An Elusive Search for a Safer Country -By Olayinka Abdurrazzaq

The incessant killing, abduction, and kidnapping in Nigeria is not only becoming alarming but too outrageous. The most function of any government is to maintain security and welfarism for her citizens.

The rate people are killing in Nigeria has lost the country on her journey to search for security and left her as a country with leaderless. The insecurity has become the order of the day and the taking of lives of citizens becomes surplus as sand.

The year 2014 was like yesterday when Boko Haram started inhuman abduction and killings in this country. Since then administration and the present administration could not conquer these terrorists to the extent of covering many states. Many lives have gone; fathers become childless, children become parentless, widows and widowers are plethoral via the handiwork of Bokoharam who seems invisible.

It is sad that this country has turned to the realm and den of terrorists. Meanwhile, the government folds their arms seeing people dying as blood becomes water. Since 2014, their themes of campaign is recycling on security and promise to subdue terrorists, yet the terrorists have gained the ground and turned our country into their arena.

Like Boko Haram, banditry has also delved in. The failure to overcome terrorists has begotten banditry. The rate of incessant killing by this group, mostly in the North and South is heart-touching and eye bleeding. The fear of night in those states is beyond the fear of contracting of Covid-19.

Just of recent, as reported by the Cable, a lawyer, Haro Gandu was murdered by the bandits in Kaduna. The deceased wife and son were also kidnapped by the criminals. Until his death, Gandu worked with Kaduna state ministry of justice.

A Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, living in Kastina was shot in his leg by the bandits after killing his two relatives and abducted his brothers and sisters. The cases of this senseless killing hype everyday as if we have no government; as if law enforcement has retired; as if Chief of Army Staff has ordered to weapon; as if Covid-19 has killed all our security officers. So sad.

Banditry violence has affected populations living in Nigeria’s Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina states in the northwest. About 21 million people living in these states have been exposed to insecurity from activities of bandits. This, a story outside the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.

The banditry violence began as a farmer/herder conflict in 2011 and intensified between 2017 to 2018 to include cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, sexual violence and killings. The violence has affected about 35 out of 92 local government areas in the 4 states. This has further intensified by March 2020, more than 210,000 people have been internally displaced. More than 35,000 refugees have crossed communal borders to Maradi in Niger Republic in order to run for dear lives.

The rate is too outrageous and requires urgent combatant. If we also fail to surmount this banditry as that of Boko Haram, the searching for a safer country will later be the best solution for Nigerians and it will cause a serious deterioration for this so-called Giant of Africa.

But before then, God bless Nigeria.

Olayinka Abdurrazzaq is a 300 law student, University of Ilorin/ Writer.