Insecurity In Nigeria: Nigerian Leaders Fail To Prioritize The Safety Of Its Citizens

There is hardly any day that passes in the country without a report on killings and attacks carried out in different parts of the country. Nigerian citizens continue to get killed in large numbers either by armed bandits, Fulani herdsmen, or ritualists. All these killings have been happening at an alarming rate, yet the political leaders continue to treat the issue of insecurity with disdain and levity. The insecurity rate in the nation is growing exponentially as each day passes.

Inactive leaders have contributed much to the escalation of social vices in the country. The Bokoharam and Fulani herdsmen insurgency in the middle belt and northern part of Nigeria has displaced many and has made a lot of them widows, widowers, and orphans. Out of fear, so many of them have refused to return home for fear of being killed, rather they chose to seek refuge in IDP camps. I often ask myself, if Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, armed bandits, and the rest are more powerful than the government of the country.

Because these sects seem to be carrying out dastardly acts and wreaking havoc without much action and interception from the government to wipe them out of the nation completely. Kidnapping and ritual killings are also on the high, yet when such people who are perpetrating this evil act are caught, there is no strict punishment meted out by the government, rather most cases are either swept under the carpet or forgotten. Herdsmen on the other hand have killed so many farmers, while those who escaped have refused to return which has put a lot of families in hunger and poverty.

Just recently there was an attack on the Kaduna International Airport by armed terrorists and also the most current of them which is the Abuja-Kaduna train attack which saw about 8 passengers killed and several others injured after a group of armed bandits blew up the rail link followed with sporadic shootings. If a train which is considered one of the safest means of transportation can be attacked, then it is not far-fetched to say that nowhere is safe in the country.

In Nigeria, it is a known fact that the Abuja-Kaduna highway is one of the most dangerous roads in the country, as kidnappers have been known to have ambushed vehicles at several points along the expressway also kidnapping people. One would reasonably think that since such a road is known to be a hiding place for armed bandits to attack citizens, the government is meant to take drastic measures in securing that route. Measures such as creating several checkpoints, mounting armed military men, coupled with regular patrols.

It might interest you to know that no strict measures have been put in place, as there are still cases of kidnappings and attacks still witnessed on that road. All that the government knows how to do is to send condolences to affected families as well as condemn attacks. What a way to protect the lives of its citizens! 

For over a decade, the country has been fraught with insecurity challenges, from Boko Haram to ISWAP, to Armed bandits, to unknown gunmen, yet the government is still not doing something serious about it, as the citizens continue to get killed.

I am left with no other option than to say that the insecurity issues that continue to thrive in the country, show that these things are sponsored by some people in the country. If not, what does it take to flush out all of them within a year? 

Recall when President Muhammadu Buhari was elected president in 2015, he made a promise to protect the life of the citizens. But then as his final term in office approaches the country is more unstable than it has been in decades. One thing we must know is that as long as insecurity continues to go on in the country, it will hinder economic growth and also prevent investors from investing in the country. It’s high time the government swung into full action to curb this menace.