The rising spate of insecurity in the country has continued unabated with the recent abduction of about 40 worshippers in Tsafe Town, the headquarters of Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The bandits reportedly abducted the victims in a mosque when they were about to commence their morning prayers. Two weeks earlier, two policemen were killed when bandits attacked Kasuwar Daji village, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State. They also abducted over 40 villagers including 21 members of the same family.
Within the same period, bandits abducted an unspecified number of traders travelling along the Kaduna- Birnin Gwari Road. The bandits who reportedly blocked the road around Kwaren Kirya village under Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State abducted all the passengers from a Toyota 18-seater bus and a Volkswagen Golf vehicle. The incidents took place almost the same time the military rescued 137 schoolchildren who were kidnapped on March 7, from Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School at Kuriga, Kaduna State.
The abduction of the students occurred barely 24 hours after insurgents took 200 internally displaced women in Borno State. A week earlier, bandits had invaded Gonin-Gora, in Chikun LGA, Kaduna State and abducted 16 people. Aside the Kuriga incident, Kaduna State, about 551 communities across 12 Local Government Areas had been affected by banditry and not less than 289,375 persons had been displaced in the state.
Similarly, 16 people were killed during an attack on Wandoo, community in Mbalom, Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State. Several others were also killed by suspected herders in some communities in the Agatu Local Government Area of the state. In Plateau State, at least seven persons were confirmed dead after bandits attacked a market in Wase Local Government Area. Earlier in January, no fewer than 30 persons were killed by gunmen who attacked Kwahaslalek village in Mangu Local Government Area of the state.
The victims, who were mostly women and children, had taken refuge in the house of a community leader in the area on the previous night following earlier unrest during the day when the gunmen attacked and killed all of them.
The Southern parts of the country have not been spared by the activities of murderous criminals. The relative ease of the attacks indicates that the nation’s rising insecurity has not been fully addressed. We condemn the murderous attacks and abductions and urge the government to go after the bandits, terrorists and kidnappers.
The situation on ground does not suggest that the security agencies are really on top of the situation. They should do more to tame the criminals. The government can deploy technology in tackling the rising insecurity.
The implications of the unceasing climate of insecurity are many and dire. With the attacks on rural communities, farmers can no longer access their farms. The immediate results have been scarcity of food items and exorbitant cost of available ones. The uncertain situation equally scares foreign investors and discourages local entrepreneurs.
The government should begin to quickly address the factors responsible for insecurity in the country. These include weak police system, hunger, unemployment, disunity, feeling of deprivation and alienation by marginalised groups as well as bad governance. Tackling insecurity will entail tackling these issues.
There is need to provide jobs for the youths in the country to take their minds off crime and unwholesome practices. Enabling environment should be provided for private initiatives to thrive and absorb the unemployed youths. Providing small scale enterprises with soft loans and advances will go a long way in encouraging them to abandon criminality. Let the government apply the same measure it adopted in rescuing the Kuriga schoolchildren to release other Nigerians held in captivity. Security agents should be motivated and encouraged to do their work. Let the security agencies improve on intelligence gathering and sharing.
The military and other security agencies related should be proactive in the battle against bandits and other criminal elements. Let them take the fight to the door steps of the criminals instead of being reactive. The changing antics of the bandits require superior tactics by the security agencies to beat them in their game. Above all, there is need for good governance in the country.