Nigeria’s Security Challenges
The recent attack on travellers along Abuja-Kaduna road is shocking. The fact that the ‘terrorists’ could now detonate explosives before killing and kidnapping innocent people is quite alarming. It says a lot about our security system.
It also sends a clear message to all and sundry that no one is safe, we are all in this mess together; the common people and the ‘elite’ alike. No system of transportation is safe, one could now be attacked when travelling by road, railway or even by air.
The unfortunate train attack is not the first of its kind- and will not be the last unless the needful is done. The only difference is that this time around, the ‘terrorists’ appeared well armed, more audacious and with the hunger to kill.
Those terrorists have been attacking villages and killing people especially in the northern parts of the country, where such attacks have become the order of the day. They have established themselves as an authority in a number of villages under their control. Some of their brutal attacks and heinous crimes are actually underreported in the news media.
According to the Nigeria Security Tracker (NST) in a report published between January and February, at least 1, 761 people lost their lives across the country in incidents related to insecurity and protracted armed violence. Under our noses, our beloved country, once a nation of peace and tranquility, is gradually turning into the likes of Somalia, Libya, and Afghanistan.
Even worse, majority of those killed are people trying to make a living for themselves and their families. People are killed in their homes, in offices, at markets, on roads and virtually everywhere.
It suffices to conclude at the moment that there’s seemingly the creation of ‘a state within another’. On one hand, there’s the almighty sovereign Nigeria that continually fails to protect its citizens and on another, the hypothetical terror nation ruled by such terrorists as Boko Haram, bandits, kidnappers, and the likes.
The government is failing woefully in its basic responsibility in securing the lives of citizens, as they sworn to do before taking over the reins of government from the previous administration.
Therefore all hands must now be on deck to nip in the bud this issue that is threatening our very existence irrespective of gender, ethnicity, religious or political affiliations. To begin with, the government should be bold enough to fish out and address the ultimate cause of the crises, the genesis of the terror groups, their sponsors, financial channels, sources of arms and weaponry, contacts in the community, etc. In addition, such factors that tend to inflame the situation as poverty, social injustice, illiteracy, etc., should also be proactively addressed by devising measures that will assuage people’s suffering and displeasure.
Furthermore, the security forces should be well equipped with state-of-the-art weapons in order to take the war to the terrorists’ camp. They should also engage the public in intelligence gathering, reporting suspicious activities, etc.
In conclusion, the people should also cooperate and work-hand-in hand with security forces and other relevant government agencies in every way legally possible in order to curtail the worsening security crisis ravaging the country.
Najeeb Maigatari, Jigawa State, Maigatari313@gmail.com
