Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are in increasing fear that the uncontrolled pattern of looting, arson and other forms of criminality that bedevilled the nation’s capital in the aftermath of the ENDSARS protests, are about to degenerate in the face of alleged failure of the police and other security agencies to tame the crisis.
On Monday, October 26, 2020, Abuja witnessed another day of successive upheaval when hoodlums attacked a warehouse said to have tons of food items in Gwagwalada and looted the entire building with some police officers and other security agents allegedly aiding the looters. This was preceded by massive lootings, killings and arson days before in Apo, and other parts of Abuja.
Then On Tuesday, October 27, the usually well-fortified Orientation Camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was raided by the hoodlums, who defied the security operatives and allegedly attacked a warehouse, ‘stealing’ food and dispossessing people of their valuables.
Also on Tuesday, BusinessDay gathered that the hoodlums now man major connecting roads where some women who went market in Suleija, Niger State, were reportedly stopped and dispossessed of their money and other valuable items, as there was no presence of the police or any other security operatives. The hoodlums reportedly damaged cars of those who refuse to give them money on the highways as even the police check points have allegedly vanished.
The FCT Police Command however, said on Tuesday they have deployed men in all the troubled areas, stressing that the situation is now under control. The Command’s spokesperson, Mariam Yusuf, told BuinessDay that “There is no need to panic, the situation is under control and investigation is ongoing. Policemen have been deployed everywhere to arrest the situation. We are appealing to residents to remain calm and law abiding.”
Recall that following the widespread looting, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu on Saturday October 24, ordered the immediate mobilization of all police operational assets and resources to “bring an end to the wanton violence, killings, looting and destruction of public and private property, and reclaim the public space from criminal elements masquerading as ENDSARS protesters in some parts of the country.”
A statement issued by the Force Public Relations Officer Frank Mba (DCP) said the IGP gave the order to all Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs), Commissioners of Police (CPs), Heads of Police Operational Units, Squadron and Base Commanders in charge of Zonal/State/FCT Commands, the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit and the Special Protection Unit.
This order was followed by another one issued on Monday, October 26 by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, a Lt General, who tasked the Principal Staff Officers (PSOs), General Officers Commanding(GOCs) and Field Commanders of the Army to tackle ‘unscrupulous’ elements determined to cause crisis and threaten Nigeria’s democracy.
Despite all these interventions and assurances by the security, the hoodlums appear undeterred and the residents are scared that the gap in security might bring about total anarchy as hoodlums may begin to invade people’s homes to rob them and destroy their property.
Speaking to BusinessDay on Tuesday, a public affairs analyst and the Director of the Centre for China Studies (CCS), China, Charles Onunaiju, said the pronouncements by security authorities have been hollow since they have not addressed the threat of the criminals.
He said “The security have not been able to address this crisis, they just issue empty threats without real action. The truth is that the rank and file of the army and police are demoralized. They have no incentive to work. You don’t just sit in the offices and issue orders. The man in the street is hungry, they knew that those at the helm of affairs are stealing and they are doing the leg work.
“The authorities don’t want to reconcile themselves with reality. Even the rank and file soldiers that are sent to the streets to battle the hoodlums are equally disenchanted. The police are helpless. Their allowances are not given to them because of the corrupt system. They are demoralized to such an extent that they even reportedly help the looters and organized them to loot warehouses. If the hoodlums can break into individual houses, loot and burn them down and nothing happens it means that anarchy is looming.”
Contributing, veteran security analyst and columnist, Ben Okezie, said it is an indictment on the police that they cannot address internal security and they have allowed the army to take over.
He said “the police have been overwhelmed and it suggests that people should find a way to defend themselves. It is very unfortunate that even the Mobile Policemen have failed to rise to the occasion; the IGP has shown that he is not capable of addressing internal security. If they police cannot address internal security and they have to resort to using the army, it meant that something is wrong. This is as a result of the rot in the police system. It is the way the police officers doing the work are being treated that is not motivating them.
“People are running helter-skelter, they cannot sleep in their houses and their businesses are being attacked in full glare of the police. This is anarchy.
Okezie further called for sacking of the IGP for failing to allegedly address the situation.
Public intellectual, Katch Ononuju, blamed the looting on hunger in the land caused by the insensitivity of the government towards the plight of the people. He however, believes that the situation will soon come under control but warned that the ongoing crisis is a fore taste of what is to come, “if we don’t give the young people back their country, they will tear us apart. This is just a sign.”
He said further “The anarchy is simply due to the long term failure of the state, there has been no governance. We have been pretending that Buhari is there but he has been ineffectual and because of that the very string and connecting network that holds society together was broken and the anarchy is symptomatic of the failure of the state. How can there be food and people are dying of hunger?
“It is a dangerous situation but it will be calm. People are hungry even the uniform people are also part of the looters. What you have seen is a public display of the decay in the society. From what I have seen it is the people against bad governance, it is not the people against the people, therefore the crisis will cease.”
