Bandits’ Rulership In Niger State: A Case Of An Unfortunate Transfer Of Sovereignty -By Abdulkadir Salaudeen

Sovereignty is an old concept. It is a foremost attribute of a state. It is the exercise of power and the ability to do so by a state. Sovereignty, at least, should be indivisible. Is Nigeria’s sovereignty indivisible? It is very obvious, and even more obvious under the current regime, that Nigeria’s sovereignty is not indivisible. Ideally, state sovereignty should not be characterized by divisibility. However, this is not the case in Nigeria. While de jure sovereignty resides with the government and remains indivisible in principle, de facto sovereignty has been divided in Nigeria between different entities—prominent of which are the bandits.

One wonders who is actually in charge of Nigeria and to whom Nigerians owe allegiance. To be more specific, who are the owners of Nigeria? Who are its rulers and its tax collectors? There could be different answers to these questions. This depends on where you live and to whom you pay tax for protection. To some, their rulers are the elected politicians. Yet, to others, they are some rogue elements who have turned the country to a rogue state.

I have consistently used ‘rulership’ instead of ‘leadership’ to describe those who manage or mismanage the “sovereign” state called Nigeria. It does not matter whether you are under the protection of elected politicians or protection of bandits, the point is that there is no leadership in Nigeria. Though they are politicians who we may reluctantly and arguably describe as leaders, but they are so few in number and pale into insignificance when you contrast them with the majority who lacks an iota of leadership trait. Thus, we can summarily say, without going into details, that Nigeria is bereft of leadership and its sovereignty is questionable.

Or, what else do we say about a country where there exists governments in government? I am not even referring to the political class where everyone behaves like a god. I am referring to bandits’ rulership in some parts of Nigeria. The most recent grotesque report is the killing and abduction of farmers in Niger State. Each time one tries to argue that Nigeria’s insecurity has not degenerated abysmally, cases of insecurity bump up to prove otherwise.

Niger State—a state that shares boundary with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja—has probably the largest ungoverned space in Nigeria. In many of its rural communities and towns, allegiance is to bandits and their lords, not to the government. It isn’t that dwellers of these communities have an axe to grind with the Nigerian State and, in order to spite it, pay allegiance to bandits. Rather, it is because they are under duress to pay allegiance to bandits. For no matter how wicked some of us think the Nigerian State is, I think it is still better to reside in the seemingly governed space.

Frankly speaking, banditocracy—government by bandits—is worse than democracy as practised in Nigeria; and even worst than all other ‘cracies’ known in history. It subjects citizens to experience the reality of living in a state of nature where life is solitary, brutish, and short. How does one explain the case of farmers in Niger State who are under the rulership of bandits? Bandits reportedly went on abduction spree recently; and in the course, many farmers were abducted and some were killed. Not even traditional leaders, women and children were spared. It was reported that half of the victims were abducted while harvesting on their farms.

Recall that the most important project of President Buhari’s regime is the embargo it successfully put on employment so that Nigerians can go to farm. Anyone who pays attention to the President each time he emphasizes the need to go to farm will think Nigeria has many plantations scattered all over the country to absorb the teeming jobless population. This isn’t the case, farmers are on their own. In fact, in many communities, to say farmers are on their own is to whitewash the ugly reality; farmers are essentially at the mercy of bandits. They seek permission to farm after paying tax and also pay tax to harvest. This is terrible!

According to residents of some of the affected communities in Niger State, bandits imposed tax of N3 million on each of the communities as a condition to allow harvest(that is, harvest permit). Farmers in a community who were able to pay the imposed tax were spared. Those who were unable to pay were kidnapped. Not only that, their farm produce automatically becomes booty to be shared by bandits. Indeed, bandits in Nigeria are sovereign in their own right. The Nigerian State has, consciously or unconsciously, transferred its sovereignty to bandits. What is going on in Niger State is a clear case of a transfer of sovereignty. The incoming government, which ever party wins the 2023 presidential election, should, as a priority, make sure it wrestles Nigeria’s sovereignty from bandit, seize it and make it indivisible. 

But to add insult to injury, a northern cleric urged people not to vote those who will fight bandits as if banditry was deliberately created. He describes bandits as “Warriors in the forest” and our “People in the forest” who should not be fought but should be appeased. Again, we have a presidential candidate who assures Nigerians that he will continue from where this government stops. This is continuing a dangerous trend and an abysmal performance. To be frank, we need a new crop of politicians who will make a radical departure from the way government is ran in Nigeria. We do not need those who will perpetuate banditry. We do not need a president who will allow fantastic corruption to continue to grow wings under their watch. We do not also need a president who will continue a deliberate policy of killing jobs. This policy has already condemned one hundred and thirty-three million Nigerians to multi-dimensional poverty. This is staggering; about two-third of Nigerians.

As if Nigerians have not suffered enough, the National Chairman of the ruling party, Abdullahi Adamu unconscientiously declared that “It is shameful for Buhari to hand over power to opposition.” What if opposition wins? But it is praiseworthy to transfer sovereignty to bandits. No wonder the President wants Nigerians to praise him. I earnestly pray to God Almighty to free all Nigerians who are victims of poverty and banditry from the shackles of poverty and captivity. May we all live a fulfilled life.

Abdulkadir Salaudeen

salahuddeenabdulkadir@gmail.com