By Cosmas Omegoh (Lagos), Gyang Bere (Jos), Femi Folaranmi (Yenagoa), and Emmanuel Adeyemi (Lokoja)
In few months’ time , the electoral process will start running in full swing. Then politicians will launch into electioneering, jostling to win the electorate and their votes. The potpourri of political activities will set the polity buzzing; tension will follow; anxiety will be running over. All sights, all thoughts will focus on the elections and 2023.
But what about insecurity – the nemesis many believe is currently ruling every inch of the Nigerian space like a leviathan? Has anyone given a thought to how it might shape the colour of things to come?
What are some of the realities of insecurity in the country today?
Findings showed that in the country now, many are ruled by high-level fear. Fear of bandits and banditry, political thugs and thugery, insurgents and insurgency, agitators and agitation, herders and their bloodletting. Then of kidnappers.
At the moment, there is a sustained orgy of banditry and mindless killing in the Northwest. And the activities of Boko Haram and ISWAP in the Northeast still remain a serious threat. Pockets of the insurgents have drifted to the North-central. There, they have established various terror cells; sacked villages and taken over territories from the government, imposing their own taxes, while mowing down innocent citizens. Then there are marauding herdsmen driving the natives far from their fields and ancestral homelands in Plateau and Benue states in particular. Then in the Southeast, the activities of IPOB/ESN are there; the South-south and Southwest zones too have their own fair share of the problem. The wind of violence is blowing everywhere – gusty without any let up or so it seems.
Disappointed over insecurity
Former member of the House of Representatives representing Plateau State, Hon Bitrus Kaze, is aghast that the country is having a rough patch under the Muhammadu Buhari presidency.
“We have never gone this badly, and this should tell Nigerians that people who raised our hope and trust in 2015 have demonstrated to us the stuff they are made up of. If they themselves couldn’t handle our security, how can they bring people that will handle our security in 2023?” he queried, lamenting that “for this to be happening under President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired military head of state, is disturbing and worrisome.”
Similarly, another former House member, Hon Bolous Sylva Indiamowei who represented Yenagoa/ Kolokuma/ Opokuma between 2003 and 2007 said that the state of insecurity and the grinding poverty in the country might push the country to the edge.
According to him, Nigeria might be at the crossroads in 2023 because of the general elections, but expressed optimism that God would rescue the country.
“Election year is always turbulent in Nigeria. The general state of insecurity is a source of concern, so also the economic situation.
“Forget about the figures the various agencies are churning out, there is widespread poverty in the country. And I am sure the president is aware of the real situation.
“These two issues put together affect the society and could push Nigeria to the crossroads such that we might have to be on our knees to pray to God to rescue the country.”
A security analyst, Ben Okezie, echoed that “right now, the security agencies are overwhelmed,” emphasising that “even the president is overwhelmed. Short and simple!
“Why are the security personnel overwhelmed? Simple! They are not being adequately taken care of.
“Now, look at the ISWAP. They have good hands, with retired security personnel all over the world joining them. Now, they are in Niger and Zamfara states collecting taxes and installing emirs. They don’t sleep, but it looks like our own security agencies are sleeping. With their presence in those places how do you conduct elections?”
Insecurity has been there for long
But not everyone believes the level of insecurity in the land is such a big deal to hold back the hand of things.
After all, Nigeria has been expressing similar challenges all along.
Former All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman, Enugu State chapter, Dr Ben Nwoye believes that “insecurity has been there much longer before now,” although he admits it is a little bit “widespread” today. He also believes the situation has come to stay, adding that “it is a global issue.”
He is optimistic this “doesn’t have to stop the country from moving forward,” as it can be contained.
Special Adviser to the Kogi State governor on Water Resources, Alhaji Yahaya Ade Ismail, also believes that the 2023 general election will be peaceful despite the security challenges. He, however, called for “fairness, justice and equity across the party lines.”
He is of the view that “if all the state governors will work hard to secure their own states, there will be no fear of any security threat.”
Let elections hold
Even while Nigerians battle with insecurity in the land, they stand united that elections have to hold as scheduled.
Dr Nwoye and others want the 2023 general elections to go on unhindered. According to him, “there is no need saying that because of insecurity, we should all vamoose.
“In 2014, there was insecurity, yet elections held. Recently, governorship election held in Anambra State amid all the noise and hoopla.
“It is the job of the government to fight insecurity and ensure that our democratic process continues.”
He recalled that in 2014, Boko Haram insurgents were at their heights in the Northeast, yet elections were conducted. He, therefore, wants the country “to borrow from such experience.”
For ex-lawmaker, Kaze, “the question on the minds of many Nigerians in view of the degenerating situation is whether there will be elections in 2023.
“But the point is that for anybody to contemplate not holding election in 2023 should not be an option. Holding elections in 2023 is a matter that cannot be compromised.”
Security experts express fears
But experts in security matters are expressing fears.
Security analyst, Ben Okezie, is afraid that already the insecurity in the land presents a gloomy picture.
He is emphatic that if the situation persists with no conscious efforts at stopping it doom might follow.
“After my thorough analysis of the situation,” he says, “my conclusion is that the security situation ahead of 2023 elections looks gloomy.
“First, the military came out to say that they discovered some people were putting on military uniforms for political purposes. That shows you that the bad boys will be out there to cause harm at elections time.
“It follows that if some people are wearing security personnel’s uniforms, they must also be armed. Now, we can see the number of arms that were alleged to have disappeared from the police amoury unaccounted for?
“Now, consider that a former military head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar alleged that over six million illegal weapons are in various hands. So, what we are saying now is that there is so much illegal arms in the hands of non-state actors and our security agencies do not know in whose hands those arms are.”
It is his considered view that “with what we are going on now, it might not be palatable for the country, especially the security agencies.”
He went on to outline the developments which point to the danger he sees ahead.
“Look at the killings everywhere, even in places where one doesn’t expect such. Look at the killing of an Oba in Ogun State. Look at what is happening in Zamfara, Plateau, Imo, Katsina and Kaduna states. Look at violence everywhere. All these are clear pointers to what to expect when the elections come.”
Let govt mop up illegal arms
Ahead of the elections, Okezie wants all “security agencies to as a matter of urgency begin now to mop up illegal arms in every local government in the country. And who are the ones to help them? Retired security agents – the army, police, DSS.
“If we don’t mop up all the illegal arms, we are just joking. Arms speak power everywhere. Everything should be done about this; they should be fast about it. Once arms are out of the way, our security agencies can handle every other challenge. Arm in the arms of a child is dangerous. But if he doesn’t have that, you can draw his ears and ask him to kneel down and he obeys.”
Richard Amuwa former secretary, Association of Licenced Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria insists “the insecurity situation we have at the moment is a major challenge.”
Amuwa who works with Mega Guards Services Ltd says he has observed that insecurity during elections in Nigeria follow a trend.
“Insecurity has always been part of our challenges, and has continued to be so. One hopes it wouldn’t go higher than what we have at the moment.”
He maintained that because in “every election year, we always have loud talks about insecurity and how it is going to be. But I don’t exercise any fear, although I know that insecurity presently is a major challenge.”
However, he expressed fears that “if something else is added to it, that will be a huge disaster.”
Lets recruit more security personnel
Recruitment of more staff for various security outfits, for Dr Nwoye, is the way right way to go in addressing the situation at hand right now.
“We need to recruit more security personnel. From my experience, our security numbers are abysmal compared to our population. Something has to be done about this. The number of policemen and other security agencies cannot police what is going on now. And so, what we have now has to change. Government has to look at recruitment and training of new officers.”
Allow citizens bear arms
Dr Nwoye suggested that the government allows the citizenry to bear arms and defend themselves.
His words: “On the alternative, let’s consider what Governor Aminu Masari has said. If it becomes clear that we don’t have enough personnel to defend us as a nation, then allow the people to procure their own arms. There is no reason criminals would be running around and killing people in cold blood while law-abiding citizens remain defenceless – all because we don’t have enough personnel to defend us.
“Let there be more talks on private citizens legally obtaining arms to defend themselves.”
Going forward, he advised politicians going on their campaigns to be very careful.
“But how careful can you be?” he asked, adding “that’s where we have come to be.”
How private security agent can help
In Amuwa’s opinion, government can leverage on hundreds of private securities agencies in the country to fight insecurity.
“We have over five million guards. Government can find a way to work with them. They can supply information to our security agencies and that will be a good collaborative effort.
“Insecurity happens in every community. If there is a guard in a community, and they see people gathering with arms, they can always report.
“But we have a situation where the security personnel are not working with private security personnel; that is not very good,” he said.
Public education very important
Amuwa is also of the opinion that “we need to educate the citizenry on what to do when the politicians come up with their crazy stuffs.”
He said that “we need to educate our communities to stay safe because arms proliferation, use of thugs – all of them will constitute insecurity challenges in 2023.”
His sentiments were shared by Hon Kaze who also expressed the need to “speak to our people; we should speak to Nigerians because the insecurity level we have now is intolerable; this government has failed us; they have failed much more than every other government before now, civilian or military.”