Despite being a former general, President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to make military advances against criminals or jihadists. His presidency has been criticized for inaction and incompetence. Mr. Alapinni, the lawyer, believes that President Buhari has not engaged in kidnappings because he is also a Fulani from the North-West. “Many people are calling the president a Fulani apologist,” he said. “He seems unwilling or unwilling to deal with the matter properly.” Other public officials have been accused of profiting from robberies through corruption.
“I wake up worried they’ll come again”
Nigeria’s war on terror faces a similar set of issues. Experts claim that entities within the government cooperate with and benefit from Boko Haram. According to a report, the government was warned 44 times of an upcoming Boko Haram attack on a prison in June but did nothing. Former President Goodluck Johnson even announced that he had Boko Haram supporters in his cabinet while in office. Nigeria’s military strategy to fight the insurgency is also widely criticized. It has spent billions of dollars on heavy machinery that is ineffective against insurgents who live in forests and rural areas. The government announced it would buy $1 billion worth of military equipment from the US in April, less than a year after buying 12 A-29 Super Tucano planes. Mr Bukarti says most of the airstrikes end up killing innocent civilians. However, innocent citizens are harmed regardless. After being kidnapped, Aicha spent several days in the hospital worried that she might have miscarried. Despite losing a lot of weight and contracting malaria, doctors said her baby would be fine. He is now healthy again – but still suffers from nightmares. “I wake up every night, worried they’re going to come for me again.”
