Brief Overview of Insecurity In Nigeria
Insecurity in the Country can be traced far back to the colonial era when the amalgamation of different communities and ethnic groups caused a lot of tensions as the action made the country one state against their different way of living as independent communities.
After independence, the Civil War erupted during the reign of Gen. Yakubu Gowon. This war can be identified as a kind of large-scale conflict causing ethnic and regional commotion.
Political instability rocked the country after the tensions raised by the colonial amalgamation and the Civil War and this time, it was the continuous enthronement and dethronement of leaders called the military coup. This was the period when Nigeria had not yet started practicing democracy but was still under military rule.
Shortly after democracy became the system of government in Nigeria, the Niger Delta Militancy group caused another insecurity concern in the South-South part of the country. They claimed that the Nigerian Government had neglected them as one of the major contributors to the Nation’s growth.
Next were religious and political crises in major northern cities like Kaduna, Kano, and other commercial cities in the northern part of the country. Insecurity later increased as a deadly insurgent group popularly known as “Boko-Haram” took over the deadly act and shook the country with suicide bombings that claimed the lives of many Nigerians.
Insecurity In the Present Day
From 2010 till the present, banditry and kidnapping are now the pressing insecurity issues of the country and it is still causing a whole lot of chaos in the country.
Agriculture a key sector, is currently in an epileptic state as farmers can no longer have the confidence to go to the farm and provide both subsistence and commercial farm produce as they fear for their lives. Communities have been taken over by bandits and ancestral homes are lost by indigenes of those particular villages.
On August 15th, 2024, about 20 medical students from the Nigerian Medical Association were kidnapped as they were on a journey to attend a conference in Enugu State Nigeria. Several other incidents like robbery attacks, assassination operations, and terrorism are still pressing issues still keeping the alarm high.
The incidents are so numerous that they flood news headlines now and then on the news.
The Murder of Sarkin Gobir
The issue of insecurity recently rocked Sokoto State as the District Head of Gatawa- Alhaji Isa Mohammed Bawa, Sarkin Gobir was kidnapped alongside his son on August 18th, 2024 was killed. The bandits demanded a ransom amounting to billions of naira.
Speaking on this incident, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), through the National Publicity Secretary, Prof Tukur Muhammad Baba, spoke on this incident. He said that while the bandits waited for the ransom, as efforts were going on to meet the ridiculous demand, they became impatient and subjected the District Head to torture which later resulted in His death.
The ACF also called on locals of the communities to remain calm even as the situation could prompt anger which could further lead to communal clashes that could lead to further breakdown of law and order.
A Call to Action:
As insecurity continues to cause severe pain, fear, and doubt about what the future holds for Nigerians, there is an immediate need for the Government to declare a state of emergency for security in Nigeria.
The solution to insecurity will not only strengthen the bonds between citizens but will cause a tremendous shift in the economic growth of Nigeria.
