A group, Arewa Research and Development Projects, (ARDP), has decried increasing cases of killings, banditry and kidnapping in different the situation was forcing Nigerians to resort to self-help.
The group also lamented that the Boko Haram insurgency has led to heavy casualties in many military formations in the north while hundreds are being forced to flee their homes daily.
At a news conference titled: ‘the northern security’, in Kaduna, Monday, the convenor, Usman Bugaje said assurances by the security agencies have become increasingly hollow, although
he acknowledged the military has been overstretched with the deployment of soldiers in over 30 states in the fight against insecurity.
According to him, the insecurity situation in the country is today the biggest single issue that faces the nation. “The security challenges is one issue that has over time continued to worsen and it is one issue that is about to ground the whole country.
The one decade Boko Haram insurgency has sapped the human and material resources of the federal and state governments and has yet remained protracted.”
According to Bugaje, what started off as ‘localised rural banditry’ has now spread over the country, particularly the north, taking heavy tolls and displacing an increasing number of citizens. He decried ‘kidnapping for ransom’ which, according to him, has become an industry, even as ethno-religious crises and the farmer-harder conflicts are not abating.
“This means that various communities are securing their own weapons and organising their defences. This creates a whole new dimension to the security crisis, for it leads to further proliferation of small arms among citizens and irredeemably
leads to anarchy.
Once anarchy sets in, it leads to total breakdown of law and order and as with other African countries it takes a whole generation to recover. “We therefore believe that the efforts of the security agencies need to be boosted by a robust and coordinated community support.”
Against this background, Bugaje said the group has started consultations on how to overcome the security challenges.
“Investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding their death,” Elkana said.
