Buhari under pressure over Boko Haram abduction, attacks

Freedom C. Unuoha, a political scientist at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, said confidence in the government’s ability to provide security was being “deflated by repeated attacks”.

“The questions Nigerians are asking is how come a group that has been defeated… would be able to carry out such an audacious attack to abduct more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, in a region under the control of the military.”

– Lessons not learned –

Buhari, 75, has yet to declare his intention to seek a second term. Should he do so, it is more than likely Boko Haram’s supposed defeat will feature prominently in the campaign.

But Dapchi casts a shadow over any gains and already, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has sensed an opening it can exploit.

Its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan said Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) administration were responsible for the kidnapping and had given an incomplete picture.

“The Buhari presidency has put Nigerians at risk by deceiving the people and issuing false performance indices suggesting that insurgents have been completely routed,” he said.

Matthew Page, an associate fellow with the Africa Programme at the Chatham House think-tank in London, said Dapchi demonstrated that little had been learned from Chibok.

“The Nigerian security establishment still has not fully mobilised to tackle insecurity in the northeast nor do they have a sustainable vision for safeguarding communities they’ve liberated,” he added.

“The result is a never-ending game of cat-and-mouse where a stubborn insurgency refuses to give up because it is able to evade and exploit a weak, corrupt, and ineffective security apparatus.”

– Good news needed –

Dapchi can not only be seen as part of a series of setbacks in the northeast but in a wider context of security challenges across the country that are stretching the military, analysts say.

In recent months, Buhari has been blamed for failing to curb a resurgence of violence in central and southern states between nomadic herdsmen and farmers.

Equally, separatist sentiment from pro-Biafran supporters remains high in the southeast while the oil-rich south is still fragile after a wave of militant attacks on pipelines.

Buhari’s fanatical northern support base is unlikely to be swayed by such issues but could influence voters he needs to win in key southern constituencies, said analyst Chris Ngwodo.

Nigeria’s economy is limping back to growth after recession while there is little apparent progress in Buhari’s much-vaunted anti-corruption drive.

The government is “desperately in need of positive news that can turn the tide”, said Ngwodo.