In Defence of Japa.
“There are Nigerians who would never leave the country no matter how things are”.
insecurity
The politics of insecurity and possible solutions.
Every government must consider the security of the country. That is just part of the responsibilities of any government. But true security can only come out of unity within a country where there are so many ethnic nationalities. ~Aung San Suu Kyi I had purposely refrained from writing on the RUGA madness that recently engulfed the polity for two reasons. Firstly, nobody has ever apprehended the cattle left behind by the killer Fulani herdsmen because it’s hard to believe that they disappear into the thin air with the herd. Two, I suspected the whole idea to be a ruse, a smokescreen to distract Nigerians from the impending petroleum subsidy removal by the government — and yes political distraction is a strategy in governance — Allow me to quickly digress with a brief background before we proceed. As a student at the University of Maiduguri, I observed that the Igbo building material traders in collaboration with their host community had a security outfit. My own hometown has a Hausa community with a polling unit. They have a security outfit which cooperates with our local vigilante and the police. I have employed more than ten guards from them over the years. And after the infamous 2016 Nimbo attacks, a friend from Nimbo whom I called to get a better picture of what actually transpired revealed that the Fulani community in there owned a large settlement and had been engaged in economic activities in the area dating back to the colonial era. The above examples of teamwork were ostensibly for crime prevention and peaceful coexistence. Fast forward to 2019 and the Fulani tribe has been so stereotyped that almost everything wrong with Nigeria now is associated with the Hausa-Fulani hegemony. It got so bad that the 2017 massacre inside a Catholic church in Anambra state was initially reported on social media as an attack by Fulani terrorists. So one can rightly say that Nigeria has completely lost any semblance of innocence that existed. With our common fault lines amplified, mistrust, suspicion and resentment have become malignant. and the government is aware of this. It is, therefore, conceivable that it deliberately introduced RUGA into the national space to elicit wearying outrage before a planned subsidy removal. Now let’s discuss the present issue. With the election behind us, the insecurity is mounting as predicted. Across the nation, we have escalating cases of banditry, kidnapping, violent Shiite protests and of course the most popular ‘Fulani herdsmen’ attacks, which have resulted in an incalculable loss of lives. And this assessment is only going by the reports that make it to the news. Nigerians are slaughtered on an hourly basis by criminals including those in uniform who are supposed to protect them. Vice President Osinbajo recently came under severe criticism for suggesting that the reports of kidnapping across the land were often exaggerated especially on social media. Of course, he spoke the truth. The proliferation of cheap communication tools has aided this magnification. Ignorant Nigerians who cannot perform a simple google search are hired to broadcast fallacies concocted by politicians and their agents. Afterall there was no WhatsApp when kidnappers were paid tithes in Aba and luxury buses travelled with police escorts. But was that the right thing for the nation’s number two man to say at a period we are daily bombarded with live videos of kidnapping and other forms of violence? The answer is an emphatic NO! Perception is crucial in governance. You may not be doing the right things, but saying the right things will often get you by. Our soldiers are constantly on the receiving end of deadly attacks. In early February the town of Rann in the Borno state lost 60 lives to Boko Haram terrorists and in the same month, a band of yet to be identified gunmen invaded a community in Kaduna state killing 130 people. Nobody is safe anymore except perhaps the politicians themselves surrounded by a retinue of security operatives. But their relatives are not spared, they feel the torment like other Nigerians. In the past week, gunmen murdered Fasoranti’s daughter as she travelled to Lagos from Akure, gunned down an uncle of the infamous Senator Abbo and abducted his stepmother. Not even President Buhari’s family has been spared as his inlaw was only rescued last week after two months in captivity. These are perilous times and must not be allowed to fester. So Osinbajo and indeed the government as a whole are expected to proffer solutions, solutions and solutions only. Will the recent killing of Mrs Funke Olakunrin prove to be the tipping point? Time will tell as events unfold. However, the poignant issue in this orgy of violence and also a stimulus for the strong opposition against this government is that the perpetrators literally get away with it — even when it may not be so — except when a prominent person is involved. Again, this has to do with my earlier point on perception. Already, the tempo of the rhetoric is increasing. Obasanjo who personally directed and defended the decimation of Odi and Zakibiam has already inked another letter calling for an end to the killing by ‘herdsmen’. Odumakin the disgruntled Buhari gofer is screaming Islamisation while Femi Fani Kayode who could be Yoruba, Biafran or Fulani depending on who is oiling his flute at the time is shouting ‘Fulanisation’ and calling on the Aare Ona Kakanfo to start beating the war drums. It is only the amnesiac that will take this trio seriously in their macabre but banal dance. But since Nigerians are often impressionable it would be proper for the authorities to check these outbursts before we are plunged into a spiral of reprisal attacks, because as Nyerere once noted: “the people who are politically and intellectually bankrupt normally seek refuge in ethnicity and religion as a major factor of mobilisation”. The government must be wary not to treat this potent factor with levity. The pertinent questions our security agents should tackle after apprehending the culprits are; How Yinka Odumakin who
Insecurity And Appointment Of New Service Chiefs: Prospects And Expectations by Bolaji Alade.
Every conscientious observer of the Nigerian politics and governance will agree that the nation is often divided along ethnic, religious, and political divides that make it almost impossible to hold genuine discussions in the interest of the country’s progress. An attempt to engender such conversations are usually misconstrued either as a ploy to hijack power from a particular geo-political zone or a move to cast aspersion on a specific ethnic group. However, over the past two years there’s been an exception in that the call for the removal of the service chiefs resonated among all ethnic, religious and political factions. And as the state of insecurity in Nigeria deepened, fierce agitations for their removal heightened. Thus there was a heavy sigh of relief on 26th January 2021 when the presidency announce acceptance of resignation letters of the erstwhile service chiefs and announced appointment of new replacements.[i] With the replacement, the following emerged as service chiefs: Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff; Major-General I. Attahiru, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff; and Air-Vice Marshal I.O Amao, Chief of Air Staff[ii]. This new appointment expectedly was not without mixed reactions from Nigerians many of whom are happy about the long overdue change of guard. While in some quarters, there was dissatisfaction with regards to the quality of the president’s choice of service chiefs especially the chief of Army Staff, Major-General I. Attahiru. They are puzzled about how an officer fired and redeployed for failing against Boko Haram[iii] found his way to the helms of affair of the military. In their own opinion, only an officer with impeccable track record would is suitable for the job. Nevertheless individuals and groups reservations about the appointments, in all fairness, each of the appointees have basic skills required to deliver in their offices and deserve nothing short of Nigerians’ maximum support and cooperation. On the other hand, if posterity will be kind to the service chiefs, they must live up to a number of expectations. Here are some of the vitals issues they must address. At the top of the bucket list of expectations is winning the war against the protracted Boko Haram insurgency. The Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Navy under their new leadership must conduct a thorough and apolitical assessment of the situation of things in the North East and act accordingly. In essence, this is not a time to support the political narratives of a “technically defeated” enemy and deny the reality that the sect wreck havoc in many villages, kidnap hundreds of citizens, rapes women, murder people and enlist your boys as child soldiers[iv] Hence, hopes are high that under this new leadership, by joint efforts from gallant soldiers of the neighboring countries—where Boko Haram also launch attacks albeit little— the sect will be utterly defeated and the likes of Leah Sharibu who has been in their captivity for donkey years will regain freedom. Additionally, Nigerians are looking forward to a proactive Armed Forces which will not be caught off guard by unscrupulous elements bent on frustrating peace and disrupting order in the country. For example, one can only imagine the difference it would have made had the security personnels risen to the occasion in time and repelled the kidnappers attacks of the Chibok girls in 2014, Dapchi girls in 2018 and Kankara boys in 2020. Perhaps the anguish and trauma victims and families of the kidnapped went through and are still going through for those whose loved ones are still in captivity could have been avoided. Hence, if there’s any task Nigerians expect this new service chiefs to accomplish, it is to forestall another school students kidnapping and local dwellers. Furthermore, the new appointees particularly the Chief of Army Staff need to take time to look into the allegations levelled against the Nigerian army by the International Criminal Court[v]. The allegations which borders on unprofessional conducts by the military, human rights abuses, sexual harassment, and extrajudicial killings are weighty and should not treated lightly. While the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, who was also indicted by the report did his bit to refute the allegations, it was hard to believe that wasn’t another speech seeking lending credence to the President Buhari led administration. Hence, it is imperative Major-General I. Attahiru, does due diligence to investigate the matter and prosecute according to the extant laws without fear or favour whoever is found guilty of any of the allegations. The overarching result of this action among many others will be redeeming the image of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the comity of nations. Moreover, upward review of the remuneration of the members of the force is one other expectation bloody civilians look forward to during the tenure of these service chiefs. It is no longer news that, gallant soldiers who pay the ultimate price for the nation are not adequately catered for by the government. At times, this has led the men and women in uniform to extort innocent citizens by exploiting weapons of violence they are licensed to carry for protecting this same citizens. In a similar development, the Armed Forces under this new leadership should prioritize compensation for families of fallen soldiers. This will be a departure from the former narratives of neglecting spouse and children of soldiers who has paid the supreme price. Likewise, maim soldiers unable to return to battle field should not just be dismissed. Employing them as administrative staff or paying an handsome compensation will be a step in the right direction. In conclusion, without gainsaying corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian Armed Forces and financial misappropriation appears to be the norm. Case in point is the Dasuki gate[vi] earmarked for buying arms to aid the fight against insurgency siphoned. Therefore, Nigerians are hoping the new men at the helms of affair will choose security of lives and protecting Nigerian territory against external aggression over fickle financial security embezzlement
Insecurity In Northern Nigeria And Possible Solutions by Oluka Emmanuel.
Written by: Oluka Emmanuel Chukwuemeka My heart remained troubled even at the point of writing this essay. Initially, I had chosen to write creatively on one of the topics, “Caught Red-Handed”; but the more I tried to put down the words caressing my thoughts, the more I felt a strong force keeping me on restrain. This was because I knew the situation in the country at the moment was tensed. I knew the audience will always be in the lookout for something to laugh about; something to help douse the tension occasioned by the avalanche of mishaps the year 2020 brought. So, I felt a story-telling creative content coated with bouts of humour and adventure in the topic, “Caught Red-Handed”, would do justice and oblige their expectations. But, here I am, making a U-turn to write on the recurring spate of insecurity in Northern Nigeria. Instructively, one thing provoked my making this U-turn. The provocation was premised on the recent Zabarmari rice farm massacre in Borno state. The country woke up Saturday morning to the gory news of the slaughter of over 40 farmers around two villages in Jere Local Government Area of Borno State by the Boko Haram terrorists. It was revealed that the farmers were waylaid on their way to their rice farms which they were harvesting. The attack took them by surprise. Reports say other farmers were also whisked away by the insurgents. This is one out of numerous bizarre stories bothering on insecurity which have dotted the landscapes in the North. From the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, to rural banditry in the North-West, to herdsmen militancy in the North-Center; the story remains unabated. Bandits terrorize communities with impunity, setting up strong territories in the hinterlands and on the frontiers from where they launch coordinated attacks. Travellers on major highways particularly the Abuja-kaduna road have also witnessed fair share of abductions and even deaths. The North-Central Benue state have been inundated with a litany of strikes ranging from the Zaki Biam invasion in 2001 to the present farmers’- herders’ clash ravaging governor Ortom’s current administration. A report funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) say an estimated 7,000 Nigerians have died between 2015 and 2019 in the North-Central states of Benue and Nasarawa alone. In all these scenarios, it shows Northern Nigeria have thus become unleashed with uninhibited violence making it a killing arena with graves littered within its spaces. But what have given rise to these insecurities? Inasmuch as media reports have implicated the porous nature of the country’s borders, plus the religious and ideological discontent as leading factors propelling the security conflicts in Northern Nigeria, Yakubu Dogara, the former speaker of the house of reps takes a different stance. While addressing the North in a speech delivered at a recent Northern Security meeting in Kaduna, he said, “We are where we are because of illiteracy, unemployment and poverty”. In a mathematical equation he propounded, he posited that, “Illiteracy + Unemployment + Poverty = Insecurity”. Quoting him further, he said, “The North is on fire ignited by us either by our actions or by what we permit or allow”. He actually may not be far from the truth because, out of the 60 years the country acquired independence, Northern Nigeria has taken a staggering chunk of over 40 years of leadership; yet, the region have been greeted with statistics of illiteracy and extreme poverty not ranking in their favour at all. This reveals that the region have had a misplacement of leadership, with leaders failing to put the interest of their people at the epicenter of their various administrations; hence, unable to address the intricate socio-cultural, political and economic challenges of the region. The absence of basic human securities like food, shelter, clothing and education, breeds opportunity for the citizens to be exploited and recruited by nefarious groups like Boko-haram and other fake militia groups. This in fact, summarizes what have given rise to the spate of insecurities in the North. The Consequences and Implications The truth is that insecurity in the North is growing in geometric proportion and sophistication; and it’s becoming quite foreboding for the region. And if the scourge is allowed to linger, the regional description of the insecurity will get blurred over time; hence, making it pretty unpredictable in its propensity to spread to parts of the south and destroy the entire country at large. This will end up justifying an age long Igbo adage which translates to mean, “Whenever the eyes start to cry, the nose joins the cry afterwards”. One major consequence of the security situation ravaging the North is that, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of United Nations (UN) of achieving food security, ending poverty, hunger, and promoting sustainable agriculture by the year 2030 is in danger. Farmers no longer have the physical fitness and psychological disposition to work without fear in their farms. Now, is the period of harvesting major Nigerian cereal crops like rice, maize, sorghum, millet; these are the food that can be kept for close to 10 – years in silos if they are properly processed and preserved; unlike the roots and tuber crops that may not last more than a year. In that case, post-harvest losses will be on the increase. When rice for instance, is ripe for harvest and you don’t harvest for fear of insurgency, then, after some time, these grains will start dropping and left to the mercy of pests, making the possibility of achieving UN’s food security a mirage. Transportation becomes a problem too, because, the roads are also insecure; and so, carrying harvested produce from the farms to the consumption centers, becomes a herculean task. This brings scarcity and makes the price of some of these essential commodities to skyrocket. This is why onions have become a scarce and highly sought after produce in the market. One can only imagine the taste of stew without onions in the upcoming Christmas
A Nightmare In Need Of A Breakthrough by Victor Okonjo.
The security of life and properties, ordinarily, is a major priority for any responsible government of a country. The basic definition of security is the absence of danger in any form. Cambridge Dictionary defines security as “The protection of a person, building, organization, or country against threats such as crimes or attack from foreign countries” (Cambridge University Press 2020, dictionary.Cambridge.Org). The role of security in the existence of a nation cannot be over emphasized. From time immemorial and till now, most countries of the World have had various degrees of threats to national security either from internal or external forces. In fact, a major uprising that has continually heightened serious security concern in the world today is the act of terrorism. Nigeria, our beloved country, is one of those countries of the World that has been bedeviled with incessant security crisis. Some major criminal activities that have consistently posed threat to security in Nigeria include but not limited to arm robbery, kidnapping, banditry, thuggery and the so called terrorism. Consequently, efforts made by State authorities to address these security breeches have proven insufficient. The Northern Nigeria is one region that has been greatly affected in the rising insecurity in the country. The insecurity in that region has been exacerbated by the heinous activities of bandits and terrorists. The level of insecurity in Northern Nigeria maintains consistently an upward trajectory despite diverse intervention from government to deal with the situation including the exertion of military might. This makes the security crisis a nightmare in need of breakthrough. However, an important question begging for answer in the minds of many is “How did it get to this point?”. The Northern Nigeria has a lot of under developmental issues that have not been given it highest form of consideration over the years, which has made it a niche for insecurity to thrive. Poverty takes a leading role in the deteriorated insecurity situation in the region. Other factors that inhibit socio-economic wellbeing in the Northern region of the country are but not limited to poor educational system, ethnic and religious crisis, inadequate infrastructure, early marriage and failed protection of the girl child, political propaganda and above all corruption. This compendium of challenges is a factor that contributes to the security quagmire in the region. According to a report released by the World Bank titled ‘Advancing social protection in a dynamic Nigeria’ (January 28th, 2020), the Northern region accounted for eighty seven percent of all the poor people in Nigeria in 2016. The World economic body affirmed the increasing rate of poverty in the region. Now, it is evident to say that the perennial insecurity in Northern Nigeria is an attendant effect of increased poverty in the region. The poor standard of living has made criminality attractive, taking undue advantage of the poor state of economy in the Northern wing of the country. Furthermore, burn out of frustration and hunger some persons give in to incentives of being lured into criminal groups like bandits and terrorists camps. These criminal groups further radicalize the minds of lured victims and empower them to rebel against the State. That is why on frequent occasions we wake up to hear of different degrees of gruesome killings and kidnapping orchestrated by either bandits, the dreaded Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) terrorist groups or ethnic rival clash. Sadly, the resultant number of death toll due to insecurity in Northern Nigeria is really incredible and the potential rise in the death toll if drastic steps are not taken to quench the menace will make the situation more worrisome. However, the country needs radical solutions to get a breakthrough over her security quagmire especially in the Northern region. It would be worthy to mention that some public enthusiast across the national space have before now suggested possible ways to address the rise of insecurity in the North. On the contrary, what we have witnessed so far is the shortfall in the political will on the path of government to implement these suggestions. This is to say that the first possible solution in addressing the security concerns of the North is for government at all levels to understand that the responsibility of securing the national sovereignty of the country, maintaining law and order, and upholding the inalienable rights of citizens of which include the right to life is her maximum priority. Therefore, the urgent need to exert a resolute political will in dealing decisively with the security nightmare in the North is sacrosanct. As earlier mentioned, one of the major root causes of insecurity in the North is poverty. The Poverty talked about is not just on economic strength alone but also poverty of the mind. The leadership of State must show deep sense of responsibility and due diligence in the discharge of their duties in providing basic social amenities, adequate infrastructure, and quality educational system for all irrespective of gender difference, promoting anti-terrorism and anti-criminal advocacy amongst youths and ensure peaceful coexistence among ethnic and religious groups. If these are diligently done, it will discourage the choice of membership and allegiance to terrorist and other criminal groups by local citizens. This is due to better orientation of the mind and improved standard of living. It will be true to say people living under better economic conditions and above poverty line will not result to criminality and criminality will not thrive in their domain. A major issue that has recently attracted keen reactions and a subject of national discuss is the ideal of restructuring. Indeed, restructuring is a possible solution that can proffer breakthrough over the insecurity nightmare in Northern Nigeria. Nigeria is a federating State but practice unitary systemic agenda which contradict the true nature of federalism. A restructured Nigeria will allow complete devolution of power to the component States of the Federation especially on economy and security control. If this happens, the State government especially those in the North will assume direct authority over civil
The Insecurity In Nigeria And Possible Solutions by Martins Aimiosio Okoromu
INTRODUCTION Since the mid 1990s, conflict and brutality have been the cause of several killings, and mutilations of numerous people and the evacuation of an enormous number of people over the country. In fairness, insecurity is not a problem that is unique to Nigeria only, but it geographically spread across the globe. However, in order to understand the term ‘Insecurity’, it is pertinent to have a clear understanding of what ‘Security’ entails. According to the United Nations Development Program’s Human Development Report from 1994, “Security” is defined as “the human survival and dignity through freedom from fear (violence) and freedom from want (poverty)”. Hence, “Insecurity” is a partial or total absence of human survival and dignity occasioned by fear. INSECURITY IN NIGERIA Importantly, the cogitation about insecurity began with the distribution of the 1994 United Nations Development Program (UNDP) yearly report. It brought up the basic seven areas of potential concern for security – economics, food, health, environmental, personal, community and political security. In the Northern Nigeria, contention between the militant Islamist sect, Boko Haram and the Nigerian military has overflowed into encompassing nations. This militant Islamist sect has destabilized the North-East of Nigeria with the kidnapping of 276 school girls from Chibok in April 2014, several bombings, kidnappings and other violent attacks. Since 2009, the sect slaughtered a huge number of individuals and dislodged millions more. About 2.5 million individuals fled their homes and towns, and the immediate outcome of the contention was that the North-East was driven into a serious humanitarian crisis. Again, the Niger Delta, the oil producing region of Nigeria has for quite a long time experienced oil pollution which has resulted to the loss of the source of livelihoods of many of its indigenes. The region has likewise been ignored by the government despite the fact that the main part of the nation’s funds originates from the district, and this has resulted in several conflicts by some Niger Delta militant group, with a high level breach in security ranging from kidnappings, oil pipe vandalism, bombings, etc. Moreover, the conflicts between the prevalently Christian farmers and the Muslim cattle herders in the middle belt area of Nigeria, as there are disputes over access and rights to land and water assets and fast desertification, has changed the grazing patterns of cattle’s and this has led to several killings, and resulted to a high level of insecurity in the region and has claimed the lives of so many farmers. In addition, the recent challenges to democratic government in form of electoral violence has brought about a high level of insecurity in several states in the country. CAUSES OF INSECURITY IN NIGERIA In proffering workable solutions to the problems of insecurity in Nigeria, there would be need to expound on majority of the causes of insecurity. Accordingly, the perceived causes of insecurity include unemployment, poor governance and political instability, ethnicity and religions differences, extreme poverty and human deprivation, increased population growth as against the development of the economy. Other causes are porous borders, poor security system and lack of maximization of the security budget, struggle for resources and land, terrorism, high rate of illiteracy, diseases and epidemics. Thus, unemployment being a major cause of insecurity in Nigeria has resulted in many of the disgruntled youths taking to crimes, robbery, kidnapping, drug-trafficking and all sort of illegal acts. The estimated rate of unemployment among youths who are the major perpetrators of these violent acts that lead to insecurity, is said to be three times higher than among older adults. Also, bad governance and political insecurity has prompted the breakdown of institutional foundations, rendering the country’s organizations exceptionally frail and ineffectual. Bad governance has manifested in the government’s inability to provide for basic necessities to the masses and meet other public services. This has led to an enormous number of bitter and frustrated citizens who can be triggered easily by any event to be violent. Besides, ethnic and religious clash is also a cause of insecurity. The regular and rampant ethnic conflicts and religious clashes between Muslims and Christians inflict the regions with significant security challenges. These conflicts are sometimes due to claims over scarce resources and perceived unfairness in state allocation, power, land, councils and local governments. Moreover, poverty, another cause, is surprisingly more terrible in the country. This is because a large portion of the vital mineral resources are been exploited without accountability, thereby exposing the citizens to hunger and starvation. This leads to the a large number of people involving in several crimes, such as robbery, kidnapping and all sort of vices to earn a living. Thereby resulting in several cases of insecurity. In the midst of abundant natural resources, Nigeria fall under the category of countries with the lowest annual GDP per capita. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO TACKLING INSECURITY IN NIGERIA It goes without saying that insecurity in Nigeria has called for a consolidated effort in tackling the menace. Accordingly, it is apt to expound on the workable solutions to ensuring that of the plague of insecurity is tackled. They include increasing efforts in job creation, strengthening good governance, fostering unity amongst ethnic and religious groups, alleviating poverty, ensuring increased economic development to meet the rising population and fester illegal migration and improving the Armed Forces. Worth of note is the fact that Nigeria still struggle with unemployment. Thus, Nigeria is in dire need of its own economic policies that will address unemployment issues, especially for the youths and create more jobs. These strategies entail governments introducing several welfare packages for the unemployed, encouraging local and foreign private investors by creating an enabling socio-economic and political environment, partnering with private individuals in the establishment of industries, restructuring the educational system by inculcating programs to ensure that graduates become entrepreneurial and modernization of agriculture to increase commercial output. Moving ahead, bad governance should be a thing of the past in Nigeria. It’s aftermath of insecurity can be curbed when corruption is dealt with. Accordingly, African governments should
The Insecurity In Nigeria And Possible Solutions by Izebe Evbogame.
INTRODUCTION: In Nigeria today, no other issue puts in jeopardy the corporate existence of the nation as security challenges, which seems to be on an upward trajectory as the days go by. There are daily reports of brutal attacks, concerted kidnapping, heartless maiming of innocent citizens, indiscriminate burning of houses and vehicles, destruction of business enterprises and disruption of peaceful social and community life by one group of disgruntled citizens or the other. Ironically, abiding to the Federal Character principle enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution, every region has been plagued with their individual security challenges, which has been a source of grave concern among citizens because their fundamental rights to life and dignity hangs in the balance. For years now, some parts of the North has been under the siege of the insurgent group popularly called Boko haram, which eclipsed ISIS for the morbid title of world most deadly terrorist group in 2014 [1], the same year they kidnapped the 276 Chibok girls. Although, their brazenly open reign of terror has been contained to an extent, they still episodically launch some deadly attacks which has led to the death of gallant soldiers and civilians. They recently laid ambush and attacked the convoy of Borno state Governor, who escaped by a whisker. Currently, armed banditry, herdsmen attacks, cattle rustling and of course kidnappings along the Abuja-Kaduna Express has been the major security concern in the region. Not forgetting to mention the ongoing battle in Southern Kaduna. The level of insecurity in the region is so alarming and even the President’s home state (Kastina) has been under the siege of armed bandits. Coming down South, the story is not any different. Kidnapping and armed robbery has become more pervasive. Kidnapper’s targets now cut across even low income families. The highways, especially the Lokoja-Okene Express are hotspots for robbery and kidnapping. Cultism is still a menace, the latest that made national headline was the one million boys who terrorized Lagosians during the COVID-19 lockdown. Not forgetting to mention the inter-communal clashes that has been happening in the South East. All these alongside other sundry crimes has resulted in Nigeria ranking 148th out of the 163 countries in the 2019 Global Peace Index. [2] THE CAUSE OF INSECURITY: A lot of measures have been put in place to bolster security like creating the Joint Task Force, movement of military command center to Maiduguri, periodic dismissal and appointment of new security chiefs and appropriating vast sums of money to tame security challenges, yet these challenges keeps surging and appears or at least have remained insurmountable. This is because the causative factors are yet to be resolved. The causes of insecurity in the country include but are not limited to; High level of Unemployment and Poverty. Inability of government to deliver public services and basic needs for the masses. Corruption in the ranks of the government, especially regarding to siphoning security funds Weak and under-equipped security system characterized by undertrained and unmotivated personnel. Inter rivalries among the security agencies and lack of intelligence sharing. Porous borders Distrust, lack of cordiality, mutual suspicion, fear and a tendency towards violent confrontation among various ethnic and religious groups in the country. Inciting and hate statements from ethnic and religious leaders. Social irresponsibility of companies and indiscriminate retrenchment of workers and unfavorable working policies. Private individuals refusing to take up any security responsibility. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: To an outsider, these threats are overshadowed by an illusion of stability when compared to the explosive situations in Syria and Yemen, but it has caused severe consequences across different sectors of the economy, as well as loss of lives and properties and it has the potential to throw the country into turmoil. Hence, overcoming this surge of security challenges is paramount and it relies on collective effort from all parties involved. To begin with, the government as the captain of the ship must put its house in order. All elected and appointed officials should be patriotic and humane enough to realize that their fellow countrymen are dying or at the risk of dying if they do not honestly participate in the war against insecurity. The major and starting point to commence this war is for the government to govern in a way that fosters development. Development in this context consists of creating an economy with relevant social, economic and physical infrastructure for business operations and industrial growth, to provide gainful employment, functional education and quality health care for the people. By doing this, there will be a drastic reduction in the pool of frustrated citizens who resort to crime due to lack of opportunities. There should be a robust combination of legislative and judicial intervention towards addressing some of the acute security challenges. This entails formulation and effective implementation of policies and programs capable of addressing poverty, unemployment, corruption, injustice, porous borders and arms proliferation. Serious diplomatic missions need to be undertaken to enhance military collaboration between our neighboring countries towards combined and joint efforts to root out criminals because border towns have become hotspots for criminals and some insurgents have bases in some of these countries. Also, there needs to be an intensification on the anti-corruption crusade. This entails enforcing stringent guidelines and checks especially on funds meant for improving security and strengthening the EFCC to serve as a watchdog over the security agencies finances. Moving down to the security agencies, there should be a complete overhaul of the security institutions in the country to reflect international standards of best practices. There should be modernization of security agencies with training, modern-day combat machinery, intelligence sharing, advanced technology, logistics, motivation and change of orientation. The security agencies should evolve a people-centered approach. This involves engaging communities, since most criminals are drawn from these communities. To achieve this, they must gain the respect and trust of the people. Hence, issues of police brutality and harassment should be a thing of the past. The two major religious groups in Nigeria also have a
Insecurity In Nigeria and Possible Solutions by Chimezie Nebolisa
Over the years, the Nigerian State has been bedeviled with insecurity in her polity. Hardly does a day pass without any incident of either loss of lives, properties or displacement. These phenomena occur as a result of acts of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, ethnic and religious bigotry, communal clashes and an inapt policy formulation and implementation by the government. From the menace caused in the northeast region by Boko Haram to the banditry ravaging in particular Kastina and Zamfara States, the ethnic-religous wars in Jos, Southern Kaduna and Taraba state, the herder-farmer clash in Kogi, Benue and the Southern states and the inhumane activities of security operatives, life has become for the citizens,solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. The obligation of any State to her citizens is the provision of a stable environment where life could progress and economic activities thrive. In Nigeria, it seems that not only has the state failed in her basic assignment of protecting lives and properties of her citizens, it has equally had a hand in annihilation of her people. In the year, 1999, in the early stage of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Administration, the military massacred the people of Odi in Bayelsa State due to the murder of police officers and a subsequent claim of an attack of military convoy by the community. In retaliation, every building in the community except for a bank, an Anglican Church and a health centre were burnt to the ground (Wikipedia, 2020). The herder-farmer clash has continued to be on the rise. There has being accusation and counterr-accusation from both groups on whose fault it is. The herdmen are on the loose with weaponry and arsenals, most of them go about to their day to day activities with Ak-47 looking for whom to maim. Most farmers have refused to return to the farms which has resulted to not only to food insecurity and scarcity but also a drop in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The once loved Northern Nigeria has become a war zone for ethno-religious crisis, banditry, communal clashes and kidnapping. The Boko Haram sect has continuously made progress in annexation of Nigeria’s territory. With every attack from the Nigerian military and other security operatives, Boko Haram regroup and force them back to their drawing board. Recently, the Borno State Governor’s convoy were attacked by the sect on his way to an official function. Traveling from Abuja to Kaduna on road is no longer safe. The Minister for transport, Rotimi Amaechi also escaped an attack by bandits on the road leading to the Kaduna train station. In Southern Kaduna, there seems to be a deliberate attempt to annihilate a group of people. In this past few months, there has been a reprisal of attacks that death toll as a result of the massacre leapfrog the casualties of Covid-19. In his Lamentations, Richard Gajere, a resident of Southern Kaduna said, ” I remember when We freely move around every area whether dominated by Christians or Muslims. When We sleep and eat with anyone irrespective of one’s tribe and religion but today all we see is an enemy, who is a threat to our lives”. He continued, ” I remember when the Fulanis pass, We usually sing ‘ danfulani yana kiwon sanu song’ and even play and visit them in ruga but today we can’t even celebrate together during Sallah and Christmas. Until everyone is seen as the way he’s divinely created and nothing of all the social engineering of man is attached the better we understand our fellow humans the better, if not the way we live in peace with everyone before in the north will never come and I doubt if our children will experience such as they might only grow in hate. Also responding to the national insecurity discourse, Caleb Onyeabor, a website developer stated, “When the government fail to provide a service or live up to it’s responsibility, people step up.Government failed to provide electricity, despite the fact that it is one of the most pertinent need by the people either for residential or commercial purposes, for a long time now, people have stopped depending on the government to supply electricity, they went ahead to purchase generators. Whether or not Nepa brings light,they don’t care as long as they can provide the electricity they need.When Government failed to provide pipe borne water, people stepped up. People built boreholes and devised other means or sources of water for their use.When government failed to provide jobs, people stepped up. A lot of persons are no longer interested in government jobs, neither are they depending on the government for jobs anymore. If people can step up to provide their own electricity, water and means of livelihood, how much more the security of their lives and properties ? The apparent failure of the government to protect lives and properties has created a gap. A gap in which the people has to fill themselves. Waiting for government to provide security is like waiting for them to provide electricity, water and jobs, they have been disappointing us since 1960. Self defence is a need. Security is personal. If you wait for the government, you will wait until you are no more”. “The people of southern Kaduna, katsina and other areas ravaged by banditry, gunmen and organized assassins should come to terms with the reality of their predicament and rise to the occasion.Defend yourselves until the government is ready. The point is, the government may never be ready”, he said. The war against insecurity and terrorism has been sabotaged on so many grounds. There is no trust between the government and her citizens. Most officers of the law see civilians as merchandise and as a tool for the enrichment of their pockets. To this effect, one could easily see where these security agents abuse, maim and in some cases end the lives they’re meant to protect. The Nigerian State, always withhold sensitive information from the people as regards to the progress made
The murder of priests should not be politicised.
A few days ago I had asked why the protesting Reverend Fathers in Enugu failed to do the same when some Catholic faithfuls were massacred in Ozubulu. The post expectedly drew the ire of many hypocrites including some cowards who hitherto dare not address me directly. But of course, we all know I don’t suffer fools gladly neither do I take prisoners. So I told them to shove their silly opinions up where there is no sunshine. Last week Reverend Fr. Offu was murdered in Awgu. The outrage was hysterical given that just 5 months ago another Catholic priest was brutally murdered in the same Enugu state. Our Reverend fathers have had enough and quite rightly mounted a public protest calling on the authorities to protect them. No sensible person will query the propriety of that protest. However, they made a mistake or should I say a deliberate mistake in blaming the ‘murderous Fulani herdsmen’ for a crime still under investigation. The Communications Director Catholic Diocese of Enugu Rev Fr. Achi told reporters that Fr. Offu was stopped by the murderous herdsmen while returning to his parish after visiting another priest. He specifically said: “They dragged him to the bush but one of the assailants said kill him that the church would not do anything if they kidnapped him” Don’t ask me if he was there. These are men of God blessed with extraordinary abilities. Now let me rejig your memory. Last March when Fr. Ugwu was abducted and his decomposing body later found in a bush. There was also this type of outrage and the heinous act blamed on ‘Fulani herdsmen’ even before the police commenced investigations. Who else would kidnap and murder a clergyman in cold blood if not the usual suspects? As it were, the security operatives swung into action and by April the Enugu state police command announced that they had apprehended two leaders of a four-man kidnapping gang. They had used the late priest’s ATM card to make withdrawals from his account. Their names: Sunday Chibuko 32 and Benjamin Osogwu 28. Igbo herdsmen perhaps. Well, the police have once again made some arrests on the latest case and the word out there is that the late Fr. Offu’s account was cleared 25 minutes after his death. Do you see a pattern? A bank insider said that “there was a need for the security operatives to look inward and ascertain who actually made the ATM withdrawals….” There is a pattern here. Have you wondered why it is mostly Catholic priests? Apparently, these are inside jobs to loot the church treasury because unlike their Anglican colleagues Catholic Reverend Fathers are in complete control of the usually healthy parish coffers. Its a piece of cake for dumb criminals. Kill and clean out the account while the people scream help you to distract the police by screaming ‘fulani herdsmen’. You then have adequate time to get far away. The killers of Fr. Ugwu nabbed in April were arrested in Abuja where they had relocated with their families. You see when we say things as they are we are labelled all sorts by people too cowardly to speak their minds. The person who ‘nicodemusly’ sent me this news is a chronic ‘Islamisation propagandist’ who knows the truth but will rather dance to the gallery of ‘Fulanisation’ on social media for fear of being labelled anti-Igbo or an efulefu. Nobody is defending the govt’s struggle with the rising insecurity neither am I saying there are no criminal herdsmen. However as an Igbo man conscious of the evil Igbo domination propaganda that ultimately ended in a bloody civil war I ALWAYS feel obliged to speak on the dangers of the current ‘Fulanisation’ fallacy and hate-mongering. I have always wondered the usefulness of such silly talk. How will it dethrone Buhari or curb the rising insecurity? We need to be careful with the sentiments we propagate. Let us join hands in holding the government accountable while insisting on improved security. And the least we can do in this regard is to put the correct facts out there because not only do the unverified stories pit Nigerians against each other they also make solving the crime more difficult for our security agencies. All lives matter and the killing of priests should not be relegated to infantile political propaganda.
