Every Inch of the Territory Must Be Governed

Horrifying news issued again on Sunday from Benue, the troubled state in the middle belt. Armed herdsmen struck, killing 19 persons in In Tse Adough in Kwande Local Government Area of the State. Among those killed were six children. A pregnant woman was among those kidnapped while scores of others were injured. In one day, a total of 31 persons were reportedly killed in Benue. The killings in Benue were among several others reported in different parts of the country in the few days of this month alone. In Zamfara only three local governments are said to be spared of the reign of terror mounted on the state by bandits. Similarly, Birnin Gwari and some other parts of Kaduna state have been virtually turned into killing fields. Despite the claims of decimation of Boko Haram by the military authorities sporadic attacks by the insurgents are still reported in the northeast. Similar killings have been reported in other states in all the zones.

Nigeria is not officially at war. Indeed, the government has not yielded to strident calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in some parts of the country. Yet, there is hardly any day that killings are not reported in one part of Nigeria or the other. Bloodletting hits the headlines almost all the time.

In fact, on April 30, this newspaper published a timeline of killings reported since January in the middle belt alone

(THISDAYLIVE+https://www.thisdaylive.com/index. php/2018/04/30/901-killed-in-middle-belt-since-january/).

Kidnappers, armed robbers, invaders, marauders and other criminals operate on the highways and in the rural areas.

To be sure, the parts of the federation where these endless killings take place cannot be said to be governed in the true sense of the word.

This is a categorical challenge to the Nigerian state. As the Commander-in-Chief met with defence and security chiefs yesterday, the spectre of an ungoverned territory doubtless hovered over parts of Nigeria. The public imagination is possibly that the President would tell the security chiefs that this state of affairs is simply unacceptable. You would expect that marching orders were issued.

If what the President told the security chiefs was not reported, at least the perspective of the defence minister, Brigadier-General Mansur Muhammed Dan Ali, has been made public.

A grim portrait of the security situation in some parts of the country is embodied in a statement entitled “‘Minister of Defence’s Intervention at the Security Council Meeting...”

Among other things, the statement by Defence Spokesman Colonel Tukur Gusau, puts the security picture as follows: “The minister drew the attention of the council to the incessant killings and kidnappings by armed bandits and criminal activities across the northwest which is becoming alarming and worrisome

“He mentioned the Abuja-Kaduna expressway as a source of concern as there were still recorded incidences of kidnappings within the period under review. “He also stated that the upsurge in incidents of security concern in Zamfara state is quite disturbing and calls for more robust approach to tackling the threat.

“The situation is characterized with killings and kidnappings by armed bandits and criminal elements predominantly in Anka, Maru, Kaura Namoda and Talata Mafara LGAs of the state.

“In the North Central, the incidents of herdsmenfarmers clash in Benue and Taraba states have reduced considerably. Several arrests have been made in connection with the killings and destruction of properties by own troops in conjunction with other security agencies…”

Politicians in their different formations are busy with the calculuses of the 2019 elections. They worry about the integrity of elections as they push for the expansion of the democratic space. All these objectives and other political imperatives cannot be accomplished in an environment of insecurity. To ensure the sociopolitical order is a greater imperative. The security of the country should not be made a matter of partisan tirades because of the primacy of the issues involved. It is dangerous for the collective well being to play politics with the security of the country. In the battle against the killers, the Commander-in-Chief must be seen to be truly in command while he should be supported by all regardless of political and other differences. You cannot honestly talk of credible elections in an ungoverned territory. Farmers chased way from their lands cannot be expected to cast votes freely and fairly in their wards during elections. Elections should ordinarily be festivals of democracy. But that is only possible in a secure atmosphere for the candidates and the electorate.

Again, the matter is squarely that of governance. Not only must every inch of the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be governed, it must also be seen to be so by the people.

The security question becomes more urgent by the day. So also is the socio-economic question of development. Mass poverty and joblessness (among other factors) provide the breeding grounds for the bandits. It is not for nothing that the constitution of Nigeria defines governance as the “security and the welfare” of the people.

The impression must not be given unwittingly that the Nigerian state cannot tackle the bandits and other criminals killing and making the land unsafe. The criminals on the prowl should be massively disarmed. Disarmament should be part of the strategy in the face of dangerous flow of arms. The justice sector should wake up to its responsibilities and ensure that the killers arrested are duly prosecuted. The nation should be better policed. Intelligence agencies ought to be a step ahead of the killers invading villages.

No part of the territory of Nigeria should be surrendered to killers under any circumstance.