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By Sadiq Muhammed
Boko Haram has just released an extremely disturbing video showing the brutal execution of our captured soldiers, reportedly in yobe. Yet, the so called active president has remained completely silent on the matter. These are the same soldiers we are relying on in Rivers State to maintain peace and order, yet their lives seem to be treated as expendable.
In any serious and responsible country, the loss of even one soldier under such gruesome circumstances would spark national outrage and immediate action. It would be treated not only as a security crisis but as a moral and leadership test. Here, however, we have witnessed the cold blooded killing of three soldiers, and the leadership continues business as usual, showing neither empathy nor urgency.
The families of these fallen heroes are watching. The entire military is watching. Most importantly, their fellow soldiers, those still in active duty are watching how the government that sent them into harm’s way refuses to acknowledge their sacrifice. Do they not realize how demoralizing this silence is? Do they not see how it erodes the morale and loyalty of the troops?
It is painfully clear that the lives of these soldiers are seen as less important than the political maneuverings and control of resources in Rivers State. The same soldiers whose deaths are ignored are the ones being used as pawns to further selfish political interests and power struggles in Rivers. The government appears far more concerned with consolidating power and control over state apparatuses than protecting the very people tasked with enforcing that control.
This double standard is glaring. When it comes to deploying soldiers to enforce political will, they are indispensable tools. But when these same soldiers are butchered by terrorists, there is silence, inaction, and apathy. It reveals a leadership more invested in political dominance and resource control than in human lives, dignity, and national stability.
This attitude not only undermines the sacrifices of the armed forces but sets a dangerous precedent suggesting that loyalty and service will be repaid with neglect and silence. If the government cannot protect or even acknowledge the loss of its soldiers, how can it claim to care about the citizens they are meant to defend?
The world is watching. Nigerians are watching. And history will not forget.
Muhammed can be reached at sadiqu2013@gmail.com
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