Nigeria is currently a nation under relentless attacks. The worsening security situation in the country has left many citizens discouraged leading to their relocation to neighbouring countries like Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
In the past few days, there has been growing apprehension across the land because of the attacks in Sokoto, Taraba, Adamawa, Borno, Plateau, Kaduna and Zamfara states which claimed the lives of many Nigerians.
Worried by the escalation of killings in different parts of Nigeria in recent times, The United Kingdom Government on Tuesday warned its citizens to keep away from 21 of the 36 states in Nigeria.
The states are Borno, Zamfara, Adamawa, Yobe, Gombe, Delta, Bauchi, Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Taraba, Kogi, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Delta and Abia.
The warning came on the heels of Global Peace Index, GPI report which ranks Nigeria as one of the least peaceful countries on earth. In GPI’s report released by the Institute for Economic and Peace, IEP, Nigeria ranks 148 out of 163 nations.
According GPI, in sub-Saharan Africa, countries like Mauritius; Botswana; Malawi; Ghana; Zambia and Sierra Leone are the most peaceful countries. Burundi; Chad, Cameroon, Mali; Nigeria; DR-Congo; Central African Republic; Somalia and South Sudan are the least peaceful nations in the sub-region.
This is against the backdrop of recent report by a right group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, INTERSOCIETY which said that no fewer than 800 Nigerians have been killed in the first four months of this year..
The report claims that between 750-800 Nigerians particularly Christians have been killed by armed jihadist groups in Nigeria during the first four months of 2019. Of those killings, INTERSOCIETY says that no fewer than 600 killings were carried out by Fulani Islamic militias.
Recall that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had come under severe attacks from some Northern leaders and Buhari’s aides when he declared that the ongoing killings connote Fulanisation and Islamization of Nigeria.
But eminent citizens, who believe that something untoward may befall the nation, if the situation persists, are pointing the way out of the current precarious state of the nation.
Although, these well-meaning Nigerians hold divergent views on how the security challenges in Nigeria can be addressed, they are worried about the future of the country.
For instance, former Military President, Ibrahim Babangida said that the Buhari administration can end security challenges in parts of the country but that he needs the cooperation of Nigerians to achieve that.
“What is required now is for Nigerians to rally round the president to enable him provide adequate security and good leadership,” he said.
Similar sentiment was echoed by the leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Edwin Clark, who urged Nigerians to unite in the fight against insecurity. He said that the security situation, if unchecked may lead to the country’s collapse.
Clark, who spoke during a press conference in commemoration of his 92nd birthday, said he was pained by what is going on in the country.
“My heart bleeds for our dear county, Nigeria and it is the reason why I have decided not to celebrate again this time. I cannot be celebrating when people are being killed, maimed and rendered homeless. I cannot be celebrating when kids who could be my grandchildren and great grandchildren are abducted and held captive,” he said.
Similarly, Secretary to the Government of Zamfara State, Alhaji Bala Maru, said one of the strategies to address the issues of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and other security challenges is through the coming together of the leaders of different groups.
He said, “Government had succeeded in gathering all the leaders of Miyetti Allah and Cattle Breeders and had met with them in finding lasting solutions to insecurity in the state. Fulani leaders from different camps in the state during a meeting at the Government House Gusau agreed to surrender all their weapons for peace to reign.
Also, the former Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to show leadership and save the country from invaders.
In his recent statement entitled: ‘Nigeria is under attack,’ Okogie described the security situation in the country as worse than deplorable and queried if there is any leadership in Nigeria.
He said, “Is this how we all will be watching while our country becomes more inhabitable than it has ever been in her history? Is there leadership in this country? If so, what type of leadership do we have?
“It is the responsibility of the president and his aides to address the situation in ways that are manifestly even-handed. There are fears that some people have taken over this country. We are held hostage on our land.
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“This country is in the hands of invaders, bandits, herdsmen and kidnappers. Nigeria is under attack. Will the President and Commander- in- Chief show leadership?
“One needs not to be the president’s ally to observe that there are one-sided actions on the part of the government in the matter of security. Well-meaning Nigerians express concerns that herdsmen are treated with kid gloves and allowed to get away with murder while other agitators are called terrorists, proscribed and gunned down.”
In the same way, the Catholic Archbishop of Kaduna, Matthew Ndagoso-Manoso, charged the country’s leaders to stop whatever they are currently doing and frontally confront the current insecurity in the country.
“Insecurity starts from where there is absence of government. The absence of government in certain parts of the country has brought us to where we are today. Our problem has always been the management of resources of the land.
“Something is happening right now whether the governments like it or not, the splinter group of Boko Haram is providing services to the communities in Borno.
They are collecting taxes because of absence of government and this is dangerous.”
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad, also urged leaders to take urgent action in addressing the security challenges in the country. He said, “These challenges have unfortunately been on the increase because necessary steps and commitment to implement solutions identified are not taken.”
However, the Director of Centre for the Vulnerable and Underprivileged, CENTREP, a right group, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, said that the solution to the present security challenges is the decentralization of the nation’s police, which he said is currently over-centralized and ineffective.
He suggested the devolution of the nation’s Police Force into six geopolitical zones, with one Inspector General of Police for each zone.
The CENTREP’s boss also suggested the re-tooling and equipping of the police with modern technological gadgets like drones; closed-circuit television, CCTV cameras; cars fixed with ICT gargets; crime fighting helicopters and forensic laboratories among others in detecting, preventing and fighting crimes nationwide.
But the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, said that crime rate has reduced in the country since the establishment of Operation Puff Adder.
He added that police have recorded success in tackling various criminal and security challenges in the country. He stated this during the monthly conference of top police officers recently.
Abubakar, said that 424 kidnappers were arrested between May 10 and June 14 this year, adding that 101 kidnap suspects were arrested in Kaduna State; 79 others in Katsina; 54 in Nasarawa and 32 in Taraba, among others.
According to the IGP, 44 murder suspects were arrested during the period under review. He said that 276 armed robbery suspects were arrested, 38 in Edo State; 25 in Nasarawa and 23 in FCT. Abubakar also said that 10, 860 ammunitions of various descriptions and caliber were recovered during the period under review.
Nevertheless, President Buhari said that he had addressed some of the security challenges by tackling the Boko Haram terrorists. He however noted that the challenges of kidnapping and banditry still remain in some rural areas. The president disclosed this during his Democracy Day address to the nation.
He blamed ethnic, religious and political leaders for inter-communal clashes and violence in some parts of the country, saying that they incite such clashes for their self-interest. Such sponsors, he said were hoping to benefit by exploiting Nigeria’s faulty lines to weaken the country.
On the other hand, analysts suggest that the present killings should not be happening under a government that had made the fight against insecurity its slogan during its campaign.
According to analysts, since the fight against insecurity and corruption formed the cardinal points of the campaign of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, it should have deplored the needed resources in ensuring that the citizens are protected.
From all indications, this nation is in conflict and the well-being of the citizens is in jeopardy as the future of the nation looks bleak, unless some measures are taken straight away to address the worsening security situation.
But pundits contend that harder days await Nigerians as no investor will want to invest in an area of conflict.
It, therefore, means that unemployment, which some stakeholders say is fueling some of the security challenges in the country will increase; perhaps hunger and starvation awaits the masses, unless the government takes a quick step to address the current security situation across the land.