The Remote and Immediate Cause of Insecurity, Instability and Terrorism in Nigeria and Solutions
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Transcript of The Remote and Immediate Cause of Insecurity, Instability and Terrorism in Nigeria and Solutions
The Remote & Immediate Causes
of Crimes, Instability,
Insecurity and Terrorism in Nigeria and Solutions.
By
Don Okereke(Security Analyst & Consultant)
IntroductionPage 1 of 13
Time and space will not permit one to expound all the raison d' etre for the unprecedented
trend in kidnappings, instability and insecurity/terrorism in Nigeria. The unparalleled spate
of terrorism, kidnappings and other violent crimes is to say the least, alarming. Religious
leaders, churches, mosques etc are not spared in this onslaught. At the risk of over-egging
the pudding, there is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria is at a cross-road and gradually
drifting towards a failed state. Of course our government hates hearing this home truth, but
the truth must be told no matter how bitter it is. Just recently the Emir of Kano-Alhaji Ado
Bayero narrowly escaped death by the whiskers. His driver and two others were not lucky
as they were hacked to death by the assailants. Somewhere in Okene, Kogi State,
gunmen said to be sympathetic to the Cause of Islamic rebels in Mali were said to have
ambushed and opened fire and killed two soldiers on their way to been deployed to Mali. A
faceless new group known as ‘’Vanguard for the Protection of Moslems in Black
Africa’’ has claimed responsibility for this attack. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iwela’s mother-Prof.
Mrs. Kaneme Okonjo was kidnapped a while ago. It took a demonstration of federal might-
deployment of troops for her abductors to free her. Right now the mother of Bayelsa State
House of Assembly is being held by kidnappers. These are prominent cases; so many
other incidents go unreported probably because the victims lack a voice. Also recall how
Senator Gyang Dalyop Datang and others were murdered in cold blood sometime last
year in Plateau State. So much noise was made by both the State and Federal
government, promising that the masterminds will soon be fished out. If these prominent
folks with all the Police/MoPol escorts are not safe in Nigeria, one wonders who is safe.
The status quo is tantamount to what transpires in war-torn environments. The tranquility
inherent in the nooks and cranny of Nigeria has been ruined. Some years ago, places like
Jos, Kaduna etc used to be peaceful, cosmopolitan and crises-free. Not any more!
Even in a war situation, there are rules of engagement under the Geneva Convention.
Indiscriminate killing of innocent people cannot be justified under any guise whatsoever.
It is on record that some countries have faced similar threats and challenges in the past
and triumphed. Our bane in Nigeria is that by acts of commission or omission, we
Page 2 of 13
repeatedly shy away from the truth. We are rather reactive than proactive. The following
are some of the remote and immediate causes of instability, insecurity/terrorism in Nigeria:
1. One of the primary causes of instability and insecurity in Nigeria is what this writer
calls, ‘’our wrong system of government and over-concentration of Political Power at
the centre’’. One is not trying to be a prophet of doom, but these problems will
continue haunting us until we are honest and bold enough to sort it out. So far we
have been treating the symptom of the disease and not the causative agent.
Currently it will seem we are building on sand and not on a solid foundation because
many of those issues that led to the Nigerian Civil war are still prevalent more than
fifty years after the war ended. We cannot afford reinforcing a mistake! It’s high time
we redefined and re-negotiated the terms and conditions of our existence perhaps
through a National Conference or a no-holds-barred constitutional amendment. With
many State governors opposed to Local Government Autonomy and ‘State Police’,
one doubts the current constitutional amendment jamboree will yield much positive
result.
Balkanizing this country is neither the solution to our problems. This writer strongly
believes in the unity of Nigeria. Even in a nuclear family, there are bound to be
disagreements, do we now split the family because of such quarrels. There is no
doubt that Nigeria has come to stay but with more than 400 ethnic groups, we need a
system of government that gives, if not all, then majority of our citizens a sense of
belonging.
2. The second factor is weak judicial system, injustice, nepotism and a culture of
impunity. Here people commit all manner of crimes and get away with them. When
justice is said to be meted out, a rich man gets a slap on the wrist for stealing or
embezzling billions of naira while a poor man is sentenced to five years imprisonment
for stealing a goat. There is a widespread notion that justice can be bought or sold in
Nigeria depending on one’s bargaining power and contacts in the corridors of power.
Some of the alleged masterminds of Boko Haram are said to have been arrested in
Page 3 of 13
the past by security agents but promptly released due to intervention of powerful
individuals while some of them were jailed for just few months, they come out sooner
than later and continue with their nefarious activities.
3. A similar factor to the aforementioned is the unprecedented levels of corruption that
has permeated the fabrics of our national life. The figures these days are simply
mind-boggling! An individual steals, embezzles billions or even trillions of naira
without blinking an eye-lid! It would seem there is a competition for who wins the
highest award for corruption. Now the government is said to be negotiating with the
indicted Oil subsidy culprits. This definitely sets a bad precedent. Why not let the law
take its course. The rich criminal can bargain his way out of jail whereas the poor
criminal has no choice. From the Police to the Immigration; from the Citadels of
learning to the Seats of government; from the hospitals to the churches etc. This
writer wishes to use a couple of personal experiences to drive home his point. His
wife registered for ante-natal in one of the government hospitals and one of the
requirements in addition to paying the normal registration fee, was to donate blood.
After paying the required amount and donating the blood free of charge, he was
surprised when the officials asked him to ‘shake body’. This in Nigerian parlance
means to ‘’settle’’ or give them money. One can voluntarily appreciate them say for
doing a good job but not for them to be demanding money for doing a job that they
are paid to do.
He had a similar experience when he went to the Post office to pick up a foreign
correspondence and the clerk asked him to his ‘grease’ palms before he will release
his letter. Such incidents are widespread and have become more of a norm. People
even laugh at you when you complain of such happenings or incidents.
4. State of origin/indigenship syndrome or the so-called ‘’quota system’’ also takes a toll
on the stability and security of our nation. A typical Nigerian identifies him/her self first
with his tribe or state of origin rather than as a Nigerian. A Nigerian born and bred in
an area and whose parents and grand-parents are also born in that particular area
Page 4 of 13
but are originally from another place, are still seen as strangers or settlers. They may
be tolerated but many a times they are not entitled to some of the privileges that the
so-called ‘owners’ of the land are entitled to. Currently, it is very much unlikely for
say, a Yoruba born and bred in Ebonyi State to aspire and become the Governor of
that state. Same applies to an Igbo born and bred in say, Oyo state. Even when there
is a law that stipulates one’s entitlements/rights, in reality, it is not pragmatic. With
nostalgia, one remembers a situation sometime in Sokoto State; indigent students
were exonerated from paying school fees while making it compulsory for ‘settlers’ to
pay school fees. This is not even the gist. The gist is that ‘settlers’ from another
country (Niger Republic) are perhaps inadvertently exempted from paying school fees
because they bear Hausa names, are Moslems and have strong cultural ties with the
Hausa/Fulani people that inhabit Sokoto state. On the other hand, ‘settlers’ from say,
the South-Eastern or South-Western parts of Nigeria pay school fees because they
don’t share the same name, culture or language with the Sokoto people. You can see
the irony.
5. Weak Institutions, Powerful individuals. In Nigeria, some individuals- the so-called
god-fathers, Cabals and power-brokers are known to be stronger than the
government or the institution. They see themselves as untouchables. They boast
that nothing will happen and nothing ultimately happens! A case in point is the Petrol
subsidy fraud masterminds. The government wants to broker a deal with them so
they can return some of the money they embezzled. Many a times, the Police,
Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices
Commission (ICPC) etc needs some kind of ‘clearance’ from the powers that be
before they can do what they are naturally supposed to do especially when a so-
called godfather or powerful individual is involved. Unscrupulous money-bags and in
some cases criminals are celebrated and put in powerful positions because they are
‘connected’. A very popular and powerful ex-governor in Nigeria manipulated and
escaped justice in Nigeria but was subsequently jailed in the U.K. One recalls a
former Defence minister in Germany that was relieved of his position because he Page 5 of 13
plagiarized his doctorate degree thesis. Not long ago, a former Canadian minister
resigned after it was discovered that inter-alia, she could not reconcile expenses of
about $16!.
In the West, I mean most European countries and North America, it is not unlikely
that people get away with crimes but once it becomes public knowledge or the person
gets caught, there is no hiding place, the law takes its natural course and the culprit
must pay for it no matter how highly placed he/she is.
6. There is no doubt that Nigeria is endowed with a plethora of unpatriotic, unscrupulous
and greedy leaders. Leadership in Nigeria is a do-or-die affair, it is not about
competition of ideas or rendering selfless service as is the case in most Western
Countries. A leadership position in Nigeria is seen as a lifetime opportunity for one to
enrich himself and exonerate the next twenty generations of his family from poverty.
The so-called ‘security vote’ has become a conduit pipe for siphoning money from the
government coffers. Like they say, a leopard cannot change its skin.
7. Unemployment and lack of record/database of criminals also in no small measure,
contributes to instability and insecurity not just in Nigeria but in any other place. The
saying goes that, ‘a hungry man is an angry man’. No wonder many western
countries pay unemployed people stipends or give them food stamps. We have a
superfluity of unemployed people and graduates in Nigeria and the jobs are not
forthcoming despite the promises by politicians. Some of these unemployed people
take to wheeling-dealing while other ones inadvertently go into crimes to survive.
Don’t forget that our society is such a place that the affluent like to flaunt their wealth
whether ill-gotten or not. So imagine where an average unemployed graduate that
spent 4-5 years in the higher institution is constantly intimidated by money-bags that
probably never went to a secondary school. Such unemployed graduate may be
tempted to kidnap the so-called big-man or any of his relatives and extort money from
them.
Page 6 of 13
There is paucity of a comprehensive database of ex-convicts or criminals in Nigeria.
The implication of this alone has far-reaching effects on instability and insecurity.
There abound cases of ex-convicts serving even in the Security Agencies. How can
we combat insecurity when we don’t have a comprehensive record of those that have
committed one offence or the other in the past.
Also related to the above point is the fact that our Security Agencies needs to be
more proactive rather than been reactive. The ranks and file of our Security Agencies
need constant training and re-training. They must also be well-equipped to tackle the
type of security challenges prevalent today. You don’t expect good result when a
Police officer with just an O’ level is investigating a Cyber crime. Their remuneration
is also nothing to write home about hence they are not motivated to do their job.
8. Nigeria is probably the only country I know of where the sale of chemicals and to a
larger extent, drugs are unregulated and where anybody and everybody can waltz
into a shop and buy any quantity of chemicals without questions been asked. Hence it
is very easy for terrorist to buy some of the raw materials and ingredients like
acetone, fertilizers etc that can be used to produce Improvised Explosive Devices
(IED’s). I recall an idea was mooted sometime ago for the Chemical Society of
Nigeria to be involved in licensing chemical dealers. I don’t know if that policy saw the
light of the day. It is not late to enact a law if one is not existing that will effectively
regulate the selling of chemicals etc.
9. The recent SIM card registration exercise may just be a time bomb waiting to happen.
One is not aware of any Data Protection Act or law that stipulates how personal
information should be protected and penalties where there is a breach. As usual, the
whole idea and exercise was rammed into our throat. Deadlines for SIM registration
were been bandied about, you will think it was some kind of emergency. Of course
dissenting opinions are seldom tolerated here and offering constructive criticism
makes one unpatriotic. The alacrity with which the whole thing was done, you will
think it is the panacea to all our security challenges. Billions of naira was sunk into
Page 7 of 13
this project. There is nothing to show that the SIM card registration exercise is a
success. How are we even sure ‘’Mr A’’ that registers him SIM is who he claims to be
since we don’t have a comprehensive database of Nigerians? Don’t forget that with
roaming, one can use the SIM card from any country in Nigeria. Even if all Nigerian
are forced to register their SIM’s, one with a criminal intent can get an unregistered
SIM from any other country, roam it and use it to perpetrate criminality in Nigeria.
One is not sure if calls can be tracked in real time here in Nigeria. If this is the case,
the most that can be done is to work out the coordinates of the nearest telephone
mast to the approximate distance AFTER the call must have ended and a smart
culprit must have moved.
Concentrating all our personal information-pictures, names, addresses, fingerprints
etc in a single database without adequate security is definitely a national disaster
waiting to happen. Terrorists can hack or access our personal information if they are
not well encrypted or secured. My fingerprint is very personal to me. One’s fingerprint
is like one’s blood; in fact it is even more personal than the blood because no two
individuals on earth have exactly the same fingerprint whereas two or more people
can have the same blood group and genotype. Hence it goes without saying that if
you want me to volunteer my fingerprint under whatever guise, I need a guarantee
that it will be kept safe and will not fall into wrong hands. The last time I checked,
according to global best practice, it is only the fingerprint of a convicted criminal that
can be taken with or without his consent.
10. Our borders are to say the least simply porous! With our extensive borders,
people can waltz in and out of Nigeria without detection. Oil bunkering is prevalent
because our coastal borders are not adequately patrolled. Proliferation of arms and
ammunitions are also common-place courtesy of our porous borders. The Nigerian
Immigration Service, Customs, Navy and the Nigerian Air force must synergize to
ensure that our borders are effectively patrolled. If need be, perhaps we can do what
Page 8 of 13
the Americans are doing in their borders with Mexico by erecting perimeter fencing
and electronic surveillance in particular hot-spots.
Solutions Proffered To The Aforementioned Problems.
Having identified the raison d’ etre of instability and insecurity in Nigeria, an attempt is
hereby made to proffer solutions.
If we must surmount the aforesaid threats to our well being as a nation, then we must
begin to tell ourselves the home truth no matter how bitter it may be.
One of the first and very important steps we must take to curtail instability and
insecurity is for us to embrace a Political system of government that gives more
power to the federating units rather than concentrating so much power at the centre.
Even the so-called federalism we claim to practice is adulterated. We have corrupted
what federalism represents. True federalism as practiced by the Americans will no
doubt eliminate the frequent agitation inherent in our polity. Sequel to our diverse
ethnic nationalities, diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, One tends to have an
affinity for a system of government akin to the British model- devolution or a variant of
it minus the monarchy aspect. After more than 300 years or so of uneasy political
marriage, Britain with 3 or 4 constituent nations-England, Wales, Scotland and
Northern Ireland, appreciates the need and benefits of devolving Powers to the
constituent countries. Scotland inter alia, has its own Police force, currency,
parliament etc.
The problems and realities that gave birth to Nigeria’s civil war in 1967 are yet to be
dealt with. Whether we shy away from the home truth or not, the implacable
geometrical trend in instability and insecurity in Nigeria can be reconciled to the quest
for Political Power and Relevance by the various nationalities that people Nigeria.
The Niger-Delta militants agitated and were promptly pacified with an amnesty
Page 9 of 13
program and with one of their own emerging the Vice President and subsequently the
substantive president.
Several years ago it was the dreaded Maitesina that was unleashed terror. Today it is
the Boko Haram. Who knows, tomorrow, the Movement for the Actualization of the
Sovereign state of Biafra (MASSOB) will be tempted to take up arms since violence
is the only language that the Nigerian leadership understands.
There was so much excitement over the offer of Boko Haram to negotiate with the
government. These guys are playing a dangerous hide and seek game with the
Nigerian Government. They are waging a psychological warfare and it would seem
they have the ace. The Nigerian government must not negotiate from a position of
weakness or helplessness. Sometimes, an offer of negotiation may just be a ploy by
the other party to re-strategize, regroup, and advance. Let us hope for the best but
prepare for the worst.
This entire hullabaloo about negotiating with every group that raises its ugly head is
tantamount to postponing the evil day. Let us be ready for the consequences as we
set a precedent of negotiating with every irrational person or group. Something is not
quite right with the foundation of Nigeria, its high time we summoned courage and
dealt with the nitty-gritty once and for all rather than chasing shadows and postponing
the evil day.
Secondly, to eradicate or curtail instability cum insecurity, we need to strengthen our
judicial system by ensuring that justice is dispensed no matter whose ox is gored.
Nepotism and a culture of impunity must also be eschewed from our national psyche
and life. Nigeria must be an egalitarian nation and not a country where there are two
sets of rules-one for the rich and another for the poor. Nigerians must not be made to
suffer in the midst of plenty!
Thirdly, serious, concerted and visible effort must be geared towards exterminating
corruption and injustice in Nigeria. EFCC, ICPC must be INDEPENDENT! There must
Page 10 of 13
not be sacred cows or smoke-screens! A situation where the Attorney-general of the
federation or the minister of justice can arbitrarily and unilaterally terminate or
discontinue any case instituted by the EFCC, et al, no matter the merits of the case,
should be looked into as it is subject to abuse.
Measures must also be put in place to ensure quick dispensation of justice. In
Nigeria, people commit an offence that has say, a five years maximum sentence and
they spend six years in jail awaiting trial. Let justice be done and seen to be done.
Fourthly, merit must not be sacrificed on the altar of State of origin/Indigenship or the
so-called Quota system. Laws must be made that guarantees every Nigerian, the
right to reside in any part of Nigeria and be entitled to what every other person there
is entitled to. I understand we have such laws; those laws must not just be paper-
tigers, they must be enforced and workable.
This issue is the root of the imbroglio in Jos and some other parts of Nigeria. The
Hausa/Fulani tribes in Jos are still seen as strangers even though some of them, their
Parents, grand and great-grand parents were born in Jos and have no other place as
home.
Fifthly, we must strengthen and encourage our institutions. As Obama once said,
Africa needs strong institutions, not strong men. Our institutions must walk the talk
and not just be paper-tigers. All citizens must be equal before the law. The culture of
foisting candidates on the electorate during elections must stop. Elections must be
free and fair and a system should be put in place that ensures only Patriotic and
unscrupulous individuals hold positions of responsibility.
Similarly, unemployment must be seriously tackled and curtailed. The private sector
must be encourage and supported to create the much needed jobs. Constant
electricity supply will no doubt boost employment and increase productivity.
Page 11 of 13
Lastly and very important is that we must jettison our fire brigade approach to solving
problems be it security or otherwise. More often than not, we wait until the harm is
done before we start running helter-skelter. We must embrace an intelligence
gathering method. Problems, crises etc must be nipped in the bud before they
escalate. Prior to his death, Osama Bin Laden seemed to be larger than life for about
a decade but through intelligence, America finally tracked him down and eliminated
him.
Our Police and other security agencies must be well-equipped and trained/re-trained
to tackle present day security challenges. Qualified and bright individuals should be
encouraged with good incentives to enlist into the Security Agencies. The police must
not be a dumping ground for dullards. One is encouraged with the recent enlistment
exercise of IT professionals into the officer cadre of the Nigeria Police. Other
professionals should be wooed too. The Nigeria Police is also reported to have upped
the ante by making Ordinary National Diploma and NCE the minimum requirement for
potential recruits into the Police. Recruitment exercise must be transparent. Merit
must not be sacrificed in the altar of god-fatherism. The Police forensic laboratory
must be well-equipped, funded and staffed with qualified personnel.
Security is not necessarily rocket science; no wonder even nitwits find very
comfortable careers in crime and terrorism. A lot of common sense can help to
maintain security. The problem is that common sense is no longer common these
days. An iota of omission or negligence can have severe security implications and
consequences. Even the Scripture says, ‘watch and pray’.
Nigerians must be continually sensitized to be security conscious. We have a culture
of taking everything for granted over here. Security is a collective responsibility. Our
lackadaisical attitude to security must cease. In most Western countries, people take
note of a new neighbor when s/he moves into the neighborhood. You will be
surprised you wander up and down a street in a typical Western nation and the next
thing you see are police cars blaring their sirens. Apart from the security cameras
Page 12 of 13
everywhere, probably an elderly man or woman must have tipped the police off. Here
in Nigeria, most of us do not know our next door neighbor not to talk of other
neighbors living the next street. We don’t know or care what our neighbors’ are into.
The National Orientation Agency, the State Security Service etc have to be more
proactive. Enlightenment campaigns must be ongoing.
Recall also that individuals and groups do not have a monopoly over terrorism.
History abounds of State terrorism where Governments by act of commission or
omission, use instruments and institutions of government to terrorize its citizens. We
also have financial terrorism etc. Too much wealth is in wrong hands in Nigeria and
they can deploy it to destabilize the polity.
So government must not push its citizens so hard that they resort to criminality,
violence and terrorism. A hungry man they say is an angry man. Nigerians are
generally peaceful and pliant.
All the aforementioned factors are intertwined; the sporadic interplay of them
impinges an unpredictable butterfly effect on the Stability and Security of Nigeria.
Nigerians, let us Unite Against Insecurity and Terrorism. Let’s make Nigeria great
again!
God bless Nigeria and Nigerians.
Don Okereke(Security Analyst & Consultant)Abuja, [email protected]+2347080008285
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