There is growing concern over the worsening state of insecurity in the country. From the north to the south, from the east to the west, public anger is rising. Community heads, religious leaders, political leaders, student union leaders, and business owners have called for an integrated programme of action to halt Nigeria’s descent into anarchy. The situation is grim. 

We are dealing with a paradox. Security agents are trained and equipped to respond to any situation. They are trained to take the initiative, to act before criminal groups get the chance to asphyxiate ordinary citizens. Unfortunately, this has become a tall dream. Kidnappers and herdsmen appear to be well organised and know when to strike to achieve maximum impact on the psyche of citizens. It is a tragic scenario.

If the current insecurity persists, you could say Nigeria is headed for the bottom of the valley. So far, there is nothing to slow the nation’s slide into the edge of disaster.

While some people continue to debate the performance of Muhammadu Buhari’s government, certain views remain entrenched in the minds of everyone. The most dominant view is that the government is insensitive to public concerns about rising insecurity. This perception is widespread, regardless of people’s political party affiliation, religious faith, geographic location, and ethnicity.

In Nigeria, federal and state officials, as well as national and state legislators, live in an imaginary world quite disconnected from the practical world in which citizens grapple with economic hardships and the difficulties of everyday living, including security challenges.

For many years, Nigeria has been assailed by security problems. The situation is not getting any better.

The war against Boko Haram insurgents is unending. Thrown into that cauldron is the impunity by murderous herdsmen who kidnap, rape, torture, and illegally occupy people’s farmland. In a country with a responsible government, this high level of insecurity should not exist. Concern over the level of insecurity in Nigeria is evidence of the depth to which the country has plunged. This is not an exaggeration. Kidnappers earn billions of naira through criminal abduction of innocent people, depriving them of their right to freedom of movement and freedom of association. Some victims are murdered even after the payment of ransom.

What kind of country does Nigeria represent? To many people, Nigeria represents a jungle in which many animals fight for survival by eliminating or consuming others. Consider this fact: In Nigeria, people are abducted effortlessly every day because of failure of security. People are held against their will because of their gender or their ethnicity or their religious faith or their wealth or their political party affiliation or their appearance or even for the ideology they profess. And all this is taking place in a country that earned international accolades for its contributions to the United Nations peacekeeping forces in centres of conflict across the world. But therein lies the irony.

On the global stage, Nigeria represents a country that provides security to countries on the edge of disintegration but, sadly, Nigeria is now incapable of protecting its own citizens. This makes a mockery of the country as a significant contributor to world peace.

Can Nigeria have substantial influence in world peace when its environment is insecure and vulnerable to attack, when people’s lives are at risk, when the safety, security, and wellbeing of citizens are not guaranteed, when people are taken prisoners by criminal groups, and when security forces lack much needed intelligence with which they can intercept murderous gangs?

Related News

Within the Nigerian public sphere, there is widespread understanding that the country has broken and cannot be repaired. The feeling is that the country can no longer be sustained on the false rhetoric that the government is working hard, that the government is performing magic, that the government is providing the basic needs of citizens, and that the government is planning well ahead for the welfare of the future generation.

The Federal Government cannot continue to do business as usual because people’s lives are at stake, people’s livelihood has been seriously jeopardised, everyone’s future has been placed on hold for too long, and diverse ethnic nationalities have reached a point in which they no longer regard themselves as valued members of a country that perceives them as burdens rather than assets.

Is there any valid reason to call for diverse ethnic groups to come together to plan the future of Nigeria, and to map the way forward? On paper, the answer is a resounding affirmation. Discussing the future offers an opportunity to address longstanding injustices, feelings of marginalisation, and crushing poverty. It is an avenue to strengthen the foundation of the country, if everyone agrees it is the best way forward. We must keep in mind that peaceful co-existence cannot be imposed. It can only evolve.

A situation in which itinerant herdsmen move to various parts of the country, commit horrendous crimes, dislodge communities, and get away with illegalities constitutes a perfect platform for national disintegration. It is not sustainable. Such impunity undermines rather than fosters national unity. No community anywhere in the world gives in to invaders or trespassers, no matter how powerful or formidable the raiders might appear.

Government cannot use force to establish peace. It cannot pretend there is unity by allowing people from one part of the country to trample on the rights of citizens in other parts of the country. It is the obvious contradictions in government policy that make the notion of one Nigeria seem like an illusion.

Nigeria is walking on a dangerous minefield. Many people cannot travel by road freely without worrying about the likelihood their journey could be cut short by marauding herdsmen or kidnappers. Parents are not guaranteed their children would go to school and return safely in the afternoon. People cannot participate in social activities without looking over their shoulders or without hiring the services of private security agencies to protect them. It is not an ideal situation but that is the atmosphere in which people live and do business in the country. Everywhere is dangerous to everybody.

It is in this prevailing environment that there is now a scramble by various regions to set up their own security outfits to fill the gap created by the police. The establishment of regional security organisations, important as they might be, is an open admission that the police has failed the country.

Emergence of regional security organisations has not been without controversy. When South-West governors announced the establishment of Amotekun as their regional security organisation, the Attorney-General of the Federation jumped to declare the organisation illegal. Days later, following closed-door meetings with the governors and other party leaders, the Attorney-General backtracked. Weeks after, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) announced the establishment of its own regional security organisation known as “Shege-Ka-Fasa”. South-East governors are now mulling the idea of setting up their own security outfit.

The question has been asked: Why is Nigeria so difficult to govern? Or, to put it more bluntly: Why are elected officials so uncaring, so weak, and so uninterested in promoting the welfare of the people? On account of all these, many people believe ministers and other advisers are not telling Buhari the truth about the magnitude of national security challenges, including the scope of suffering that has overwhelmed ordinary people.