Ayo Baje
” Every evil act emanates from a broken family unit, where the parents are not there as caring mothers or protective fathers to their children.
“Government must, therefore, engage the traditional rulers and opinion leaders in robust and far-reaching dialogue to get to the root causes of insecurity”-Ayo Oyoze Baje ( April 23, 2014 )
The recent frightening figures reeled out by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS ) which revealed that 614,937 fellow Nigerians got their precious lives wantonly wasted by all manner of terrorists, bandits and armed herders, while some 2,235,954 others were kidnapped between May 2023 and April 2024 should serve as a clarion call on the governments at all levels to retool their security architecture and take the bull by the horns.
Though the presidency claims that the insecurity bedevilling the country has reduced during the period under review, the bitter truth is for a sober reflection on the startling statistics made public by the NBS. It is the right time for the political helmsmen to ingest the humble pie and admit that despite the humongous sums budgeted to rein in the rampaging monster of insecurity, there is still inadequate value for it. Or, how else can we explain that the kidnap kingpins reportedly raked in a mind-boggling amount of N2.2 trillion within the same period? But going forward, it has become imperative to reassess the root causes of insecurity in the country, the underlying reasons for its recurrence and the solutions suggested by experts on security and how to apply them across the country to save more vulnerable lives.
According to Rear Admiral Yaminu Ehinomen Musa, the Coordinator, Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser at the Presidency, Abuja, national security is a precursor for socio-economic development. Investors and entrepreneurs need an enabling environment that is safe and secure for their businesses to thrive. With that in place, they would gladly reap returns on investment. Unfortunately, over the decades the factors of globalization, a revolution in communication technology and commerce have made boundaries invisible. Also, non-violent threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have constituted great risks to the security of several nations, Nigeria inclusive.
Since 2009 when the Boko Haram menace escalated security threats have been worsened by terrorism, religious extremism, armed banditry, militia group activities, transnational organized crimes and border insecurity. Other fratricidal factors include the swirling waves of cybercrimes, youth unemployment, and of course, the farmer-herder So, while the North-East geo-political zone got bedevilled with the Boko Haram insurgency, the death of Abubakar Shekau in May 2021 led to the emergence of the Islamic State West Africa Province ( ISWAP ). Furthermore, the near defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria ( ISIS ) aggravated the migration from the North African Sahel into Nigeria to lend their support to both Boko Haram and ISWAP. Their nefarious activities have undermined the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in the country.
So far, the hydra-headed monster of insecurity has bared its fangs through armed banditry in the North-Western states of Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto even as the farmer-pastoralist clashes have been evident in Benue, Nasarawa, down south to Oyo and of course, Ondo states which led to the establishment of the Amotekun Security Secessionist groups such as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in the South-Eastern states, the Pro-Oduduwa Republic in the South-West, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria ( IMN) up north have cumulatively exacerbated the insecurity situation across the country. But there are other contributory factors.
Amongst these important issues are transnational organized crimes, ineffective policing, weak criminal justice system, abuse of drugs, explosives and chemicals as well as that of psychosocial substances. But one other factor that stands out is the youth unemployment rate. In fact, according to the Nigeria Economic Summit Group ( NESG ), the country has one of the world’s highest misery indexes; with millions of the citizens experiencing a cost of living crisis and weak purchasing power due to rising inflation. That was worsened by the sudden removal of fuel subsidy back in May 2023 without meaningful palliatives as cushioning effects put in place.
Not unexpectedly, the youth unemployment rate stood at 5.3% in the First Quarter of 2024, representing a third consecutive increase since the Second Quarter of 2023. However, it fell from 12.3% in the Third Quarter of 2023. But what is important in all of these interwoven challenges are the sustainable solutions as the way out of the wood of insecurity.
Given the dire consequences of insecurity that touch negatively on the Human Development Index ( HDI ) or the quality of life of the average Nigerian citizen, affecting the economic, educational, and environmental issues, with an increase in the number of Internally Displaced Persons ( IDP) solutions should include job creation and youth empowerment. Others are improving border security, effective control of small arms and light weapons, as well as strengthening the criminal justice system. Improvement in policing and the provision of affordable education in addition to an effective national chemical security culture will curb the scourge of insecurity that has sent hundreds of thousands of innocent souls into their early graves.
As yours truly suggested through an opinion essay titled: ‘Solutions to terrorism in Nigeria ‘ in April 2014 the President as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces must muster the political will to identify the masterminds behind the terrorists, bandits, armed herders and kidnappers and put them forward for prosecution. That reminds us of the list so far provided by the United Arab Emirates ( UAE). That is, no matter how highly placed they might be. That would serve as a form of deterrence to others with similar evil inclinations.
Also important is the sustained awareness creation, in combination with credible information-gathering mechanisms by the security agencies. They should be well equipped with adequate funding, more manpower recruitment and sustained capacity building. There should be confidence building from the police to the citizens with maximum protection for the whistleblowers.
All said, though Section 14, Sub-Section (2) (b) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) aptly puts the security of lives and property as the statutory function of government, all of us must play our parts to guarantee that. It is best performed as a holistic agenda. The preventable deaths of fellow citizens by all forms of crime and criminality must be reduced to the barest minimum. And that is because something dies in each of us each time any Nigerian is killed out of no fault of his.
