Security experts are calling for urgent and decisive action to quell the escalating wave of insecurity and tension threatening to cause food shortage in the country.
The call was directly linked to the resurgence of insecurity in some parts of the country, with the North Central Zone and North East accounting for the highest percentage of recent spike.
Just last week, suspected armed herders invaded the Otobi community in Otukpo LGA of Benue State, burning down houses and engaging in a killing spree.
Eleven villagers were reportedly killed during the violent invasion of the community.
This bloodbath followed the brutal killings in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State and some other parts of the region.
The Senator representing Borno South, Senator Ali Ndume, recently told Nigerians and military authorities that three local government areas in Borno State are currently under the control of Boko Haram. He had identified the LGAs as including Gudumbali, Marte, and Abadam, stressing that his words on the subject matter were honest truths.
In the North-west, the story isn’t too different, with reported abductions and killings in Zamfara, Katsina, and Kaduna States, respectively. The South-east isn’t spared either, as the senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, recently called on the federal government to urgently address the growing insecurity in many parts of the country.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, had acknowledged that there was a notable increase in the tempo of attacks but noted that it would not diminish the military’s efforts in combating the scourge. He, however, tasked troops to remain focused, forge ahead, and always be committed in the fight against terrorism and other emerging security threats.
Proposing an immediate solution to the spike in security threats, a retired diplomat, Amb. Ogbole Amedu-Ode, told THISDAY that the government must, as a matter of urgency, deploy more troops to the crisis-prone areas to forestall further attacks and guarantee food security.
He stated that Nigeria was already witnessing food shortages and that attacks on communities during this farming season would further worsen the food crisis and hunger in the country.
He also advocated for the liberalisation of gun ownership in the country to enable individuals with licensed arms to defend themselves from marauding criminals.
The former Nigerian Ambassador to Mexico, however, opposed the idea of state policing in Nigeria.
Amedu-Ode, stated that his experience in Mexico, where state policing was in operation, showed that criminal cartels could easily infiltrate state police and use the platform to advance their nefarious activities. He also expressed fears that the state governors could hijack the system to intimidate and hunt down political opponents.
A retired former Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Lawrence Alobi, said the government must go the extra mile to ensure that this situation was contained so that Nigerians can sleep peacefully.
He stressed that governments at all levels must rise to the occasion, adding that security agencies must also be mobilised and equipped to stop this chaos.
According to him, “It’s not healthy for us, and it’s not good for our international image. How can Boko Haram still take control of any part of Nigeria? Our sovereignty is under threat, and that’s unacceptable.
‘No group’ of persons has a monopoly on violence; the government has what it takes to deal decisively with them, and I know that the government can do it. It’s time for the government to say no to this violence and these killings. Something must be put in place to checkmate the situation and restore law and order in the country so that Nigerians will have confidence in the government.”
Alobi also urged communities to organise themselves and stand up against attackers. The state and local governments, he said, should organise effective vigilante groups to defend their areas.
“Look at what’s happening in the South-West; the Amotekun Corps has helped States in the zone minimise attacks in their areas. The authorities should also take a step further to arm them, with the approval of the relevant government institutions.
“The arms would deter attackers from attacking. The police should train them on the rules of engagement and monitor them closely to avoid abuse of such privilege. They shouldn’t be permitted to carry out extrajudicial killings or torture of arrested suspects; they should hand them over to the police.
“Intelligence agencies should also synergise with other security agencies by sharing timely and actionable intelligence, so that this crisis will be nipped in the bud once and for all. The country belongs to us; we can’t just sit and mope.”
“Political, religious, traditional, and business leaders should stop pretending about this problem and wake up to the situation. Let’s not allow sentiment, religious, or ethnic considerations to cloud our sense of reasoning and judgement,” he stated.
A security expert, Madu Onuorah, stated that if the President was annoyed about the continued killings, he ought to have summoned the service chiefs and given them a time frame to end this or be sacked.
He said: “If they say that they can’t handle it, they should tell Nigerians that they’re unable to handle it, so that we can employ mercenaries to do the job.
“We can’t use the money meant for the development of the country to arm the military, and the results aren’t there. Every year since 2009, the military has gotten the highest allocation in our annual budget, and the story remains the same.”
Meanwhile, a cross-section of stakeholders in the justice sector have called for effective implementation of the National Minimum Standards (NMS) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act/ Laws (ACJA/ ACJL), in addressing the worsening insecurity in the country.
According to the stakeholders drawn from judicial officers, lawyers, law enforcement agencies, and civil society groups, crimes in the country continue to surge because the justice system is still slow in punishing criminals.
They all spoke at a two-day sensitisation meeting on the National Minimum Standards (NMS) for the Implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act/ Laws (ACJA/ ACJL), which was held in Abuja.
Speaking at the occasion, President of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Prof. Yemi Akinseye-George, while observing that the ACJA/ACJL has helped to some extent in improving the country’s justice system, especially with the adoption of the NMS in 2023, lamented that injustice unfortunately continue to be on the rise.
“When criminals go unpunished, people lose faith. And then, they take the law into their own hands. We see it now—everywhere. Banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and violence.
“Governors raise the alarm. Citizens cry out. Criminals strike boldly. Even a former military General, a Director-General of NYSC, was kidnapped. Who is safe?
“While the federal and state authorities pass the buck, blame themselves in circles, the killers roam free, colonise the forests and take over territories.
“How many more must die before action is taken,” Akinseye-George, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria queried.
As part of solutions to the insecurity challenge, the CSLS president tasked both the federal and state governments on the proper implementation of the NMS, adding that the measure will ensure equal treatment for every citizen through improved justice delivery, ensure faster trials, stronger collaboration across states, sharing of knowledge and strength as well as build trust and confidence in the justice system.
Both the Federal High Court and the High Court of the FCT harped on the need for a uniform standard in the implementation of the criminal justice laws in the country.
The Chief Registrar of the Federal High Court, Mr Sulaiman Amida Hassan, who was represented by the Head, Insolvency Unit, FHC, Mrs. Mimidoo Abako, in a goodwill message, observed that the recent review and validation of the NMS document for the implementation of the ACJA, 2015, represents a significant milestone in Nigeria’s quest to reform the criminal justice sector by improving the administration of criminal justice and strengthening measures that ensures access to Justice.
Alex Enumah and Linus Aleke
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