Sir: In the last few years, Benue State has had a torrid time at the hands of killers of all shades and stripes. Whether it is for their land or to settle ancient animosities, blood has flowed freely in Benue in the last few years at the hands of killers.
A few days ago, protests rocked Akure, the Ondo state capital. The protesters had a common complaint: herdsmen were overrunning their farms, with deadly consequences. Similar occurrences in Bayelsa and Enugu prompt the question whether or not Nigeria is witnessing a rampage from the past. It appears that the honeymoon is over, and the knives have finally flown out. Close to two years since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office, the bodies are gradually piling up after a period of rest during which it appeared that the attacks had fizzled out.
Insecurity remains a major problem in Nigeria, a country which remains criminally insecure despite enormous resources to protect itself. Insecurity swiftly takes a devilish turn in rural areas where entire communities and families who depend on farming to earn a living must daily confront the many criminals who contest their land with them, often with deadly consequences.
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While the killings mount in rural areas, what is the government doing? For successive governments, securing Nigeria has become almost an impossible task. There is always the elaborate talk about strategy and personnel, but that rural communities around the country remain criminally vulnerable to attacks is a pointer to the fact that tackling insecurity in the country hardly goes beyond long discourses.
Since everything done to tackle insecurity in the country has failed, it is time Nigeria altered her approach. It is time the country reviewed its security strategy. It is not enough that Abuja, the country’s capital, remains largely intact. If terrorists, many of them sponsored no doubt by influential Nigerians, continue to rip the country apart, then it cannot be that anywhere is safe.
Insecurity in Nigeria should be tackled headlong. It is not a problem that limits itself, or one that is endemic to any part of the country. As long as any part of the country is insecure, the entire country is unsafe.