Insecurity in 2021: An Appraisal

To contend that the year 2021 tried Nigeria on many fronts is stating the obvious. The economic indices were dismal prices of food items and beverages that went out of the reach of the common man, while fear and anguish virtually overwhelmed the nation. Meanwhile, in the midst of epileptic power supply, ravaging Covid 19 pandemic and dilapidated infrastructure, the average Nigerian was brought down to his knees. This was in a manner that portrayed a sad picture of a nation with an unknown future. Those that survived the crushing economic downturn had their lives cut short by marauding terrorists.

So, though 2021 had come and gone, the scars remain and would continue to be visible if nothing concrete is done by the authorities to reduce the insecurity-induced human carnage in the country.

It is rather unfortunate that 17 months to the end of president Muhamadu Buhari’s final term in office, Nigeria is more unstable than it has been in decades. We recall here that Buhari in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, promised to protect citizens from terrorists and criminals, only to admit through the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on December 30, 2021, that insecurity was the “biggest challenge” the country faced in 2021.

Indeed, in the 15 years of “fraternal war” ( otherwise called insurgency or terrorist activities) launched against fellow citizens by mindless blood-suckers by whatever name called, more people lost their precious lives in 2021 than in any other year.

Succinctly put, 2021 was a year the nation bled profusely like never before. Human blood gushed out freely as the mindless bandits slashed victims’ throats with sharp knives as if they were fowls. To them human lives were meaningless.

Insecurity also affected farming activities across the country with several crops and livestock lost. The effects of these on a developing economy such as ours, are unquantifiable.

Available statistics indicate that about 11,500 persons were killed across the country in 2021. These include 4,835 civilians and 890 security personnel. According to media reports 1,760 Boko Haram members, 107 robbers, and 92 kidnappers were also killed. Critical analysis of figures over a seven-year period revealed that not as many fatalities have been recorded since 2015 when 12,795 people were killed. In fact, slightly more people were killed last year than in 2016 and 2017 combined, when the fatalities were respectively 5,748 and 4,638.

In the same vein, the rate of kidnapping dropped between 2015 and 2016, with the number of victims falling from 926 to 347 rose to 2,879 in 2020 and doubled to 5,287 in 2021.

Since 2010 Nigeria has been faced with an unprecedented wave of different but overlapping security crises – from kidnapping, banditry, farmers-herders crisis, separatist movements to extremist insurgencies – almost every corner of the country was hit by violence and crime and with every attack, human lives were lost or permanently damaged. There is no gain saying the fact that many Nigerians have lost faith in the leadership of the country.

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Reasons for the continuous surge in insecurity could be found in the staggering poverty across the country. Youth unemployment currently stands at 32.5% with Nigeria currently in the middle of one of the worst economic downturns in 27 years.

Indeed, Boko Haram in the North-East and bandits in the North-West are both expanding into new areas and taking advantage of Nigeria’s poverty and other security challenges to fuel their extremist ideologies. According to the United Nations, (UN), by the end of 2020, conflict with the Boko Haram group led to the death of about 350,000 people and forced millions from their homes.

Boko Haram launches deadly raids, in some cases hoisting its flag and imposing an extremist rule on local people. And goes on to assert its authority through taxing farmers and the sale of agricultural products. Regrettably, the once-booming international fish market in the Chad Basin is now completely controlled by the group.

In terms of the gross death toll, Borno in the Northeast remains the most insecure state in Nigeria, followed by Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Benue, and Sokoto states, which are in the Northwest and North-central regions. Likewise, throughout the year, most people were abducted in Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Katsina, Borno, Sokoto, and Kebbi.

A few days earlier, Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari, had urged residents to arm and defend themselves against the insurgents; “If you die while trying to defend yourself, you’ll be considered a martyr. It’s surprising how a bandit would own a gun while a good man trying to defend himself and his family doesn’t have one,” Masari said.

Going forward, the Nigerian government should adopt proactive measures to checkmate the ongoing carnage across the country. First, it must strike a balance among the centripetal forces of culture, ethnicity, religion, class, and other indices which in most cases remain silent but visible in the struggle for political control.

There is also the compelling need for massive investment in education, skills acquisition, and provision of employment by all levels of governance.

Furthermore, government should conduct in-depth research on specific security challenges to identify the root causes of insecurity in the country and develop actionable solutions that will curb terrorism and other organized crimes.

In doing this, it is imperative to profile all citizens and immigrants while community policing should be encouraged and facilitated based on trust, rule of law, and respect for human rights regardless of faith, ethnicity, or class. And when operational, the systems must be proactive, available, accessible, responsive, accountable, and transparent. If these measures are seriously formulated and implemented, we believe that the menace of the scourge will be effectively neutralized. As President Buhari, goes into the twilight of his Presidency, we urge him to realize that History is waiting to judge him. We, therefore, urge him to rise to the occasion. It is not too late for him to salvage and redeem what is left of his legacy.