The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NATIONAL SECURITY

  • Social media and national security

    The new generational media has transformed the audience from mere passive readers to a more active, effective and interactive sphere of global community. Recent survey shows a rapid increase in the number of social media users across the world. This is as a result of the proliferation of mobile internet across the world and the emergencies of web 2.0 which gives many people an opportunity not just to read the contents of what was formerly regarded as a static web page, but to also contribute instantly on what they find interesting on the internet. Social media has paved way for millions of people across the world to locate content, make friends, share ideas, solicit support and mobilize people with similar interest against unfavourable government policies, despotic and weak leaders, and injustice, amongst others. Social media has of course, redefined the way news is presented in the public and the way people communicate across the world. It is a fascinating phenomenon which presents both challenges and opportunities to governments and law enforcement agencies across the spectrum.

    In China, there are   over 1.1 billion citizens   on   social   media,   with over 638 million connecting via mobile phones. One of the most popular Chinese mobile social media sites is WeChat which has over 938 million monthly active users. Most users conduct legitimate business while many are involved in criminal activities which make social media usage a problem for the authorities. For instance in 2016,the government’s, concern over social media’s impact on national security compelled her to shut down 90 million WeChat accounts, including 20 million that offered sex from women trafficked for prostitution. In spite of government efforts, illicit activities still occur online. Several laws and law enforcement activities have been instituted to address Chinese government worries about social media related threats to her national security. These include the establishment of a Small Group on Internet, headed by Xi Xinping in 2014, whose tasks include strategic level management of social media threats to national security. Also, the Chinese government created a national gateway called the Great Firewall which serves to regulate internet industry in line with Chinese laws. The Great Firewall gives the Chinese government the means to ensure subversive social media activities are restricted in line with dictates of national security. For instance, it is widely acknowledged that the Arab Spring was organized over social media. To avoid the experience of the Arab Spring, the Great Firewall blocked Facebook, Youtube and Twitter in China after subversive elements began to reflect on this and discuss a similar revolution on these platforms. This measure was able to manage the use of social media against China’s national security.

    In Egypt, the penetration of social media applications such as Twitter, Google Plus and Facebook ranges from 32 to 90 per cent of the population. These applications were vital catalysts for protest activism that mobilized people, caused mayhem and eventually the downfall of former President Hosni Mubarak. The April 6th Youth Movement (A6YM) which was the primary driver of the Egyptian uprising in 2011 operated solely on Facebook, which made many to call the Arab Spring in the country the ‘Facebook revolution’. This gives a clear indication of social media’s transformational effect, especially when such media are employed for mobilization and political activism. The fall of Mubarak was made possible by the fact that the Egyptian government lacked tools for effective control of social media as it had for traditional media. After Mubarak, this was reaffirmed as the same social media based techniques used to paralyze the government of President Ahmed Morsi; a situation the military capitalized on to overthrow the government. These events present a clear indication of the threat to national security posed by social media. This threat remains unabated in Egypt despite concerted government attempts to clamp down on social media activism, as revealed by the fact that leaders of the A6YM and similar groups were jailed and the movements proscribed. Thus, despite concerted government efforts and activities, social media continues to impact negatively on national security in Egypt.

    In Nigeria, over 87.37 per cent of social media activities are conducted on Facebook. The National Communications Commission (NCC) attributes 74 per cent of this traffic to 32, 513, 261 young Nigerians who use mobile devices. This new media eliminates the gate keeping mechanism of traditional media, which has allowed a large number of youth the freedom to communicate anonymously thereby resulting to direct hate filled comments to other Nigerians. Such actions generate and fuel hatred, which then leads to acts of individual and collective violence which pose significant threats to national security. Accordingly, the Nigerian government adopted measures, including establishing the Nigeria Internet Registration Association and other organizations which censor content deemed offensive to the Nigerian community. Also, the National Assembly passed the Prohibition of Frivolous Petitions and Other Related Matters Act 2017, which was popularly, termed the “social media bill” that aims to censor aspects of conduct on social media. These steps have failed to curtail hate speech, incitement to violence and other criminal activities conducted over social media in Nigeria.

    The lack of synergy among relevant agencies in charge of digital communication inhibits greater achievement of the unified efforts of the individual agencies that are assigned either advocacy or control responsibility on social media. This resulted in the absence of a designated body endowed with the responsibility to clamp down on perpetrators of abuses on the social media, civil violations and social media related crimes. There is no agency currently saddled with the responsibility and requisite enablement to filter social media postings that constitute threat to national security and track the perpetrators as well as site owners in order to bring them to justice.

    The absence of a regulating body or law for social media users means that messages can be sent without being monitored nor censured regardless of its possible effects on national security. One major challenge encouraging the criminal use of social media in Nigeria is the lack of a regulatory law in the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003. In China, the use of social media is regulated, as over 642 Internet users are censored per minute to enhance national security of China due the regulatory mechanism in place. In Nigeria, Subsection 11 (i) of NCA 2003 only seek to promote and safeguard national interests, safety and security in the use of the said scarce national resources without mentioning how social media could be regulated.

    Section 37 of the Constitution of Nigeria guarantees the right to “the privacy of citizens” which essentially implies privacy in the broad sense and not just privacy of homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications that follows. Hence, from the constitutional right to privacy, certain information gathered from Nigerians to form various databases, particularly in the telecommunications industry are protected. The poor enforcement of the Freedom of Information Act and NCC due to the low technological base via the provision of a gateway to control the information space as it obtains in China, has led to the indiscriminate use of social media in information security, which has led to infringement of privacy. There are over 20 social media sites where information could be passed to the public without any form of restriction, which includes Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram, among others.

    The growth of social networks during the last decade has been astonishing with over 200 active social networking sites. Information on these sites can only be monitored, analysed and investigated through forensic computer analysts and social network forensic experts amongst others. There is dearth of manpower in these areas to address some of the negative challenges of social network on national security. Forensic computer analysts make use of range of forensic tools and software to extract and analyse data, deal with highly sensitive data and collect information as well as evidence in a legally admissible way, amongst others. Increased manpower in these fields will go a long way to address the negative effects of social network on national security.

     

    • Beckley, a Commodore, is of the Nigerian Navy.

  • National security: Platform for political, social-economic stability

    Apart from his rare passion for global growth and development of Hausa literature, folklore, history and books on leadership training, Dr. Bukar Usman, retired permanent secretary in the presidency, has also invested intellectually in other areas of utmost relevance to human life. This perhaps may have made him paraphernalia of historic monument worldwide.

    He has consistently stood his ground as a non-apologetic advocate of national security, ensuring that the corporate existence of Nigeria nation is uncontestable. For instance, his advocacy for creation of state police for more than two decades appears to have started winning even as a bill for amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow creation of states and community police passed first reading in the Senate in July 2018.

    It would be recalled that in one of his articles, titled, The Case for Local Police, massively published in major national dailies in 2012, Usman stated unequivocally that for Nigeria to remain calm and progressive, economically and politically, each geopolitical zone must have its police.

    “State police should be instituted and the sooner the better. For sure, some interests may be inconvenienced. However, on the balance, the security of the generality of the community will be better assured, and the risk is worth taking now. Delay would result into greater loss of lives and property as our security situation deteriorates further. Given its current revenue challenges, the federal government’s ability to provide adequate, decent barracks as well as the logistic needed to sustain the unified police structure appears to have significantly diminished.”

    Therefore, his expertise commitment to national security has again bubbled in the book under review, Voices In A Choir. Dedicated to Nigerians in their continuing effort to build virile and stable country. The book addresses the importance of security in achieving political, social and economic stability and in preserving the unity of the body polity.

    Though the title of the book sounds a bit religious, in the preface written by Dr. E.O. Akinluyi, the author’s hypothesis figuratively presents a nation whose security depends on holistic and comprehensive uniformity in goals and vision for progress.

    “Just as a choir is made up of various singers singing different parts but collectively aware of their contribution to a harmonious whole, so a nation has multifaceted components, which must be welded together to attain a well-ordered and progressive whole. Without stability, itself predicated upon national security, the nation’s existence will be threatened.”

    Despite the fact that this engaging book was written in 1999 when the country was going through political transition and agitating for ‘Vision 2010,’ most of what the author tutored his audience/ readers through his priceless and esteemed wisdom have undoubtedly formed the mainframe of today’s political challenge.

    The main focus of the book ranges from democratisation, national security, terrorism, the media, human rights, trade unionism, the environment, the drug question to Vision 2010. It exposes the inadequacies of the assumptions underlying the flawed analysis of Nigerian domestic and foreign policies in the past years.

    Reflecting on the relevance of the ageless book (1999) in today’s democracy, the author’s recommendation on supremacy of national interest in a democratic polity has become a national debate since last week. President Muhammadu Buhari declared last week at the 2018 annual general conference of Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja that the rule of law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest.

    The president said where national interest was threatened; the security of the country could not be sacrificed on the altar of the rule of law.

    As expected, this declaration has continued to generate diverse views. Many Nigerians believe that Buhari may be justifying the detention of some persons since his administration came on board and, at the same time, watering the ground for a full blown dictatorship.

    Surprisingly, Usman, in page 16 of the book, said national interests take precedence over individual rights.

    “Individual rights and freedoms are meaningful only within the context of group or national interest. In other words, the national interests take precedence over individual rights. Whenever the two are in conflict, the national interest is supreme. Democracy, as a form of government guarantees the rights of the individual only if those rights are not used to the detriment of the group/national interest. The State owes society a duty, therefore, to check any individual who wants to use his ‘right’ to harm the society. Similarly, whenever an individual tries to use his rights wrongly to cause harm to national security, government has the right to protect the national from such a person.” (16)

    The book also emphasises on cooperative internationalism on certain issues such as drug control, trade unionism and human rights even as it urges respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, either big or small.

    The author also calls the attention of the international community to take serious note of the clash of rights, particularly on issues of liberty, equity and legitimacy in pluralist countries of the emerging nations.

    The author observes that the challenges and the areas of conflict in the maintenance of national security, public order and public safety in a democratic polity relate to the conduct of the citizens in the society. He also notes that there are belligerent nations and international crimes of all dimensions including acts of terrorism, drug trafficking, trafficking in toxic wastes and threat of nuclear holocaust. He warns that the security of a nation is fundamentally affected by the nature of its political arrangements. Highlighting the objectives of national security, Usman stressed that harmony, stability and peace are necessary ingredients for the well-being of the society.

    Before we are carried away by the pressures of general elections, all stakeholders in government, politicians, lawyers, civil servants, the media and other parastatals must read Voices In A Choir as it stands as yesterday’s manual for today’s world.

  • National security vs human rights 

    One issue of discourse last week was whether it was right for the rule of law to be subject to the nation’s security and national interest.

    That issue which engaged the attention of many Nigerians was set rolling by President Muhammadu Buhari last week Sunday.

    Buhari, at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference in Abuja, appeared to have stirred a hornet’s nest.

    The President had urged the lawyers to work for judicial reforms and subject the rule of law to national security.

    Buhari had stated, ”In the context of opinions and narratives about our past and present political and socio-economic experience, you cannot afford to jettison rational and proper analysis of issues in a manner which builds, rather than destroys the nation.

    “I also urge you to work to uphold and improve the sanctity and integrity of our judicial and electoral institutions which play a fundamental role in the sustenance and growth of our democracy.

    “However, let me remind you all, my dear compatriots, that the law can only be optimally practiced in a Nigeria that is safe, secure and prosperous.

    “As you go into this Annual Conference, let me assure you of the resolve of this administration to promote measures that will achieve a vibrant economy under which the practice of law will thrive.

    “It is equally significant to emphasize that our willingness to hold persons accountable for offences against society, through the judicial process, will equally transform the future of public service in Nigeria in a positive manner.

    “I believe that lawyers can contribute to another core objective of enhancing our business environment and promoting social justice by promoting respect for the Rule of Law; contributing to the law reform process and putting national interest and professional ethics above self in the conduct of their business.

    “Rule of Law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest. Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position on this issue in this regard and it is now a matter of judicial recognition that; where national security and public interest are threatened or there is a likelihood of their being threatened, the individual rights of those allegedly responsible must take second place, in favour of the greater good of society,” he stated.

    While some Nigerians have criticised the position of the President on the issue, others believed that it is a good development for the country. Some Nigerians also called on the Federal Government to endeavour to strike a balance between human rights of Nigerians and national security.

    Those supporting the President’s position believed that it took its foundation from the fact that the rule of law can only exist when the national interest and security is secured in a state of peace and tranquility.

    They argued that the fundamental rights of citizens are not absolute as they could be limited.

    The power to determine what constitutes a threat to national security and national interest, according to them, is for now solely vested in the executive arm of government.

    But criticising the President’s remark, the NBA, in a statement said it “completely rejects the presidential statement subordinating the Rule of Law to National Security”.

    “The NBA restates that the Rule of Law is central to a democracy and any National Security concerns by the government must be managed within the perimeters and parameters of the Rule of Law.” it stated

    Among the eminent Nigerians who also criticized the President’s position included the Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

    To him, the rule of law should not be suspended for the sake of national security or interest.

    Soyinka, in a statement, said: “Here we go again! At his first coming, it was ‘I intend to tamper with Freedom of the Press’ and Buhari did proceed to suit action to the words, sending two journalists Irabor and Thompson to prison as a reward for their professional integrity.

    “Now, a vague, vaporous, but commodious concept dubbed ‘national interest’ is being trotted out as alibi for flouting the decisions of the Nigerian judiciary.

    “The timing is perfect, and we have cause to be thankful for the advance warning, since not all rulers actually make a declaration of intent, but simply proceed to degrade the authority of the law as part of the routine business of governance. We have been there before.

    “It should be of mere interest, not despondency, that this latest proclamation of dictatorial recidivism has also been made before an assembly of officers of the law, the Nigerian Bar Association. We expect a robust response from the NBA as part of its conclusions.

    “There is no short cut to democracy. The history of law, even where uncodified, is as old as humanity.

    “Numerous rulers have tried again and again to annul that institution. Sometimes, they appear to succeed, but in the end, they pay heavy forfeit. So does society.

    “The Rule of Law, however, outlasts all subverters, however seemingly powerful. If the consequences for society in defence of the Rule of Law were not so costly, any new attempt would be merely banal and boring, hardly deserving of attention. We know, historically, where it will all end.” he added

    But Human Rights lawyer, Femi Falana believed that the Government should respect the human rights of Nigerians while ensuring protection of national security and interests at the same time.

    Falana advocated for both national security and human rights to co-exist together as one should not give way completely to the other.

    He said, ”In democratic societies, human rights are at the core of national security itself. I posit that the purpose of national security should be to protect democracy and enhance democratic principles.

    “It is problematic to place the security of the state entirely above the interests of individual citizens. Placing security concerns in direct opposition to human rights creates a false dichotomy. Each is essential for ensuring that a society is free and secure. Privileging one over the other can have unintended negative consequences.”

    “National security must be reduced to its absolute minimum, what I call a democratic conception of national security. The use of extraordinary measures in the name of national security for any other purpose should be discouraged. Nigeria’s national security institutions must be effectively regulated and made accountable,” he said.

    “The extent that the protection of these rights are guaranteed signifies the democratic strength of a country, as human rights and the rule of law are crucial to the well-being of any truly democratic society.

    “Good governance requires the rule of law. Having good laws on the statue books is not enough. Laws must be implemented and enforced fairly and consistently in a transparent way or they risk becoming dead letters or, worse, instruments of oppression. There must therefore be some separation of powers and an independent judiciary.

    “The government must adopt broad-ranging measures geared to develop an effective institution with an appropriate organisational culture for a democratic society as well as the direct and mandatory involvement of the National Assembly in after-the-fact review. In the final analysis, it is essential to place further legal limitations on government’s use of special national security measures.

    “Since the security of the government in power is always equated with national security the police and security agencies have concentrated their attention on monitoring the activities of human rights activists and opposition figures in the country,” he said.

    Efforts should really be made by those concerned to ensure that national security and interest is not threatened while respecting the human rights of Nigerians.

  • Buhari presidency wrong on rule of law versus national security

    AFTER scorning many court orders in the trials of Messrs Sambo Dasuki and Ibrahim el-Zakzaky, and keeping them locked up for years, the Muhammadu Buhari presidency has finally found the courage and legal precedent to justify its negative disposition to the rule of law. Speaking at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) annual conference in Abuja, President Buhari quoted a decision of the Supreme Court that seemed to approve the subordination of human and individual rights to national security interest. Predictably, the president’s statement has become deeply controversial because it appeared, at first view, to be constitutionally right and legally sound. But the devil is in the detail. Not only has the Buhari presidency consistently acted mala fide on the matter of rule of law and personal liberties, considering that it is a government apparently incapable of differentiating national security from private (government) interest, the legal justification cited by the presidency is jurisprudentially inexact and contextually fraudulent.

    It is not clear why it has taken more than three years for the Buhari presidency to find grounds for its disobedience of court orders. But, well, finally it has found some tenuous reasons, and has deployed them obscenely and awkwardly before the public. Citing both the provisions of the constitution and the decision by the apex court, the president loudly proclaimed that the rule of law must be subject to the supremacy of the nation’s security and national interest. He added: “Our apex court has had cause to adopt a position on this issue in this regard and it is now a matter of judicial recognition that where national security and public interest are threatened, the individual rights of those allegedly  responsible must take second place in favour of the greater good of society.” Even though the president did not attribute the relevant quote to any of the justices of the Supreme Court, and the Justice minister himself who last July flew that dangerous kite of subordinating civil liberties to national security also shied away from direct attribution, the apex court ruling in question was read by Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Justice of the Supreme Court, in the 2007 bail case between Dokubo-Asari (Appellant) and the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Respondent).

    The presidency’s adoption of that so-called Supreme Court position and citation was dishonest. It was a ruling alright, but it was in respect of the specific bail application by Dokubo-Asari who was detained over allegations of treasonable felony. The self-proclaimed militant had signed a document in company with others threatening to foment armed rebellion against the state over oil politics. It is well known to the presidency that lower courts do not as a routine cite the decisions of appellate courts as precedents in bail cases since bail cases are discretionary and differ from one case to another. So, to cavalierly hurl a quotation from a Supreme Court judgement in the public face and give the impression it should serve as a precedent for all bail cases is awkward and dishonest. In the Dokubo-Asari bail case decided in 2007, he faced allegations of treasonable felony. In the cases the Buhari presidency is apparently retroactively struggling to find justifications, to wit, Col Dasuki (retd.) and Sheikh El-Zakzaky, and in the process unwisely endangering the country’s democracy, one is in respect of corruption, and the other is in respect of murder and breach of public peace.

    When Justice Muhammad gave his ruling in 2007, a decision horribly quoted out of context by the Buhari presidency, he never gave the indication that it was applicable to all bail cases. He couldn’t have. But apparently Justice Muhammad’s ruling strikes a chord in the heart of the Buhari presidency. Notwithstanding, the judgement in question in the Dokubo-Asari case, even though not universally applicable, was irreproachable. (See box 2 for excerpts). It is only being mishandled and cruelly dragged into the wrong, suspicious cause.

    It is one thing for the presidency to find justification for flouting court orders, latching on inelegantly and dishonestly to the Justice Muhammad ruling; it is quite another thing to show why that disobedience must ineluctably lead the presidency to indulge in self-help. Whether in the Justice Muhammad ruling or any other ruling whatsoever in any Nigerian court, there was never a time the authority to determine what is in the national security interest was ceded to the presidency or the executive. Never. So, even if the Buhari presidency read the Justice Muhammad ruling accurately with all its nuances and legalisms — and it didn’t anyway, because it couldn’t — there was nowhere in that judgement that the right to abridge or abrogate the rights of an accused was left in the hands of the agents of government or the government itself. The president’s address read before the nation’s judicial experts was most unfortunate. It lacked rigour, is short-sighted, does not envision a great and powerful future, and cannot and must not be defended by any legal mind whether working in government or outside of government. What is most disturbingly true is that the Buhari presidency is instinctively autocratic and has struggled unsuccessfully for many years to exorcise itself of that dangerous antidemocratic instinct that seems fated to negatively define this presidency. It tried the Col Dasuki matter in the media, found him guilty, labelled him a serial killer of hundreds of thousands through corruption and criminal negligence, and expected that the gullible public already suffused with emotions and hysteria would embrace its quaint judicial procedure. It has half succeeded, undoubtedly, but there are still enough Nigerians in possession of their minds to question and caution the Buhari presidency’s lurch towards dictatorship.

    In sum, President Buhari is wrong on his reading and understanding of the quoted Justice Muhammad judgement, and wronger still on assuming that only the executive should decide what is in the national security interest. The courts now and in the past never abdicated their responsibility to determine who fouled the law. They will not abdicate that responsibility in the future. Nor will the constitution, even in its ambiguous worst, ever cede that right to the executive. As the excerpts below indicate, especially during the golden age of the Supreme Court, there are enough judgements to illustrate why the rule of law must never be subordinated to the arbitrary whims of the executive, regardless of the threat to national security.

    It is shocking and disturbing that the Justice minister, Abubakar Malami, in July flew this horrifying kite of subordinating the rule of law to national security at the behest and say-so of the executive. Because he was not vigorously challenged at the time, and conspiratorially knowing that President Buhari was instantly and eagerly amenable to any thought, law, or precedent that promotes his general disposition to autocracy, he obviously convinced the president that the unlawful and unconstitutional actions against Messrs Dasuki and El-Zakzaky were tenable under the law as presumably interpreted by the apex court. It is disgraceful that there are no longer enough men of conscience in the country to pressure the government to obey the law. And if a few months to the next polls President Buhari can openly embrace a hideous interpretation of the law, the country must wonder what other legal monstrosities he would embrace after he must have been endorsed a second time.

    It is clear that little debate is being undertaken in the presidency. If the president’s position on the rule of law is a collective government decision, then the country is just a hair’s breadth away from dictatorship. Neither the law nor the constitution permits the president to judge with finality when a citizen has breached national security. That the president has appropriated that right and is seeking validation should shame the country into finally seeing the Dasuki and El-Zakzaky affairs as nothing more than the boondoggle the presidency wants them to be. If the National Assembly did not have a legitimacy deficit in the eyes of the public, if legislative leaders lived and operated above suspicion, it would have been far easier to determine that the president has breached the constitution he swore to protect and defend. But regardless of this little difficulty, Nigerians must rise as one to demand unquestionable adherence to the rule of law. It is Col. Dasuki (retd.) and Sheikh El-Zakzaky today; who can tell whose turn it will be tomorrow?

  • National security: How to end farmers/ herders’ clashes

    The country’s many security challenges are surmountable, says Senator Saidu Mohammed Dansadau. In his paper titled: Farmers/herders’ clashes, banditry and national security, the former senator from Zamfara State puts the spate of killings across the land in perspective and proffers enduring solutions.

    At a Forum of Northern and Southern Leaders which held recently, I was invited by the organising committee to make a presentation on the causes and solutions to the spate of killings in Nigeria. My presentation was to last between 10 to 15 minutes.

    Unfortunately, when I was called up to speak, I was informed that I had one minute to make the presentation as the organisers were pressed for time. I had to rearrange my thoughts within that one minute and as I started laying out the bare outlines of my thoughts, I was told my time was up.

    The result was that what I intended to put out, starting from a historical point about national security and then do an analysis of the culture of the Fulani ethnic group, had the effect of portraying me as denigrating my brothers of Fulani extraction. That was not my intention. I thought that if I had just a little more room to waggle, I would have proceeded to the strengths of the tribal group from which we would draw out solutions to the spate of killings.  My aim was to put the spate of killings in Nigeria today in the proper historical perspectives while proffering enduring solutions to the menace, giving my insights into what is going on in Zamfara State.

    After the event, a number of young Fulani compatriots met me as I walked out of the hall and, expectedly, did not have kind words for me. I understand and I apologised. The little space given to me by the organisers did not grant me the room to say what I wanted to say and I crave this space to try a dispassionate discussion of the causes of the rampant killings in the country today and proffer, what I consider, the best measures to tackle the problem. This, in the main, was what I had prepared to say at the summit for which time became an inhibitor.

    For a proper understating, a historical excursion is necessary. And it is important to point out that because herdsmen are widely believed to be mainly of Fulani stock, a discussion of the culture and world view of this ethnic group will be made. I believe that it is in the interest of the public that we have this discussion for a fuller understanding of the problems that assail us as a nation.

    While it is conceded that the actions of a few misguided persons whose intent do not conduce to the health of the society cannot be a complete basis for a discussion that affect the whole, a general pattern of behaviour can be gleaned, however, from the actions of the few. This is not in the least intended as a referendum on the culture and traditions of the Fulani, but because, rightly or wrongly, the ethnic group has featured rather prominently in the discussions about the spiral of killings, whether as a group, or by a component part of it, or hijacked by a criminal syndicate unknown or in dissonance with the objectives of the group, it is important to understand the ethnic dimensions of the phenomenon.

     

    Causes of armed banditry

     

    The factors responsible for the current spate of killings, cattle rustling, armed robbery, kidnappings, raping and maiming of innocent citizens in rural areas are multifaceted as they are multidimensional. Banditry, at least in the colours we now see it as typified by the killings in Zamfara, began following the depleting of Fulani-owned herds of cattle.

    Initially, this depletion was consequent upon recurring payment of large sums of money for the settlement of cases to the police to secure the bail of children or siblings of herdsmen, who, while herding cattle, were involved in clashes with farmers or, in clashes among themselves. The native courts and the police realised the aversion to detention or imprisonment by the Fulani and capitalised on this to threaten detention or imprisonment at the slightest sign of disagreements in order to extort. This aversion itself is a result of the cultural belief that being deprived of the freedom to move about, any kind of imprisonment or detention, attracts calamity to the family. It is a belief steeped in culture.

    The belief in most Hausa communities is that this extortion by native authorities and police, exploiting the aversion to detention, was the immediate cause of cattle rustling. The Fulani peasants lost their herds by means of the factors specified above, and also by their contact with modernity’s social interactions. It is believed that for this category of peasants, having had their flocks depleted trying to save their kith and kin from police and court exploitation, decided that no other ethnic group, especially the kado  (derogatory word for Hausa and other non fulani blacks) would keep herds of cattle while theirs have been unfairly deprived.

    The next phase was the recruitment of informants who gave them information as to Hausa communities and families that own cattle for them to rustle. They bribed traditional rulers and the police with stolen cattle or money from the proceeds of the sale of same. Local butchers, Hausa, Fulani, and other ethnic stock, got involved because the cattle were sold at give-away prices, like most stolen items on sale. Unemployed Hausa youths in the villages got involved and became emissaries to buy essential commodities such as drugs, food items, petrol, drinks, intoxicants and repairs of their motorcycles. They are paid generous sums of money. Paramedical staff that go to the bush to treat the injured were paid in similar proportion. Among the informants in Zamfara State are traditional rulers’ guards (dogarai), and some unpatriotic staff of security agencies. Some of these informants, themselves, have become, not only peripheral participants and collaborators, but also directly partake in sundry criminal activities.

    A very intelligent, informed and shrewd race, the Fulani sometimes blur the line between bravery and belligerence. He constantly adjusts his plans and strategies to adapt to the times, different circumstances and the environment while his espionage capabilities are at a high level, usually, unanticipated for the level of his peasantry. That makes him difficult to fight and an extremely dangerous enemy.

    The level of kinship of the Fulani is second to none. It permeates every fibre of their lives. Such strong brotherhood may have given rise to the bond of community and each and every member has the backing of the other. A Fulani man can give all of himself for the survival of his brother or family member. His selfless nature can be attested to by the simple example that when his brother or cattle is sick or hungry as himself, he will attend to the hunger or illness of the other before himself.

    To illustrate the last point, I recall a story told us, as students of the Sokoto College of Education in the 70s by the late DanMasanin Kano, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule of blessed memory, when he delivered a lecture on the attributes of good leadership. Maitama Sule cited Shehu Usman Danfodio’s (RA) inaugral address to his Sixteen Flag Bearers the day he gave them the “Mandate Flags”. Emerging to deliver his address, the Sheik simply said: “Return to your domains; your areas of jurisdiction, and emulate a typical Fulani cattle rearer. I wish you success. You can be on your way now. Good bye.” He turned away, taking leave of them. One of his disciples, sensing confusion among the flag bearers said to the Sheik that they did not understand the message. Shehu Usman (RA) then explained: Have you not observed that when a Fulani cattle rearer is hungry and his cow, which he has direct responsibility over, is also hungry, he does his utmost best  to provide food for the cow before himself or when he is sick and one of his herds is sick that he treats the animal before himself? Haven’t you observed that a 13-year old Fulani child or boy commanding more than one hundred herds of cattle take them to the bush for grazing? Are you not marvelled at the bond that exists between them that they obey his simple calls to them? Haven’t you observed that when a typical Fulani sells one out of his herds to the butcher, the butcher finds it extremely difficult to take it home because of the attachment of the cow to the herder and the butcher has to force the animal home with strain? I therefore charge to treat your subjets – the governed – in the manner the typical Fulani cattle rearer treats his cattle. That will guarantee the obedience and earn you the respect of your subjects and guarantee the prevalence of peace and tranquility in your domains. If you treat your subjects in the manner butchers treat animals, you will not earn the respect of the people you govern.

     

    Looking back to move forward

     

    A recent history will help illuminate the context of our discourse and help in the search for solution. The 2001 herdsmen/farmers clashes in Plateau State which led former President Olusegun Obasanjo to declare a state of emergency in the state started following a clash whereupon indigenes killed 500 herds of cattle in retaliation. The Fulani who were affected by this onslaught, it was said, sent “goron gayyata”, a SOS of existential proportions, and invited their kith and kin from within Nigeria and other parts of Africa to save them from extinction by the “kado” i.e. indigenes. They all came and the Plateau attack happened. The consequence was catastrophic. Many of the visiting attackers made a lot of material gains and went back home, scot free. Some remained in Nigeria, having realised that Nigeria is a criminal-free zone where crimes hardly attract the proportionate sanctions.

    Such illegal aliens remained in Nigeria and made a career of criminality, making remittances to their home countries in the manner citizens of any country in the Diaspora make remittances to their home countries. This factor explains the convergence of criminals from West African countries and beyond in Nigeria. It has become a business for them.

    In addition, the increasing dimension of unemployment, poverty, hunger and the lifestyle of Nigerian elite which combine to frustrate unemployed youths and tempt them into the league of crimes terrorising citizens (murder, kidnap, abductions, rape, maiming) to make money and live luxurious lives like the childten of the elite they see around them, is another factor behind the clashes.

    One other factor that is responsible for the upsurge of criminalities and insecurity is that military commanders and other security agencies deployed to affected areas rarely consult community leaders before embarking on their operations. They mainly consult government bureaucracy who often times are complicit in the phenomenum. The Zamfara tales of horror is one example. The local hunters, civilian JTF, Yansakai, or other vigilance groups are, most of the times, arrested and detained when they are in the best position to provide assistance for the successful military operations in view of their knowledge of the local terrain and other extraneous expertise they have acquired for a successful fight against criminals.

    The most dangerous trend that compounded the phenomenon is the religous and ethnic sentiments Nigerians attach to these killings. It is most unfortunate that in this era of civilisation, advanced science and technology, Nigeria has lost respect for the sanctity of human life. Reactions to killings are informed by religious, ethnic and other sentimenatal considerations.

    One other factor is the absence of oversight on the part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government. Funds released by the government for military operations to confront this menace rarely reach the desired destination to warrant success. The government appears more interested in telling Nigerians how much it spends on security rather than tracking the success attained. The PMB government lacks effective monitoring system to ensure the attainment of value for funds spent. If something is not done urgently, Nigeria is at the risk of these criminal elements taking control of areas and structures within the country.

     

    Way forward

     

    • In the short term, the government in conjuction with community leaders and fulani leaders, should jointly plan and execute enlighntement and re-orientation campaign to educate farmers and Fulani herders on the benefit to everybody of harmonious and peaceful co-existence.
    • Nigerians, especially religious leaders and the media should treat this spate of killings as a national emergency and desist from attaching unnecessary sentiment to it so as to pull resources and forces together towards obliterating this unprecedented existential challenge to the unity of our country and peaceful co-existence. There can be no development without peace.
    • Ground military troops, the intelligence community and community leaders should work assidiously to make as many arrests of the criminals as possible for prosecution and conviction as it has been shown that mass killings of the criminals have the unintended consequences of the deaths of many innocent citizens. Conviction for deterance is the best strategy under the present circumstances.
    • Military commandants deployed to affected areas for military operations should make extensive consultations with community/fulani leaders before and during operations.
    • President Buharui should as a matter of urgency hold meetings with community/Fulani leaders in the affected areas and the top echelon of the security agencies to discuss the operational challenges militating against the success of the fight against these criminals and more proactive, practical measures can be adopted to tackle this profer solution.
    • Nigeria’s borders are too porous. More resources, human and material, should be directed towards a wholesome policing of our borders to check unregulated influx of foreigners into our country
    • Government should put in place policies that will substantially curtail and eliminate the expensive life style of the Nigerian elite.
    • Activities of the productive sector should be boosted by deliberate government policies to provide for sustainable employment opportunituies in the countries.
    • Concerted effort should be made to provide quality education to children of the fulani like all other citizens to enable them contribute positively to the nation’s development.

    President Buhari should put an effective monitoring strategy that may comprise trusted and honest security personel and some administrative cadre personnel to ensure that all funds released for military operation are prudently and efficiently utilised for the purpose they are meant for.

  • Aregbesola: herdsmen killing threats to national security

    Aregbesola: herdsmen killing threats to national security

    Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola has said the killing by herdsmen constitutes veritable threats to national security.

    The governor urged security agencies to end the menace.

    Aregbesola delivered an address, titled: African Knowledges and Alternative Futures, at an event to honour a professor of African History at the University of Texas, Houston, United States of America (USA), Prof Toyin Falola, on his 65th birthday.

    The event, chaired by Prof Jide Owoeye, proprietor of Lead City University in Ibadan, was also attended by scholars from different parts of Nigeria and other countries.

    Some of the dignitaries include the President of Historical Society of Nigeria, Prof Chris Ogbogbo, and Prof. Gloria Emeagwali, a professor of History and African Studies at Central Connecticut State University in USA, who delivered keynote addresses.

    Aregbesola said: “It is condemnable and it is hereby condemned very strongly. The taking of human lives, especially of unarmed innocent people, who are not in any state of war, is unjustifiable, cruel and should not be tolerated in any civilised society.

    “As a people, we need to tread carefully here on the killings by the herdsmen across the country. As bad and reprehensible as they are, they are not as deadly as the Nigerian Civil War we fought between 1967 and 1970.

    “So, I condemn the herdsmen atrocities. We must go beyond that to situate what will be our reaction and response as a people and a nation. However, I am joining other well-meaning people in calling on the security agencies to bring an end to the wittiness of this act.

    “The cardinal duty of the government is the protection of lives and property. Every life is sacred and the government should keep it so. Those who are engaged in this barbarous act should be hunted to the end of the earth, apprehended, tried and made to serve the full deed of the law. That should be our demand.

    “We should demand the apprehension of the criminals who torment the compatriots, and adequate judicial action should be taken against them. That is the only way we can tell Nigerians that their safety is guaranteed by the law and the government.”

    The governor cautioned against actions that could set the nation on fire.

    He noted that no nation or society can progress without peace.

    Aregbesola said: “This calls for all of us to be more reflective on issues… What we see in Syria, Yemen, what we are seeing in Sierra-Leone, and what we are seeing in Nigeria, makes it clear to us that peace is the only way to progress.

    “However, in the interest of black people of the world, Nigeria must not just exist. In the interest of the black race, Nigeria must not just exist but it must be strong and must be able to lead the continent to achieve its manifest, its historic destiny. That is why we must be careful in responding to some of these actions.”

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Olalekan Alli, said his administration believed in knowledge-driven government and governance as upheld by Falola.

    He added that the present Oyo State government would continue to place priority on knowledge-driven governance.

    The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, who was the royal father of the day, stressed the importance of education for Nigeria and African countries in overcoming socio-economic and political challenges.

    He said: “The Nigerian case calls for the intellectual input of the Yoruba to re-define the nature and pattern of relationship among the diverse and seemingly disparate ethnic groups or nations in Nigeria.

    “Scholars should lead other stakeholders and segments of society to provide intellectual response to restructuring the Nigerian federation. The African academia and intelligentsia should not concede leadership in this enterprise to indolent politicians and self-appointed opinion leaders whose stock in trade is soapbox grandstanding and parliamentary rhetoric.

    “Our claim to bring educated will only be meaningful, if we acquire knowledge, internalise its values and appropriate wisdom therefrom for finding solutions to the twin problems of underdevelopment and state collapse.”

    Orangun of Oke-Ila Oba Adedokun Abolarin said the essence of education was to serve others in achieving intellectual development.

  • Immigration: Biometric visa system to enhance national security

    The Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) yesterday reaffirmed that the Nigerian Biometric Visa System will improve national security and accelerate economic growth and development.

    According to a statement by the NIS spokesman, James Sunday, Nigeria stands to benefit greatly by updating her Visa process through leveraging of Biometric technology, hence increasing security of her borders, promoting ease of doing business and enhancing the economic prosperity of its citizens.

    The statement reads in part: “Against the backdrop of the migratory trends this is a strategic border monitoring and passenger registering process using modern technology involving the biometric every traveller that will pass through recognised entry and exit points, in fact it is the best international practice apart from the deployment of highly skilled, professional and experienced special border corps officers to man our borders.”

    The statement added that the biometric project was nurtured by the Minister of the Interior Lt Gen A B DAmbazzau (rtd) in conjunction with the Comptroller General of Immigration Muhammad Babandede.

    Some of the benefits were listed as identifying and confirming intended traveller’s identity, archiving of data, biometric information for all foreigners entering the country and others.

     

     

  • Dickson accuses FG of politicising national security

    Dickson accuses FG of politicising national security

    Says Buhari not personally in charge
    Condemns Senseless nationwide killings

     

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, on Thursday, accused the Federal Government of playing politics with the national security.

    Dickson further alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari was not personally in charge of the country’s critical security architecture.

    The governor said Buhari’s failures to be in charge of the nation’s security and engage critical stakeholders was the reason why APC leaders were playing politics with security.

    Dickson in a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Francis Ottah Agbo, said some APC chieftains had taken advantage of the dysfunctional and imperfect federal structure to hijack the security architecture.

    He lamented that they were using the security structures to torment innocent citizens for their selfish ends and by so doing , causing national insecurity.

    Dickson said the wind of insecurity blowing across the nation and particularly the upsurge in herdsmen/farmers clashes were fueled by politicisation of security by the Federal Government.

    He, therefore, called on Buhari to personally handle security matters and engage state governors with a view to knowing their specific challenges in the various states.

    Dickson also called on the President to call his party leaders especially, persons in Bayelsa State to order; to desist from sponsoring insecurity in the sate.

    He said some APC leaders in the state were using the name of the President to compromise security by intimidating security agencies, stockpiling arms and ammunition, killing and ransacking communities at will.

    The governor said he formally reported the matter to the President and relevant authorities but lamented that instead of bringing the perpetrators to book, the Federal Government, to his utmost chagrin, not only shielded the criminals from prosecution but provided them with security.

    The said: “These APC leaders exploit the fact that Mr. President is not personally involved in the handling of national security to breach national peace and security .

    “They know that he is not in charge of the critical issues of national security because he is not personally handling them the way he should.

    “So they take advantage of the President’s attitude and the dysfunctional Nigeria state to intimidate and blackmail security agencies for their selfish interest and in the process, endanger the safety of lives and property of Nigerians.

    “These APC leaders use the name of the President to sponsor criminals to unleash savage violence on innocent citizens. Their aim is to cause panic and force them to align with them.

    “A case in point is in Bayelsa State where some APC leaders hide under the protection of the Federal Government to stockpile arms and ammunition to maim and kill innocent citizens just to instill fear in them.

    ”I have personally reported this to Mr. President and to the best of my knowledge, there has not been any decisive action from him or the Federal Government.

    “Instead of prosecuting these criminals, the Federal Government has beefed up security around them. The politicisation of national security must stop for there can be no country without security!”

    The governor also condemned the recent killings across the country and warned that the country would cease to have a future if the Federal Government failed to urgently unite the peoples of Nigeria to avert the nationwide senseless killings.

    He stressing that the country was more than ever before too divided and unstable under the APC- led Federal Government.

  • ‘Arms proliferation threat to national security’

    A war veteran, Lt. Col. Yakubu Anifowoshe (rtd), has described as alarming the rate of illegal importation of arms and ammunition into the country, warning that the menace,  if not check by all possible means, posses a great threat to the nation’s security.

    Anifowoshe, a former president of Retired Army, Navy and Air-Force Officers Association (RANAO), while giving the warning in Ibadan at the weekend, called on the government and relevant authorities to stop of the inflow of illegal arms and ammunition in order to avert dire consequences.

    He expressed concern over the rate at which operatives of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have been intercepting arms and ammunitions illegally imported to the country by yet to be identified individuals or corporate organizations and added that the current agitations across the country made the recent importation suspicious and called for thorough investigation.

    While noting that most of the people causing trouble in the country have the opportunities to run away whenever the bubble bursts, the former RANAO President called on the leaders of the country to do all within their powers to nip all the emerging crises in the bud, saying “during the civil war and thereafter, many families were separated, many homes destroyed and many children lost their parents. I don’t think the country can survive another war, we may not see its end”.

    Stressing that no force can keep the country together, other than right counsels, persuasion and roundtable discussions, Anifowoshe said, “it is necessary for people to sit together and discuss. We don’t have to be selfish. Let us sit round the table and chart a way forward. Nobody, who fought in the last civil war will like to see another war. Flexibility is one of the principles of war and it is hoped that President Muhammadu Buhari will keep to this.”

    He added that people are agitating for restructuring because of marginalization and charged the leaders to engage in consultations, stressing that present situation calls for referendum. “I think now is the time to listen to the agitations and call for a referendum. We must feel the people’s pulse and abide by the outcome,” he stated.

     

  • Arms proliferation, threat to national security

    SIR: When the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace Disarmament in Africa in 2016 raised an alarm on the spate of proliferation of illicit small arms and light weapons in Nigeria to the tune of 350 million, many dismissed it as lacking accurate statistical data for its verification. Although many Nigerians believe that the porous nature of the nation’s borders might facilitate this illicit and nefarious enterprise through activities of smugglers, but the recent discovery that some of these weapons could actually pass through the nation’s prime port –Lagos, was rather rattling

    In January, this year Nigerians were jolted by the breaking news that the Nigerian Customs Service intercepted 661 pieces of pump-action riffles from China surreptitiously concealed in steel doors and other merchandise goods. The fact that the consignment was purportedly cleared from Lagos port cast not a little doubt on the integrity and competence of officers of the Customs but in a swift move to purge itself of complicity, the Customs leadership dismissed the culpable officers.

    Four months later, in May, news of another seizure of a container with 440 arms and ammunition hit the newsstand. This time around, the consignment was disguised and declared as Plaster of Paris by the importer. The imports which were said to have originated from Turkey were intercepted even before declaration. Arrest was also effected and it is believed that the suspects are being prosecuted.

    This week, Monday, September 11, the Comptroller of Custom Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd) confirmed yet another seizure of 1100 pump-action-riffles in Lagos. This brings the number of intercepted pump-action–riffles within the last eight months to 2201. Already, the Customs officer and the clerk at the command which were found to be complicit have been promptly arrested for investigation.

    For a nation currently being polarized along ethnic divide with threats and counter threats, it calls for a national vigilance of not only the security operatives but by all well meaning citizens. With the recent rampant incidents of Boko-Haram insurgency in the North-east, militancy in the South-south, the herdsmen’s attack in the North-central and the agitation for secession in the South-east, the country’s security architecture should be repositioned and be battle-ready to square up with any  possible break-down of law and order. This is certainly not the time to rest on one’s oars.

    It is also not the time to revel in self-congratulations for effecting those few interceptions because one may not know how many of such consignments have successfully found their ways un-detected into the country through the ports and sundry porous borders across the country. The most baffling of this narrative is the fact that we still have officers in the Nigerian Customs Service who would not mind if the entire country is consumed in a conflagration so long as their pockets are stuffed with filthy lucre. It is equally pathetic since they have no inkling of where they would be, in event where these lethal objects of human destruction are put to use as they could be victims.

    Since the exporting countries of these fire-arms are already known, the Customs should interact and interface with the World Customs Organization to ensure the security of the nation’s trade supply chain and strengthen enforcement to combat all forms of illicit trade. It should also unravel the mystery behind these nefarious transactions and invoke extant legal framework to sanction the culprits.

    Nigeria’s firearms’ laws should be rejigged to deal with emerging security challenges in the country in order to curb illegal and abusive use of light weapons by unauthorized people.

    The revelation made by the presidential committee on small and light weapons in 2015 that about 60 percent of all illicit arms used in the South-east zone of the country were locally fabricated should provide a veritable template for holistic sensitizations, regulations and disarmament.

     

    • Itaobong Offiong Etim,

    Calabar.