In the last month, there has been an increase in cases of kidnapping, killing of innocent people, invasion of peaceful communities and destruction of property, indicating that insecurity in the country is yet to abate. The government must wake up to its responsibility of ensuring the safety of life and property in Nigeria.
It is unfortunate that despite all the assurances from the security agencies and the presidency, life and business activities, particularly in the Northeastern part of the country, remain uncertain. The security forces appear to have been overwhelmed by the situation. The police who are constitutionally charged with internal security lie prostrate in the face of security challenges. Indeed, Nigerians no longer have the inner confidence that the state can protect life and property and provide a climate in which development and prosperity could thrive.
Aside from the insecurity challenges, the tension caused by the rising cost of living, inflation, constant outages, job losses, failing businesses and weak naira is making matters worse for Nigerians. The uncertainty about the nation’s economy and the bleak future it portends is another major factor to contend with, coupled with the criminal activities of the rampaging and murderous herdsmen.
Security of life and property is the primary purpose of government, but the people hardly see this in action. Any government that fails to guarantee the safety of the life and property of its citizens is not worth its salt. The Federal Government seems to have run out of ideas on how to end insecurity in the country. It has not only disappointed the people but has also shown that it cannot deal with insecurity, thus allowing criminality to reign supreme in the society.
Of late, kidnapping has become a booming enterprise and is seen as a ‘familiar’ crime. A lot of families and communities have been subjected to the trauma of abductions and killings by terrorists. For instance, in Na-Alma village, Katsina State, terrorists abducted over 20 persons. Among them are girls, eight breastfeeding mothers and their babies, two pregnant women and a man whose hand and leg had earlier been cut off. In Kaduna and Niger states, over 29 villages have suffered attacks during which 41 persons were killed, 24 injured and 222 kidnapped in the first quarter of 2024. The ransom paid to free the victims was about N88 million. Recently in Benue State, the residents of Gwer West Local Government took to the streets to protest against the killing of 28 persons in their area by suspected herdsmen. They demanded that Governor Hyacinth Alia enforce the grazing law passed by the House of Assembly.
The time has come for the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the country to effectively tackle kidnapping and other criminal activities. It is sad that for over a decade, the Nigerian government has not been able to solve the insecurity problem facing the nation, making the citizens question the level of preparedness of those governing the country for the offices they occupy. In this age and time, kidnapping in the country ought to have been contained, given the level of telecommunications equipment that is available the world over and is on shelves for sale.
Rather than exhibiting the political will to end the insurgency and other heinous crimes in the country, the government embarked on a blame game. The previous administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari once blamed foreigners from the Libyan conflict for the rising insecurity in Nigeria. He also alleged that politicians were sponsoring the herdsmen-farmers conflict across the country. When the attacks on states in the Middle Belt were claiming hundreds of lives, the only thing Buhari could say was that the people in the region should learn how to live in harmony with the herdsmen whose cattle were destroying crops on which their hosts depended for their living.
President Bola Tinubu has the responsibility of proving to the world that his administration can end the insecurity in the country. In the face of all these challenges, the government is thumbing its chest over some so-called achievements. Of what use are these achievements when the citizens who are to benefit are being killed daily by terrorists? In his 80-page manifesto, Tinubu affirms that security is the bedrock of a prosperous and democratic society. In essence, the absence of security in the country as it is today is one of the reasons democracy is not working, development is a far cry and the economy is in shambles.
President Tinubu’s administration must not forget the reason it was voted into office, one of which is to create and sustain an atmosphere in the polity where citizens are guaranteed freedom of movement to cohabit in peace and harmony.
The Federal Government should make serious pronouncements and take concrete actions against terrorism to give the people renewed hope and confidence.
