SIR: The revealing documentary by Yusuf Anka gave an uncommon perspective to the dynamics of banditry in Zamfara State and proper understanding of all parties involved. It revealed the tribal, economic, climatic and security dimensions to the growing insecurity in the North. In all, the documentary established the unknown dynamics differentiating banditry from terrorism in Nigeria.
Listed below are my summation of the problems in the documentary and hence the solutions.
The first is that rural Nigeria is highly neglected and begging for attention like urban parts of the country. Obviously, we need more security personnel, preferably more than one million law enforcement agents to maintain law and order.
Second is that the economic dimension of insecurity in the North is often understated yet, it is the biggest enabler. Particularly revealing in the documentary is the disconnect between rural Fulanis and urban/privileged Fulanis; the growing discord between rural Hausa and rural Fulani.
Then also is the issue of the impact of climate change in fueling the discord between the two groups hence the need for modern cattle colonies/settlements in the North which will consist of schools, veterinary facilities and other modern facilities that will organically modernize nomadism and enrich livestock farming.
Beyond all of these is the need for “reconciliatory panels” to resolve the inter-tribal crisis that have exacerbated the insecurity beyond Zamfara State. This reality can be inferred from the documentary where a repentant bandit leader called Hassan Dan Tawai acknowledged the faults of the two warring tribes in Zamfara. He claimed that retaliation was usually the fault of the Fulanis and that hunting criminals without proper investigation must also be blamed on the Hausa vigilantes.
The documentary also highlighted the need for massive rural literacy in the North coupled with massive rural empowerment especially through mechanized agriculture and industrialization. The latter might be more ambitious or tasking for the government but progressive rural empowerment through mechanized agriculture and support for local entrepreneurs especially through formalization of the informal sector coupled with the need for investment in sports to keep the youth population productively engaged in the absence of quality jobs will certainly help.
The documentary also revealed the irresponsibility of the government especially state and local government authorities evidenced by their neglect of the problems in their infancy. Such failures are particularly notable in rural development, in education, health, agriculture and basic infrastructures. The video exposed the abandonment of water supply provision by the state government authorities; it beamed its searchlight on the derelict states of schools and hospitals in the rural areas. In the end, it underscored the need for federal government to review its model of federal allocations and perhaps the need to assume some responsibilities of sub-national authorities (state and local government authorities).
It also restated the urgency of attending to the growing insecurity problems not just through defensive but economic approach by rapidly investing in agriculture and education especially in northern Nigeria considering its large illiterate population.
The documentary also exposed the likely collaboration of some government agents in aiding and abetting banditry/criminality through facilitation of arms smuggling, drugs and commercialization of the insecurity as confirmed by one of the bandits in the documentary; the need for an overhaul of local intelligence gathering and review of border security architecture to curtail arm and drug smuggling.
Lastly, it drew attention to the need for federal government to take active control of mineral resources to discourage illegal mining and to create a prosperous value chain for unemployed youths to legally make money through artisanal mining.
- Mujib Dada-Qadri,
Abuja.