In observance of this year’s International Non-violence Day, Nigeria stands at a critical juncture, with escalating crime rates and pervasive violence demanding immediate attention. In this report, CHINAKA OKORO highlights the urgent need for intensified combat operations, particularly in volatile regions. Strengthening these efforts is essential to liberating Nigerians from the relentless waves of violence that have plunged them into profound psychological, social, economic and political distress
In the heart of Nigeria, where the sunsets paint the sky in hues of amber, there exists a resilience that defies the darkness. Amidst the shadows of crime and violence, ordinary individuals are crafting extraordinary tales of courage, hope, and determination. This is not just a story of despair; it’s a narrative of human spirit triumphing over adversity.
Meet Aisha, 23, a young woman from Lagos, whose life took an unforeseen turn when she became a victim of a violent robbery. Left physically injured and emotionally scarred, Aisha refused to succumb to fear. With unwavering determination, she channelled her pain into advocacy, raising awareness about crime prevention and supporting fellow survivors. Her courage became a beacon of hope for many others.
In the bustling city of Jos, amidst ethnic tensions, resides Ahmed, a peace activist. Despite losing his parents to a communal clash, Ahmed chose the path of reconciliation over revenge. He founded a community centre that brings together youths from diverse backgrounds. Through dialogue and education, he’s breaking the cycle of violence, one heart at a time. Far away in Maiduguri, the epicentre of insurgency lives Dr Fatima, a psychiatrist. She has dedicated her life to healing the invisible wounds that violence inflicts. Through therapy and counseling, she helps survivors, especially children, reclaim their lives. Her compassionate approach is stitching back the torn fabric of countless families, proving that love can conquer hate.
The experiences of individuals mentioned above echo the struggles faced by countless families globally, impacted by violence in various forms. It comes as no surprise that the United Nations (UN) General Assembly designates October 2 annually as the International Day of Non-violence. This day serves a vital purpose, promoting awareness about the pervasive issues of violence and insecurity within societies. According to the UN, this observance aims to disseminate the message of non-violence through education and public awareness, emphasising the urgent need for a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding, and non-violence.
Determined to strengthen actions for peace and to demonstrate its ambition for the #GlobalGoals, the UN chose “Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals” as the theme of this year’s event. Being a call to action that recognises individual and collective responsibility to foster peace, the UN General Assembly noted that fostering peace contributes to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will, in turn, contribute to the achievement of peace. The global goals are a plan agreed to by world leaders to build a greener, fairer, better world by 2030.
On what constitutes violence, the World Health Organisation (WHO) described it as an “intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.”
And for this year’s celebration, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has issued a clarion call to “build, drive and sustain peace for all” across the world. He stated that “people and our planet are in crisis,” drawing attention to the unprecedented impact of the complex crises facing humanity – from conflicts, displacement, climate change and human rights atrocities to inequalities. These days, a record number of people need humanitarian aid mostly due to conflicts and other emergencies. Basically, one-quarter of humanity lives in conflict-affected areas and many more people suffer from poverty, hunger, injustice and inequalities. Peace is not only a noble vision for humanity. Peace is a call for action…”
Continuing, he said: “Non-violence is the tool to evolve into the higher consciousness. We do not need guns and bombs to bring peace; we need love and compassion. An unjust law is itself a species of violence.”
But, can the world witness a situation where mankind experiences all-round peace? How possible, for instance, is it for Nigeria and Nigerians to live their lives peaceably? Mr Chukuma Ifeanyichukwu Nwose, a Professor of Finance and Human Resources Management and External Coordinator at the Strategic Plan Development and Implementation Directorate, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Efurum Warri, Delta State, said it is most important that public health practitioners understand the scope of violence and be able to identify points for intervention to prevent violence and its health and social impacts.
On whether Nigeria is at that stage of experiencing total peace, Prof. Nwose pointed out that “the country has not reached such stage of non-aggressive situation,” even as he didn’t rule out its possibility. “Nigeria is faced with an unprecedented wave of different but overlapping security crises – from kidnapping to extremist insurgencies – almost every corner of the country has been hit by violence and crime. The insurgents have been a great source of violence against Nigerians,” he said.
Another form of violence that Nigerians are experiencing is that of kidnapping. Prof. Nwose hinted that many Nigerians – wealthy or related to wealthy people – have been kidnapped and their families or relations have parted with large sums of money before the victims regained their freedoms. He said further: “As if those forms of violence are not enough, Nigerians are now witnessing banditry in almost every state so much so that the governments have begun to play the role of the defeated by negotiating for the release of those indigenous to the states in question. The herders’/farmers’ clashes in almost all the states are worrisome. This recent form of violence has affected not only the well-being of the communities but has also affected food production as farmers could no longer go to their farms for fear of being killed by the herders.”
The security situation in Nigeria
Nigeria is said to be one of the countries with the highest terrorism threat levels globally. Total deaths from terrorism in Nigeria fell to 448 in 2021, the lowest level since 2011. Several militant groups are active in the country, leading to attacks on both civil and military targets.
Nigeria, in recent times, has recorded unprecedented security challenges such as Boko Haram terrorist (BHT) attacks, militancy, armed robbery, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, herders’/farmers’ clashes and cultism, among other social vices.
Doris Dokua Sasu, a research expert, in a report on deaths arising from violence by Boko Haram in Nigeria and other neighbouring countries, said: “Between 2011 and 2023, Boko Haram was responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Nigeria is the country most affected by the terrorist group’s attacks.”
In addition to this, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), has revealed that Nigeria experienced over 80,000 deaths related to insecurity between 1999 and 2022. Information gleaned from its website https//acleddata.com states that “Nigeria’s long-standing security challenges continued in 2019 and 2020. There are conflicts among farmers and herders mainly in the Middle Belt but increasingly moving to Southern states; communal and ethnic clashes in the North-central region and increasingly in the Southern states; Biafra separatists in the Southeast region and oil militants in Southern Nigeria, particularly the Niger Delta.”
In the same manner, Global Rights, an international human rights capacity-building non-governmental organisation, described Nigeria’s 2019 threshold of violence as ‘very high,” while the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) covering events in 2019/2020 ranked Nigeria in 3rd place (same ranking as in the previous year). Taking into account only those countries most impacted by terrorism, the GTI described Nigeria as being one of those that could be classified as in a “state of war.” In terms of peace experienced in the country, according to the Global Peace Index (GPI) 2020, Nigeria ranked 147th out of 163 countries (compared to its 148th position in the previous year). On security-related attacks, it revealed that the country witnessed 17,591 incidents from 1999 to June 2022. Out of this figure, 12,665 occurred between 2015 and 2022.
In addition, data obtained from the Nigerian Security Tracker (NST), a project by the Council on Foreign Relations, noted that “between 2015 and 2022, a total of 53,418 Nigerians lost their lives due to activities of non-state actors.” The deaths were said to have resulted from conflicts among farmers and herders, clashes among religious groups and attacks by terrorists and bandits.
Apart from the killings, Nigeria witnessed some remarkable abductions in 2021. According to SBM Intelligence, Nigeria’s leading geopolitical research consultancy, on the average, 13 people were abducted in a day in the first half of 2021. Cumulatively, 2,371 people were kidnapped within the first six months of 2021. The research group reeled off some of the remarkable abductions in 2021 to include “those of students from Government Science College in Kagara, Niger State; Government Day Secondary School in Kaya, Zamfara State; Government Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State and Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State.”
Terrorism-related deaths in Nigeria
A report by Sasu indicates that 1,245 Nigerians lost their lives in terrorist attacks in 2019. Another report by the Stefanos Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) dedicated to human rights and peace building, has revealed that Nigeria experienced 217 attacks between January and April this year. These attacks, it said, occurred in 34 different states and had severe consequences, resulting in the loss of 1,872 lives, 714 abductions and 65 injuries.
This grim situation, according to Ebenezer Obadare, a Council on Foreign Relations expert, is capable of putting Nigeria’s future on the line. Obadare noted that as a result of the escalating violence, “Nigeria is experiencing a dramatic upsurge in everyday violence, including abductions, religiously-motivated attacks, assaults by armed gangs and police brutality.” On what could be behind the increase in violence, Obadare revealed that “it’s driven by several factors.” He stated that “the rise in violence is a function of degraded state capacity, mistrust of law enforcement and erosion of the rule of law.”
Obadare expressed his concern that the country’s kidnap-for-ransom industry has surged, leading to the abduction of 1,484 people between January and March 2023. In a study, Sasu pointed out some of the causes of crime and violence in Nigeria. In Crime in Nigeria-Statistics and Facts, she said: “Political instability, citizen alienation, terrorism and violence define the Nigerian crime scene. Nigeria has recently been included among the countries with the least peace in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. “It is the 18th less peaceful state. In addition, Nigeria is the sixth country most affected by terrorism, based on the Global Terrorism Index. “Nigeria is the second country in Africa with the highest risk of genocide and the sixth worldwide.”
Also, Victor Osagbouwa Obanor, the Functioning Permanent Secretary of Edo State Ministry of Electricity has noted that “crime and violence have increased dramatically in the globe (including Nigeria) in recent decades, particularly in large urban areas. The achievement of peaceful, sustained and equitable development remains the greatest challenge facing the human race. Despite good progress over the past generation, millions of people are still displaced by violence and crime, thus, creating many poor communities.”
Stressing the need for unity among humankind, Obanor highlighted that the “co-existence of all humankind makes human development and the shunning social vices imperative. Egalitarian society and political development ensure human dignity through freedom of expression, democratic participation and an opportunity to influence things that would influence the community positively.”
Control Arms, a global coalition with an interest in the reduction of armed violence and conflict through controls, notes that each year, more than 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence.
Information from its website controlarms.org, indicates that “every day, thousands of people are killed, injured, raped, or forced to flee from their homes as a result of the poorly regulated global arms trade. “The uncontrolled proliferation of arms and ammunition fuels conflicts increases human rights abuses and exacerbates poverty.”
Violence resulting from terrorism has been devastating for Nigeria and Nigerians. Nwose, Obanor and other commentators affirm that after any terrorist acts, people suffer from post–traumatic stress disorders, anxiety and major depression. They added that “survivors of terrorist attacks are more vulnerable to substance abuse issues and psychosomatic symptoms after an attack.” Acts of terrorism have a direct effect on the enjoyment of a number of human rights, in particular the rights to life, liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatments.
Apart from the above effects, terrorism has affected investment in farms and reduced the pool of farm labour, even as agricultural production has been adversely affected. Evidence indicates that acts of terrorism have a negative and significant effect on agricultural output. Pundits maintain that terrorism has some economic consequences on the country’s economy. These consequences are, but are not limited to destruction of human and physical capital, increase in vulnerability, expansion of defence expenditures and re-allocation of scarce resources from developmental to non-developmental purposes. “Violence reduces foreign and domestic investment as well as domestic savings, thus hindering prospects for long-term growth,” they say.
In a telephone chat, a medical practitioner at Federal University Teaching Hospital Owerri (FUTH Owerri) (formerly Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri Imo State, who spoke in confidence explained that violence can never add to the growth of any society; rather it depletes its fortunes. He said: “Those who experience or witness violence may develop a variety of problems, including anxiety, depression, insecurity, anger, poor anger management, poor social skills, pathological lying, manipulative behaviour, impulsiveness and lack of empathy.”
Government’s efforts in tackling insecurity
Nigeria’s experience of extreme violence or insecurity has been dastardly. This makes it imperative that she should explore all opportunities to ensure that it is reduced to the barest. Expectedly, authorities at various levels have been making efforts to ensure that the war on terror is won. The Federal government has reiterated its resolve to tackle the security challenges with vigour. For instance, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, expressed the view that “the government will evolve a new security apparatus where inter-agency collaboration will take the centre stage.”
Ribadu spoke at the 2023 conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Abuja. Presenting a paper on “Crafting a Strategic Blueprint for Security and Prosperity,” he said: “The government will take tough decisions on security because it has become one of the most significant threats to Nigeria’s socio-economic well-being,” even as he noted that terrorist groups and other non-state actors are operating in various parts of the country. Stressing that the Federal Government is committed to tackling insecurity, Ribadu said: “We must focus on one tune, coordinate, share information, share intelligence and work harder.”
In line with this, security experts have also urged the Federal Government to strengthen law enforcement and judicial capabilities, expand aviation and border security, deepen global information sharing, counter-terrorist financing and improve crisis response and counter-violent extremism. Other measures that the government can adopt against insecurity are economic development, combating corruption, improving governance, addressing ethnic and religious conflicts, investing in security, community engagement and addressing political issues. On tackling the root causes of insecurity, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, Malik Samuel has advised President Bola Tinubu-led administration to tackle causes of insecurity from the basics. He said: “The President should address the root causes of insecurity.
“The President should also focus on the safety and the welfare of the people. Instead of focusing on military force, he should address the issues driving the violence such as issues of governance and corruption.”
Even though Nigeria Watch has reported in its Eleventh Report on Violence in Nigeria 2021 that no fewer than 168,757 people died in 34,991 violent incidents in Nigeria between 2006 and 2021, current figures confirm that the rate of violence in the country has reduced considerably. The report noted that “the fatalities maintained an upward trend between 2017 and 2021.
