By Musa Ilallah
It is undoubtedly true that the country has witnessed an astronomical upsurge of criminal activities in the last six months or so. It is also not in doubt that security agencies are overwhelmed in a way by such incidents because of their wide spread in the country.
From the North to the South, from the East to the West, the story has invariably been very gloomy with insurgents, bandits, cultists, kidnappers, cattle rustlers, murderers, armed robbers, un known gunmen, cyber criminals/internet fraudstars and all sorts of criminals unsettling the country with hundreds of lives lost and properties worth billions of Naira destroyed and billions of Naira stolen.
Most hit states across the length and breadth of the country are Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi and Kano in the North West; Niger, Benue, Nassarawa, Kogi, Kwara and Plateau in the North Central and Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Taraba, Adamawa and recently Bauchi in the North East.
Others are Imo, Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi in the South East. In the South South, states affected are Delta, Rivers, Cross Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. In the South West states hit are Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun and Ekiti.
Despite all the efforts of the PMB administration to deal with the situation and nip it in the bud, we are in all honesty far from achieving our goal of restoration of peace in the country.
The bottlenecks however are far from rearing their ugly heads out of sight. From the cries of insufficient budgetary allocations for security agencies to reports of allegations of sabotage and compromise by those charged with the responsibility to execute the war either in the battle front or off the field, there is an increase in crime recently. Others include allegations of tacit support by some members of communities being on the payroll of criminals serving as informants among others.
Recent negative comments on the security situation in the country by some prominent Nigerians and groups as reported by traditional and online newspapers are not in any way helping the situation.
Their comments are rather drumming up rhythms of war, disintegration, breaking up of the country thus over heating the polity. Such comments by any interpretation are not only uncomplimentary but also views that will not be allowed to go without any reciprocal response by government since they are capable of endangering the current democracy being practiced in the country.
“Nigeria will collapse in 6 months time Robert Clark swears by his father’s grave”, reported by Vanguard newspaper of 3/5/21; “Wale Oke: I’m praying God should remove Buhari”, The Cable of 2/5/21″; “Damning verdict: Why Buhari’s govt is collapsing- Mbazulike”, The Tribune of 2/5/21 and “Buhari’s resignation will pave way for national peace, says PFN President”, Thisday live of 2/5/21.
“Herdsmen attacks: Buhari part of Fulani agenda to conquer Nigeria, Tiv youths allege”, Daily Post 1/5/21; “Presidential Villa empty, Nigeria’s future must be discussed-Oby Ezekwesilli” in Daily Post of 1/5/21; “Buhari must do something or else we will take the law into our hands, Niger Delta youth leader declared”, Austine Media of 1/5/21.
Others were “Otom accuses Buhari of working for Fulanis to take over Nigeria,” GbetuTV 30/4/21; and “Insecurity: By the time you wake up Nigeria’s break up would have happened-Giwa to Buhari”; Daily Post 29/4/21″ among others.
One can confidently and without any fear of contradiction say that such comments are not only undemocratic but also deliberate attempts to drag the country into the mud and consequently cause disunity and anarchy in the country.
It is well noted that patriotic and well meaning Nigerians from all walks of life and across all the divides reacted in Choruses angrilly to such comments that are capable of plunging the country into a major crisis that would be difficult to contain. According to them such comments amount to a call for a take over of a democratically elected government through other means other than constitutionally recognised election through the ballot boxes conducted by INEC.
Joining the voices of reason in defence of Nigeria, the Buhari Media Organisation, BMO described those calling for the impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari or asking him to resign as anarchists seeking the collapse of law and order in the country,
A statement signed by BMO Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group urged Nigerians to rally behind their President and support the Armed Forces against terrorists and criminals while denouncing voices of chaos and anarchy calling for the President’s resignation or impeachment.
Also reacting to such ungodly, un democratic calls, the Nigerian military while dissociating itself from such positions, pledged it’s oyalty and full commitment to democracy. “We shall continue to remain apolitical, subordinate to the civil authority and firmly loyal to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it’s constitution”..
The current security challenges are not insurmountable. The Armed Forces of Nigeria in partnership with other security Agencies are working assiduously to ameliorate the challenge, Onyeama Nwachukwu, Nigeria’s Acting Director Defence Information further stated.
On it’s part, the Department of State Service, DSS in a statement signed by it’s Spokesman, Dr Peter Afunnaya said that it would no longer tolerate people trying to plunge Nigeria into anarchy, adding “Service reaffirms its unambiguous support to an indivisible, indissoluble and united Nigerian State in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, it will no longer tolerate deliberate machinations by subversive and hostile groups whose agenda is to throw the country into anarchy so as to serve the interests of their sponsors.”
The DSS in the strongest terms warned past political leaders and religious leaders calling for “forceful change of government or mass action against it and cause disintegration of Nigeria” against doing so. It condemned the unsavoury statements by misguided elements who have continued to threaten the government, sovereignty and corporate existence of this country.
From all indications those calling for PMB’s resignation or impeachment are reading a script by un patriotic Nigerians and their likes led by the opposition PDP towards destabilising the polity for them to reap where they did not sow as we approach 2023.
It is therefore not surprising when The Presidency categorically stated that the opposition party is working with disgruntled external forces comprising of religious, past political leaders to overthrow President Buhari’s government.
A statement signed by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity explained “further unimpeachable evidence shows that these disruptive elements are recruiting the leadership of of some ethnic groups and politicians round the country to throw it into turmoil. This has further confirmed that there are political undertones to the recent attacks on the government under the guise of worsening insecurity in the country.
Conclusively, the hues and cries about insecurity today are targeted at derailing the Buhari administration.”
Another commendable approach to boosting the deadly blow to insecurity was climaxed with the establishment of a National Centre for the Control of small arms and light weapons in the country. The centre will serve as an institutional mechanism for policy guidance, research and monitoring of all aspects of small arms and light weapons as part of an ongoing re structuring of Nigeria’s security architecture.
The consolation is that government is not only disturbed with increase in crimes in our midst but also religiously pulling all it’s human and material resources to deal with the current security challenge bedevilling the country.
Writren by Musa Ilallah Emeka Anyaoku Street Abuja Musahk1234@yahoo.com