London, UK – E don 20 years since di shocking 7/7 bombings wey shake London to di core. As we dey reflect on di tragedy wey claim 52 lives, e go good to ask wetin we don learn since den. E no easy, especially as di security level case don change well well.
Wetin happen for 2005 na big lesson for UK government. Dem no fit catch di mastermind, Mohammad Sidique Khan, on time. Dem catch am on camera plenty times before di bombings, but dem no connect di dots until e don do di damage. No be wetin we go fit forget in a hurry, abi?
Counter-terrorism strategies from dem time don evolve, but e no come without wahala. Di big question wey dey hang every now and then be this: Are we really safer now than we were back then? Omo, na serious matter o!
Before 7/7, dem get plenty focus on di IRA, but e be like say di understanding of terrorism don change. Dem realize say dem needs to work closer together – MI5 and police – to fit combat di new threats wey dey present themselves. But wetin dey vex some pipo be say, dem gather information too slow and gbas gbos no let dem share am quick. Talk about a big failure!
Peter Clarke, wey dey in charge of counter-terrorism policing at dat time, no gree say dem do well. E talk say everybody wey dey involved for di matter see am as failure. Naim make sense, abeg. Di real wahala be say dem start to recognize wetin dey really happen after di fact.
In di years wey follow, dem learn plenty lessons. Dem create fresh ways to identify and disrupt potential threats quick-quick. Na for Operation Overt dem really shine. Dem catch one gang wey jarre up liquid bomb wey dey disguised as soft drink. Na real film dem dey use! Di police and MI5 manage to nab dem before dem go explode.
As we dey celebrate 20 years of lessons, e clear say di threat still dey evolve. From di rise of di Islamic State to di home-grown DIY terrorists, di scene get plenty changes. Just when people believe say dem fit relax, na when di wahala begin again!
Lord Jonathan Evans sef don talk say di threat don widen. Di focus no be just London again, but di whole UK dey targeted. Di new terrorism wey involve online messages and connections don create a new level of headache for di security operatives.
Now, as di mantra ‘prevention is better than cure’ dey make di rounds, we fit ask ourselves if di measures wey we don put in place really dey work. We don hear about di legal changes like ‘Martyn’s Law’, which dey try put more security for public spaces. But who really fit say dem go totally stop wahala from happening? Na wetin we dey hope and pray for!
As di years dey pass, we suppose remember di people wey lose their lives, and also recognize di psychological impact on survivors. From PTSD to di everyday fear wey dey linger, e don reshaped many lives. Just like Marina Berry-Dealey wey talk say di attack has been a major rewiring for her brain, and her fears dey shaped her day-to-day live.
So as we gather to remember di fateful day wey show body for London ni, make we no forget to look dia where we dey head to. Are we going to let di past guide our future sisi? Or we go just dey repeat di same mistakes? Na questions wey every single one of us need to ask ourselves!
