usual controversial manner reportedly held Maiduguri spell-bound during a visit to the ancient town. Even before his arrival, the airport was purportedly cordoned off by security operatives in armoured personnel carriers (APCs), a privilege that even the sitting governor of the state does not enjoy. In June, the Federal Government opened the airport after several months of closure for security reasons when Sheriff newly decamped to PDP. This was done specifically to allow him use the facility. The drama of his visit is unnecessary. For, hours after he left the airport in a motorcade this time around, he moved about Maiduguri metropolis with several soldiers, policemen and operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) who followed his convoy while other soldiers stood at various locations just to ensure ample safety for him. In his company were Mala Sheriff, his brother and PDP governorship aspirant; Kashim Imam, Gambo Lawan and Umara Kumalia. With these men, Sheriff underscored the contempt that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration has for the suffering inhabitants of that state who have been under Boko Haram siege for years. What is special about Sheriff that the government is according him such preferential treatment? May be the government needs to be reminded that the Nigerian Army is not for Ali Modu Sheriff but for all Nigerians and the institution exists to ward off internal and external aggressions against the country. Again, why does Sheriff need so much security if he is not scared of his past or afraid of his shadow? Even Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima does not command such large retinue of police and other security personnel, not to talk of soldiers, in conducting his daily routine, yet, someone whose alleged contributions to the fragile security situation in the state is legendary is being unnecessarily given undue state protection. It is the ordinary people in all parts of Borno State that need police and effective military protection against rampaging Boko Haram onslaughts, not an individual. We call on the authorities to henceforth stop the abuse of the military and even the police, through wrongful deployment. Soldiers in sane societies are meant to protect the country’s territorial sovereignty; they are not to be used to guard and massage the ego and pride of the privileged. Once again, we deprecate the private use to which even the police personnel are wantonly put and call for equal treatment of all indigenes and inhabitants of Borno State, of which Sheriff is just a number. The double standard of the Federal Government against the people and government of the beleaguered state must stop in the name of equity and fairness. The people, more than anything else, not Sheriff and his surrogates, obviously need security fortification because the present security arrangement in the state put together by the centre government is suspect.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 09:49:09 +0000
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