The Joint Task Force security outfit in Maiduguri has become what respected Nigerian author, Professor Chinua Achebe, likened to lizards (Biko, a nefer say soja na lizard, o!) that visit your home the moment you bring in an ant-infested tree. Message: do not bring home ant-infested trees especially if you have a phobia for lizards. And if you realise your mistake after bringing one in, all you need do, without hesitation, is to throw the damn tree away. Could this be the message President Goodluck Jonathan is passing on to residents of Maiduguri.

May be. But the clamour for President Jonathan to pull out his red-eyed, kill-and-go occupation force in Maiduguri has been cheapened and politicized to allow space for some of those who brought home the ant-infested tree that attracted lizards. Nigerians are yet to forget and many continue to wonder how a common criminal laid hands on the mobile telephone number of a Nigerian senator. Trust Nigerians! Our short memory of hate is legendary! Nigerians are quick to forgive and reward sinners of yesterday! Some say it is part of the learning process!

In the frenzy to properly position themselves for 2015 elections, politicians now play politics with the crisis in Maiduguri by lapping on the well-advertised excesses of the JTF. It is ironic as it is instructive that some residents of Maiduguri want the soldiers out of the way in the strange belief that this hitherto peaceful and accommodating city was better off when insurgents called the shots. The message here is clear: it is the JTF that turned Maiduguri upside down. In other words, Maiduguri was a tourist attraction of choice before the security operatives were sent there! What all this translates into is that since the JTF are responsible for shattering the peace of Maiduguri, whoever sent them there should have no problem pulling them out. And, if you asked me, the reasoning makes sense. What then is the defence headquarters waiting for?

From the look of things, those who want the JTF out of the way will have to wait a little longer. They may have a point in insisting that the right place for members of the JTF is the barracks, but the right person to order their withdrawal is their Commander-In-Chief, President Jonathan. Except in emergencies such as happened during the Second Republic when General Muhammadu Buhari, as General Officer Commanding, Third division, in Jos moved to contain a threat from Chad while the politicians prevaricated, such orders as deployment of troops come from the C-in-C. And it does not appear that the C-In-C subscribes to the idea that his troops in Maiduguri constitute the problem. Of course, his spokespersons can go on to bore us all by rehashing that old line that their principal would have no need to deploy troops if the situation in Maiduguri was was getting out of hand. Both sides here are saying the same thing; they are desirous of bringing an end the killings in Maiduguri even if they differ on means. So, how do we reconcile these two extreme positions and get Maiduguri back on its feet?

We must concede that people who have come forward with suggestions to end the killings in a city which natives fondly refer to as Yerwa did so out of genuine love. To some of us non-residents, Maiduguri is more than just another city; it is one necessary pilgrimage destination many love to gravitate to. But to hasten troop withdrawal, and for peace to quickly return to Maiduguri, perhaps President Jonathan should have his way since he appears hell bent on retaining his rampaging troops. And how do we achieve this? Simple: since Maiduguri was better off before the arrival of the JTF, it behoves the residents, especially members of the respected of BELT, or Borno Elders and Leaders of Thought, to work hard to come forward with information that will expose those whose actions warranted the coming of the JTF. After that, Nigerians should give the president 24 hours to pull out his invading, kill-and-go troops. If he fails, all Nigerians will be right to accuse their leader of genocide in Maiduguri and arrange to drag him to the International Criminal Court.

Laying ambush to kill soldiers, for whatever reasons, will not help because in going after those who kill soldiers, innocent residents will be caught in the crossfire. The peace-loving people of Maiduguri need not suffer because of the action of few non residents - the militants and military are non residents, anyway. Some have even suggested that instead of killing unarmed people who oppose their style, the militants and military should engage each other one on one, face to face without any party having to run to hide under beds. Let’s quit kidding: it is a hare-brained thesis to insist that those people who stood Maiduguri on its head and provided the excuse for the JTF to be deployed there are faceless. They are not! Yes, they may be spookish but they are not ghosts; they are not spirits!

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* Abdulrazaq Magaji can be reached at [email protected]