Violence is like smoke that is gradually fueled by oxygen to manifest into fire .. violence involves physical action coupled with raw force targeted at turning disruptive or wear the garment of destruction.
Unfortunately Violence crept into our political lexicon ever before our independence. As the country updates and developes, so is the patten of violence across the country. Violence changes according to those behind the front runners or the perpetrators. The crime of violence varies from one level to another. Today the understanding of the word “ violence” is so diversified that married women claim being violently attacked by their spouse and the police record it as “marital violence” or “ domestic violence.” However, the main issue is violence perpetrated during political campaign and election. In other words political violence when some people are sponsored for a particular purpose that fringes around political issues. It could be when there is an argument or disagreement on an issue that boarders on politics. In Nigeria for instance, it is either the government, top politicians that are frequently fingered as the main sponsors of violence just to achieve their “ selfish” goals.
Since they will not use nor recruit their sons, they usually resort to recruiting the urchins, thugs, bus conductor (agberos), ex-militants, students and the Almajeries . More worrisome is the nonchalant attitude of past government in ensuring that this menace is either completely rooted out of our society or drastically curbed. Political violence has made the world to view Nigeria as a violent prone society. Their perspective is seeing the country as “ primitive” where ethnic cum religious affiliation sentiments play deep role and ultimately become the platform for every political association,and it is with these double barrel gun that I’ll advised youths are misguided to take part in political violence. They are hoodwinked into believing that their support and indulgence in creating a riotous atmosphere during political campaigns and elections are rewarding. Their recruitments are initiated by group leaders in the streets, motor-parks, unions, school associations and other notable groups. Many of them are already used to riotous lifestyle and their recruitment readily align with the objective of the recruiting politician. The group leader is not only paid handsomely but promised with a rewarding position in the local government set up. Through this, the reward system touches all the group leaders who are offered juicy positions or contracts. It is a known fact, that arms and ammunitions are usually acquired before political season and unfortunately after their use, many are not retrieved. These are those that most often are used for either kidnapping purposes or used for armed robbery.
There is the believe ,that with the strong will of government , security agencies can effectively and easily curb this growing menace in our society. A firm leader helps in changing the tide of events in the society. Only recently, the United State President Donald Trump vows that “acts or threats of political violence have no place in the United States.” He was speaking after multiple reports of suspicious devices being sent to Democrats, media companies and prominent individuals. It is such firmness from a president that can reawaken security agencies in Nigeria to frontally confront this menace. It is advanced that, had President Mohammadu Buhari toed the line of his fellow President of America, by denouncing and declaring a war against the Fulani herdsmen who had persistently invaded Zamfara, Benue, Bauchi and Plateau States where they killed hundreds of innocent Nigerians who would have cast their votes only to be disenfranchised by ravaging Fulani herdsmen . Government supposedly inaction when violence erupt ,gives the impression of a nonchalant government , or how else can such a situation be described when the constitution cannot be evoked in the interest of the larger society. Many years back,when the .Boko Haram was still in its budding stage, and innocent citizens were being slaughtered like Ram, the government at the time was dragging its foot and despite media reports, it still looked the other way until hundreds of school girls were abducted from their hostel. Today, despite the cries of the people of Benue and Plateau states, the government still has no solution on how to end the killings.
Nigeria is not alone in this abnormal situation. In South Africa, political violence has deep historical root and such has matured into etHnic violence and upgraded into apartheid war , the criminal violence of gangs and the ritualized violence became the order of the day at that time. Rwanda is another country we cannot forget hastily. From street violence it snowball into an ethnic cleansing war that claimed thousands of lives. When violence is not immediately nib in the bad, its escalation could spell doom for the community and the society at large. There are factors that contribute to the spread of violence in an area. In these day of modern technology and information spread, rumours and news tend to spread faster with the aid of cellphones. Also the segmentation of the society by “washap” application platform these go viral and catches the attention of the people faster and they instantly react to violence . More so when the people are fed up with poor governance and when there are high rate of corruption in the society couple with hunger and lack plus the growing army of unemployed graduate youths that are roaming the streets.
Violence therefore becomes a necessary tool to unleash their anger and frustration against the society and the government.
It is therefore advice able for electoral and corruption subjects should
be included included in the curriculum of every college in the country. Also the National Orientation agency ( NOA) should create a unit specifically for the dissemination and reorientation of our youths on curruption and violence of all shades. Painful was the news of how Daniel Usman ,a student of the Kogi State University Anyigba was gunned down for insisting on exercising his franchise during the February 23 presidential election. Including the attack and manhandling of Deputy commissioner of police (DCP )Kola Okunola was brutally attacked and molested by thugs in Brass area of Bayelsa state. Interestingly, it is heartwarming and reassuring to hear the Acting lnspector General of Police , Mallam Mohammed Adamu declared byreiterating his earlier warning that thPolice Force under his watch will not condone any act of assault against any member of the Public, including the personnel of the Force legitimately assigned to protect the sanctity of the ballot. Such pronouncement would have been made a sing song jingle from the police before the election. That could have saved the day and send a warning to all recruited miscreants and thugs across the country.