The thought of this topic has left me emotionally traumatized. Africa’s most populous black nation is under siege and the illusion is her government pretending to govern a democratically peaceful state; the delusional juxtaposition that insecurity is at minimal whereas, it is not. Take for instance, the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas which end we do not know resulted from Hama’s militants attacking Israel and taking hostage less than 250 Israelis on October 7, 2023.
Today, the number of Nigerians abducted, kidnapped or even killed is unknown. Sometimes, I wonder if perpetrators are random criminals or some invisible forces with larger political motive or hoodlums kidnapping for quick cash. The pyrrhic act is regionalized and, depending on where you are, Nigeria’s worsening insecurity seems to have been fueled by either hunger, lack of proper education, religious fanatism, interests or political affinity.
Although kidnapping in Nigeria is historical. It dated back to Jonathan’s government but has metamorphosed with the advent of Buhari; a retired general who was saddled with optimism that he will deploy his military experience to halt Boko-Haram insurgents.
You may want to say that the immediate past administration had the best combinations: a General and a pastor for physical and spiritual combatants. The situation however degenerated and when Buhari was leaving office, the exact number of Nigerians in hostages across the country was not handed over to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and from available indices, the present government is not making effort to halt the ugly trend. It does not in anyway raise an eye brow. Where a general with several war expediencies failed, you don’t expect a civilian like Tinubu who probably does not know the different between a pistol and a rifle to succeed. No doubt, he has appointed new security chiefs and decorated them with ranks. Huge amount of money is also spent on purchases of weapons. And though, analysts raised substantial instances on Tinubu’s modus operandi as akin to one confronting external adversaries, what truly matters is result. The spending is tactless and the government audacious comments on been in control is worrisome. The ever increasing instances of kidnapping for ransom, killing and abduction has gone beyond the statistics of the countries at war but the hybrid status of calmness the government consistently emphasizes infiltrate unique factor in the case of Nigeria with her waring counterpart nations.
The Federal Capital Territory Abuja is now the epicenter for kidnapping activities. Lately, the nation’s seat of power and hub of diplomatic residents battles kidnappers who abduct victims, demand for huge sum as ransom and most time, kill their victims even before ransom is paid. Although, it predate times immemorial the umpteenth surge speaks to the fact that Nigeria is entirely kidnapped. No where is safe.
But then, here you have the minister of FCT Mr. Nyesome Wike who is mostly found in PortHarcourt where he battles his political surrogate; the incumbent Governor of Rivers state, Mr. Fugbara. Although, he and his boss the president finally held security meetings, Abuja ordinarily should entice these merchants of vices as vicinity for profitable enterprise because we have seen men who entered the city via night bus and returned in personal private jet.
Secondly, it furnishes in-identity of the perpetrators; whether or not they are random criminals or concrete forces with political interests. With negotiations mostly carried out between kidnappers and the family of their victims, the security forces is not rejigged and consequently, it failed with the resurge of faceless enemies and helpless due to inability to penetrate their hide out. If the government is holistic, security surveillance machineries and military workforce are unavoidably necessary to cover some far deep forests serving as hide out for these kidnappers. Also, negotiations should be between the security forces and these criminals who must battle for their lives, and not the family of the victims breaking the bank to bring back their loved ones whose safety is so unsure even after paying the ransom.
Nigeria’s government should wake up and protect her citizens. Ghana stood up religiously to some unscrupulous herdsmen and there was calm. Jigawa state Governor once banned free movement of cows and declared that any cow roaming around should be slaughtered and made barbecue. These free launch as described by the citizen restored orderliness. But here we have the miyetti allah association establishing vigilante group near Abuja and arming them under the guise of phishing out problematic Fulani herders. Is this not a bad omen to the security architecture of the country within the nearest decade? The question begging for answer is, how is the rifles gotten? Who sponsored it and how will the vigilante sustain in terms of wages/salaries?
Recall, Boko-Haram was just a religious sect until it became second terrorist groups in the world in 2014 according to global crime index. What if other groups decides to form their own vigilante? Will it gain easy access as the Miyetti Allah’s. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. If the late General sani Abacha was right when he said Government knows about every crimes that lasts more than 24 hours, it means Nigerian government needs holistic interrogation.
We live in society where boys with unknown source of income goes about with rifles in defense of cattle they rear for the elites. They aren’t trained, they aren’t licensed, yet, they go about recklessly displaying assorted rifles unquestioned. This is not so with Nigerians with well-known means of livelihood. One of the allegations levelled against the erstwhile Central Bank Governor Mr Godwin Emenfiele is unlawful possession of firearms. A pastor is currently standing trial for similar case as well. Isn’t it time Nigerian government arm the people too? Where boys and cows in the far bush are armed, Nigerians legitimately plying our unsafe roads can’t be armed. Isn’t that hypothetical that Nigeria is kidnapped?
The fight against insecurity has berthed corruption subsectorally in the arm forces. So many cash streaming ventures established by the men in uniform which inadvertently calls for quick mop up and structural adjustment. But can a government that is irredeemably corrupt do that? No! Nigeria’s problem is multifaceted. But we live in pretense adjusting to whatever is thrown our ways. Both the hoodlums and terrorists wear interchangeable badges making it difficult to regionally tell which is what. In the North-East for instance, insecurity appeared to be fueled by ISWAP, Boko-Haram and a retail version Sahelian Jihadists. In the North-West, they seemed to be sundry opportunistic criminals originally bred by the residue of geo-ethnic and religious animosities but now fumed by poverty, economic and political desperation. In the mid section of the country, kidnapping and killing hovers on sectarian and occupational character.
Angry migrant herders (Muslim) against impoverished and equally angry farmers predominantly Christians. In the southeast, political and business moguls freshened enterprise of criminality originally known as separatist angers. In southwest and Lagos, urban criminals and cultists carry out opportunistic attacks to either kidnap for quick cash or gruesome harvest of human parts for a thriving enterprise; rituals for money. The list goes on and on. This menace has been with us for too long and has taken a better part of the Nation. Still, we comfortably node heads been peaceful while the nation is already kidnapped.
– John Paul writes from Lagos.
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