Despite huge resources invested in the security sector by the Federal Government in the past eight years, widespread armed violence remains one of the unfinished businesses of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU reports.
On Saturday, April 29, 12 people were confirmed killed by criminal herders in Migini, Angwan Barau and Tattare communities in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Over 45 people, including a police officer, were killed on April 5, when armed herders unleashed mayhem at Umogidi Community in Entekpa Adoka District of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Over 36 people were murdered in the weekend of March 3, as armed herdsmen launched coordinated attacks in villages in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State. In Benue State alone, over 200 people have been reportedly killed in the past eight weeks by terrorists masquerading as herdsmen said to have infiltrated the country from Niger Republic, Chad and other Sahel countries affected by climate change.
On June 5 last year, at least 41 worshippers at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State were killed and over 50 injured during a Mass shooting and bomb explosion executed by suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a splinter group of the Boko Haram sect. On July 5, last year, terrorists launched an attack on the Kuje Medium Custodial Facility, Abuja, which killed no fewer than five people and led to the escape of over 800 inmates, including 64 high ranking suspected members of extremist group, Boko Haram.
The same day, terrorists attacked an advance party of the convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari in Dutsima, Katsina State, and killed some security operatives, including a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in another attack in Katsina. On July 24, last year, two officers and six soldiers drawn from three units of the Presidential Guards Brigade were killed in an ambush by terrorists while on an operation to prevent attack on two higher institutions in Bwari, Abuja.
Four days after, terrorists launched a dusk offensive on a military checkpoint around Zuma Rock, Niger State, along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway and reportedly killed some soldiers. Three police operatives were killed on May 12 and another cop on July 4, during ambushes by terrorists at Suleja, Niger State. In Anambra State, five people, including two police escorts were killed last September 11, during an attack on the convoy of Ifeanyi Ubah, the Senator representing Anambra South. Ubah’s convoy was attacked by suspected militants of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB/ESN), at Enugu-Ukwu, a community in Njikoka Local Government Area.
On May 11 and 29, there were explosions suspected to have been caused by Improvised Explosives Devices (IEDs) planted by terrorists at two bars in Kabba, Kogi State. Similar IEDs attacks occurred at Iware and Jalingo, Taraba State in April and May, 2022, with casualty figures unknown. On September 22 last year, a police patrol team was attacked by gunmen in Ondo State, and on September 23 2022, security personnel were attacked by terrorists in Edo State.
On March 28 2022, at least eight people were murdered and over 100 kidnapped during an attack on an Abuja–Kaduna train at Katari, Kaduna State. In December, 2021 about 45 farmers were killed and 27 injured following renewed hostility in Lafia, Obi and Awe local government areas of Nasarawa State. On the same December, 38 people died during terror attacks in communities in Giwa LGA of Kaduna State.
Also in December 2021, at least 21 people were burnt to death after terrorists ambushed and set ablaze, a passenger bus travelling from Sabon Birni to Isa, Sokoto State. In February 2021, no fewer than 10 people were killed by extremists who threw rocket-propelled grenades into densely populated areas of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. The above are a few instances of widespread armed violence that the country faces daily. From the North to the South, there have been orgies of killings, maiming, kidnappings and other armed violence meted to unarmed and innocent civilians by terror groups.
Worrying statistics
According to NEXTIER SPD’s Violent Conflict Database, 12,576 people were killed and 7,226 kidnapped in 3,396 incidents of terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, farmer/herder clashes and communal conflicts, among others between June 2020 and April 26 this year. A breakdown of the report indicated that there were 274 terrorist attacks with 2,859 deaths and 197 kidnap victims; 1,355 incidents of banditry with 7,029 killed and 5,771 kidnapped; 676 attacks by unknown gunmen which resulted in 1,102 deaths and 609 kidnap victims, and 306 incidents of kidnapping with 224 deaths and 567 victims.
In the said 250 incidents of farmer/herder conflicts with 1,364 deaths and 64 kidnap victims were recorded; 61 communal clashes resulting in 267 casualties and three kidnap victims; 189 cultism incidents with 451 deaths; 164 incidents of extra-judicial killings with 485 casualties; 72 reports of violence associated with secessionist resulting in 170 deaths and a kidnap victim, as well as 64 cases of thuggery with 137 casualties and five kidnap victims, were recorded.
Data sourced from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the National Security Tracker (NST), and analysed by TheCable Index showed that 4,545 people were killed and 4,611 kidnapped by non-state armed groups in 2022. The report said 5,067 people were reportedly killed by non-state actors across the country in 2021 and 3,326 in 2020. Another independent report indicated that 7,691 civilians and 1,496 security personnel lost their lives between 2020 and 2021 to activities of various armed militias across the country.
Widespread tales of bloodbath
Although terrorism and other vicious crimes preceded the Buhari administration, available records showed that some of these armed groups became more deadly and operated with reckless abandon in the past eight years. For instance, this period witnessed the incursions of Islamist terror groups which hitherto operated only within the Northeast zone to the Northwest, North central, southwest and down to the Southeast and Southsouth regions.
These terrorists, who attack, pillage, and rustle cattle in many villages as well as destroy farmlands, have turned those hamlets into killing fields, where woman and children are raped recklessly and defenseless people taken into captive in order to demand ransoms. In the northeastern part of the country, Jihadists wreaking havoc have established control and governance in certain communities around the Lake Chad region where they forced farmers and locals to pay levies before they can have access to their farms or commute.
States in the Southwest, especially Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo and Osun also had their shares of violence unleashed by terrorists masquerading as nomadic herders whose reign of terror sacked farming communities and made travelling along the major highways nightmarish to road users.
Southeastern states of Enugu, Ebonyi, Imo, Anambra and Abia were not left out of the onslaughts as the AK-47-wielding marauders, according to reports, slaughtered innocent people who protested the destruction of their farmlands by cattle, raped and hacked women, children to death and even set houses, farms ablaze.
Despite the Federal Government’s promises to fish out culprits, prosecute them and ensure the menaces were contained, pervading insecurity has continued unabated, thus generating massive public outcry and suspicion. Some believe that the agencies for internal security – the police, military and other security services – are overwhelmed, inadequately equipped, understaffed and underfunded to tackle head-on the myriads of security challenges that have bedeviled the country. For instance, the military, whose core responsibility was to protect the country from external aggression had remained deeply involved in internal security with operations in almost all the states of the federation, thereby, leaving the troops fatigued with no time to prepare for real war.
Considering that the security and intelligence agencies in the country have an estimated population of about 750,000 against the over 200 million citizens scattered across 923,768 Km2 land mass, 4,047km recognised land borders and 853km coastlines; observers believe the agencies should have, by now, won public confidence and partnership in order to get actionable intelligence to nip criminality in the bud. While global best practices recommend a policeman per 100 people; the reality in Nigeria is a policeman to over 600 people. The policing strength is further depleted by death, retirement, injury as well as the number of security aides attached to public office holders, their families and private individuals who are rich. While the country expects magic from the police and sister security agencies, Nigerians, these agents feel, were being hypocritical in addressing issues affecting security.
Dearth of equipment, security gadgets
Another issue affecting policing in Nigeria is the lack of equipment and security gadgets. Despite the establishment of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund to provide the service with necessary equipment to combat insecurity, checks by The Nation revealed that the entire process has been enmeshed in corruption with allegations of political masters procuring substandard gears for the service without recourse to professional inputs.
It was learnt that the bulletproof vests, helmets and other body armours procured for the police were either already expired or of no material value as they did not meet the specification for protection of the personnel during operations. Till date, not many police divisions across the country can boast of having two or more operation vehicles to patrol their areas or respond to distress calls. A lot of them still do not have teargas, smoke, water cannons, other anti-riot gadgets, neither can they penetrate forests, creeks and mangroves, where these criminals hibernate. Even in the military, there have been complaints of purchase of substandard or obsolete equipment by political masters whose only desire is to inflate costs in order to make profits for themselves.
Training shortfalls
Training need has become urgent giving that the current curriculum of the police and, indeed, the armed forces, seem outdated. With the realities of guerrilla warfare and ethno-religious tensions that have propensity of consuming the country, security operatives believe it was time-wasting to assemble them at a training institution for refresher courses only to teach them theories.
Findings reveal that they loath going for trainings because they were, most times, made to spend money they do not have at the institutions.
“The training system is archaic. The lecturers are not motivated because their posting to the institutions are considered as punishment. Practical are not thought and most of these lecturers see those coming for courses as avenues to make money for themselves. “Trainees have to contribute money for lecturers, buy souvenirs, repair borehole or other facilities despite that training allowances which should ordinarily be paid aren’t paid. So, why policemen are asked to go for training, they rather decline and seek juicy postings where they can make money for themselves,” a senior police officer told The Nation in confidence.
Resort to self-help
As tales of atrocities by these criminals daily filled the media with state- owned security forces allegedly looking the other way or responding after the killers had executed their mission and fled, agitations for communities to arm and protect themselves became rife. Sensing a looming anarchy, the governors of the Southwest joined forces and established, equipped a regional security outfit known as Amotekun despite resistance from the government at the centre, a decision that restored some sanity in the region.
However, some people believe that the delay by governors of the Southeast states to come up with a similar strategy created a vacuum which the IPOB immediately took advantage of by establishing its militant wing known as the Eastern Security Network (ESN) to the excitement of the helpless masses. But that sigh of relief was short lived as the federal government wielded its sledge hammer on the ESN and declared it illegal. This declaration led to the deployment of police and soldiers to the Southeast to deal with members of ESN, without putting measures in place to check the excesses of the criminal herders that necessitated their creation in the first place.
The unintended consequences of the government’s action was the massive support IPOB/ESN received from the youths in the Southeast, who believed rumours of a conquest agenda by an ethnic group with alleged backing of the federal government. The more government forces clamped down on ESN, the more public goodwill the group enjoyed especially as they were seen as courageous defenders of the people from marauders’ deadly invasion. The presence of more armed policemen and soldiers in the east coupled with allegations of arbitrary arrest, branding of young people as IPOB/ESN, extortion and extra judicial killings of innocent youths gave rise to another wave of violence by the so-called unknown gunmen, this time targeting security operatives and facilities, which has left hundreds of people dead.
Experts set agenda for incoming government
A former Director, Department of State Services, Dennis Amachree (MON), said the security issue required a comprehensive and sustained approach, noting that the incoming government would need to address the root causes of conflicts and invest in solutions that priotise human security. “A new government should identify and address the root causes of conflicts in the country. These include issues such as poverty, inequality, corruption, and ethnic and religious tensions. The government should invest in programmes that address these issues and promote social inclusion.
“The Nigerian security sector needs significant reform to improve its effectiveness and accountability. The new government should prioritise the modernisation of the security forces, improve their training and equipment, and ensure that they are held accountable for their actions. The government should invest in improving its intelligence gathering and analysis capabilities. This will enable the security forces to anticipate and prevent security threats before they occur.
“The new government should engage in dialogue with all stakeholders, including local communities, civil society organisations and international partners. This will help to build trust and create a conducive environment for resolving conflicts peacefully. Economic development is critical to addressing the security challenges in Nigeria. The new government should prioritise investments in infrastructure, education, and healthcare to create jobs and reduce poverty.
“The principle of equal justice under law must be upheld. The government should strengthen the rule of law and ensure that justice is served. This will help to deter criminal activities and promote accountability. Overall, containing the security threats in our country, Nigeria will require a sustained and concerted effort from the government and all stakeholders. The new government must be committed to taking bold and decisive actions to address the root causes of conflicts and create a peaceful and secure environment for all Nigerians,” he stated.
Also, Executive Chairman, PR24 Nigeria, Peter Okoloh, said it was evident the country has been afflicted by various forms of terrorism and armed violence in the past eight years. “The incoming government faces a formidable challenge in containing these security threats, which require a multifaceted strategy. First, the government must prioritise the collection and dissemination of intelligence to prevent terrorist attacks and other violent offenses. This can be accomplished by creating a centralised database where security agencies can share information. This can be an effective instrument for addressing Nigeria’s security issues.
“It will offer a platform for collaboration, intelligence gathering, and analysis, which can help anticipate and prevent security threats. To ensure its efficacy, however, there must be strict protocols and regulations for data sharing and access control, as well as regular database updates and maintenance.
“This data may include intelligence reports, criminal records, and other pertinent information that can assist in anticipating and averting security threats. With a centralised database, security agencies can rapidly share information and collaborate on investigations and reconnaissance, thereby enhancing their overall efficacy.
“For the centralised database to be effective, there must be strict protocols and regulations for data sharing and access control. Access to the database should be restricted to authorised personnel, and there must be safeguards in place to ensure the data’s integrity and confidentiality. In addition, the database must be routinely maintained and updated to ensure the information is accurate and current. This necessitates an investment in training and capacity building for the personnel responsible for database management.
“Secondly, the government must prioritise the training and equipping of security personnel, particularly those fighting insurgency and other violent offences on the front lines. This includes enhancing the welfare of security personnel and their ability to utilize modern technologies for detecting and preventing crime.
“Government will need to address the ever increasing issue of corruption within the security agencies. Corruption has now achieved the full status in Nigeria of the saying in my native Igbo culture that an abomination that endures for long enough becomes part of the culture. Lastly, the government must strengthen the rule of law and ensure perpetrators of violent offences are held accountable. This includes prosecuting and penalising terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminals regardless of their affiliation or status. At this moment, the incoming government should invest in peace building, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and socioeconomic development in addition to security as we are highly divided as nation today.”
In his submissions, former Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Fatai Owoseni, said security agencies made commendable progress with respect to arrest of armed criminals but such successes were usually under reported while the media focus escalated the negative occurrence. He said what the security agencies needed to do was to follow through with successful prosecution of arrested suspects in order to serve as deterrence for those who may think they could get away with criminality.
Using the Southeast as an example, he said there was need for the people to sit down and negotiate through certain actions, behaviours that were unacceptable, stressing that those killing people in the Southeast for not supporting their separatist agenda cannot blame the government for their own intolerance.
Owoseni, who’s Special Adviser on Security to Oyo State Government, said the government must do something to stop firearms proliferation. “Yes, government must escalate the way they do things. We must look at our security architecture. We must realise now that the community policing that we are talking of has been turned to the extent that the security agencies do not know how to go about it. “
Government must escalate beyond that and do problem solving policing philosophy where you go to the roots of crimes such as unemployment and workers not being taken care of as they should.
“We have to correct the current practice where a worker who laboured through the month goes home is paid N20,000 or N40,000 but people who do not work live in affluence and inexplicable wealth. Then, how to get the people actively involved in community policing. We must be thinking of changing our security architecture because it has not favoured us.”
