Insecurity in Nigeria has become an implacable monster and the time to tame it is now! Of the many challenges currently assailing the country, insecurity stands out. It has held the country by the jugular, tearing apart every fabric that is holding it together, be it political, economic, social, communal, or otherwise and at the same time denying it of the much needed unity and peace at this critical moment.
It must be stated clearly that never in the history of this country, except perhaps, during the civil war years of 1967 to 1970, have Nigerians lived with so much apprehension and sense of insecurity as they do now. Today, almost everyone feels so vulnerable, so insecure, so helpless and utterly nonplused as a result of this disgusting development sweeping across the country.
Round the clock, Nigerians are daily assailed by an unconventional enemy, with apparently no hope of the situation being addressed or remedied now or in the nearest future. Virtually every inch of the vast geographical entity called Nigeria, from the North to the South; the East to the West, has fallen into the iron grip of bandits, marauders, kidnappers, armed robbers, killer herdsmen and the latest group, simply called Unknown Gunmen.
People are brutally and savagely killed everywhere. The most disturbing aspect is the fact that these outlaws make no distinction between the poor and the rich. Everybody is a target. The continued wanton killings and the destruction of precious means of livelihood, which should be an exception, have sadly become the norm and this is being done without any iota of mercy or remorse. No single day passes without the sad news of one insecurity related incident or the other being served in the media.
Sadly, the Federal Government which has the monopoly of the instrument of coercion and enforcement, and, constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property and ensuring that every citizen of this country is safe, secure and goes about his business in peace anywhere they so wish, seems overwhelmed or utterly helpless.
All we have been treated to is a cocktail of condolence messages from the Presidency and vague, empty promises to deal ruthlessly with these outlaws without any accompanying meaningful action. And whenever such presidential warnings and threats are issued, the marauders respond promptly with even more severe strike than hitherto known.
This is rather unfortunate as it has emboldened the criminals to become more daring and deadlier. Our security agencies seem overwhelmed and are merely playing hide and seek with Nigerians. This country cannot and should not continue like this. Time has come for actions aimed at tackling insecurity headlong and it must be such that everyone will and can attest to that of a truth the government of the day is really out to ensure that security is a thing of priority to it above every other thing else.
Perpetrators of these heinous crimes against the peace loving people of this country are criminals and do not deserve any mercy. While some of them terrorise communities with the aim of kidnapping them for ransom, others have very bizarre motives behind their dastardly acts.
Like blood thirsty demons and acting as agents of division, they often suddenly swoop on targeted communities at odd hours of the night or when people are at their most vulnerable period during the day, with sophisticated weapons killing men, women and children. They not only kill, they burn houses after ransacking them, destroying valuable properties, maiming as many as attempt to escape and then vanish into thin air.
Like a colossus, insecurity, today bestrides the country, forcing both the government and people peeping miserably through its huge legs.
We will not inundate Nigerians with the disconcerting daily figures which are so heart-wrenching. They are not just emotionally depressing, they have the potential to stir up spontaneous revolt across the land, especially given the fragile nature of our polity and the proclivity of the people to be easily swayed to buy into hate theories of one ethnic group against another.
“The most disturbing aspect is the fact that these outlaws make no distinction between the poor and the rich. Everybody is a target “
We, therefore, strongly hold that this situation cannot continue. It is high time the Federal Government took charge of the situation and put an end to the perplexing security scenario that is fast deteriorating on a daily basis. The joke on the street is that a Nigerian life is the cheapest of article anywhere in the world. It should not be, whether exaggerated or not.
Before it becomes established that the government has abdicated its legitimate duties and obligations towards the citizens of this great country, it must move quickly to find the political will to ruthlessly and dispassionately tackle the whole gamut of insecurity related issues in the country.
The fact, and undeniably so, is that insecurity in the country has risen to a level the government should be ashamed of. It is, therefore, time for it to be tamed. For too long, government has treated it with kid gloves and accompanying lip service. The so-called hoodlums are not ghosts and they are not aliens from outer space.
To do otherwise is to surrender the sovereignty of the country to outlaws. How the Federal Government plans to do this is best known to it. But we strongly feel that the Government owes it a duty to itself, Nigerians and the international community to rise up to the occasion of stemming the slide into anarchy, unbridled lawlessness and a reenactment of the crudest law of nature where only the fittest earns the right to survive.
