Insecurity: Take Action, Mr. President -By Abdulganiyu Abdulrahman Akanbi

In today’s Nigeria, Insecurity is the talk in the town. For a moment, the country is not free from the scourge of insecurity. While the whole world continues to battle with the novel Coronavirus, some Northern states are facing another endemic. In this part of the country, COVID-19 is real but incessant killings are more of concern to them at this critical period. Many lives had been lost to insecurity.

Northern Nigeria is in deep grief. Things are not going smooth in that part of the country. As other Nigerians wake, sleep and live in peace, the case of Northern Nigerian is in contrary. Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, etc are epidemic center for banditry, kidnapping, and killing. These states are in serious security threats. The men of the underworld have launched countless attacks that claimed many lives in this region. Sadly, they’ve not stopped. The peaceful atmosphere this region was known, since the day of inception, has been a story for the gods.

On this scourge, physical and online protests have been established and advocacy against the menace has also been recorded on the media. However, despite all the clamouring voices raised by concerned and heartfelt citizens, the problem of insecurity in the North hasn’t been solved. Prior to this, a huge number of military officers in the frontline to tackle insecurity was reported to have willingly resigned over what can be called despondency.

Back to the history, the only sub-region that suffers from insecurity was North-East. After the generation election in 2015, the country won undeniably against Boko Haram insurgency by reclaiming some local governments captured by the group. Factually, insecurity of different kinds has spread to the whole region. Respectively, North-West and North-Central have become centers of killings and insecurity too.

Sad to hear, this part of the country produced the first citizens of the Country; President Muhammad Buhari. The president, in 2015, before the general election, who vowed to bring insecurity down to its kneel and peace shall reign. Then, this agenda was among his topmost agendas and manifestos.

Apart from that, top officials in the administration are majorly Northerners. This is a big challenge for our leaders. This, in the sense that, almost all of our service chiefs are from the North. But, despite their great capacity and authority, we continue hearing a series of information daily on massacre killings by bandits, kidnappers, robbers, and another insurgency. So disheartening! for the killings to reduce, it is rather witnessing a rapid rise.

Of recent, the killings in southern Kaduna has gained more pity and concern from the heart of the citizens. In the attacks where people lost parents, children, and siblings. Unfortunately, human beings were slain like animals. The whole country felt worried and pitied for the victims in this part of the country.

On insecurity, the National Assembly has called for the replacement of the service chiefs because of the ineptitude, failure, and incompetence, on which the President turned down and went ahead commending their actions. Unarguably, the service chiefs have tried their bests and reached the pinnacle of survival. The space is now left for the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces to take charge and decide.

Despite the types of insecurity the citizens live with, the President went ahead to quench the flame of other countries while his state is under serious ablaze. With this, it seems the president gives concern to international affairs than his own country. Constitutionally, the President is saddled with the responsibility of protecting citizens’ lives and properties. Where is now the protection? Is this primary function in existence?

On this note, the citizens await the way-out -response of the president on insecurity. For the president to safeguard the lives and properties of the people -one of the purposes on which the president was voted in, in the year, 2015 and 2019 respectively- there is a need for absolute stride steps to take by the president to win against insecurity and bring peace back to the country.

Abdulganiyu Abdulrahman Akanbi wrote from Ilorin, Kwara State. abdulganiyuabdulrahman9@gmail.com, 08063578823.