The spate of security and safety infractions makes it look like Nigeria is in the state of war. We, therefore, challenge those at the helms of affairs to be more sincere in finding effective solutions to the problem.
Afenifere
On February 3, vehicular activities on the Abeokuta-Sango-Lagos expressway were disrupted, as some unknown gunmen attacked a hostel of the students around 1 am at Afowowa, Itori and made away with laptops and other valuable belongings.
The students, who expressed their anger because the police refused to respond to distress calls, said the attack lasted for almost four hours, and the police stayed unbothered.
In a bid to tackle insecurity, the Ogun and Oyo governments agreed to inaugurate a high-level Joint Security Committee to focus on and proactively address security matters along with the boundary communities and interstate roads, to enhance security between them.
Still on February 3, 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari assured Nigerians, particularly residents of the Northeast, that in the coming months, they will see a change from the subsisting protracted insurgency to an era of peace and development in their respective communities.
To the people of the Northeast, particularly the children, who are the future of the region, we will never forget you and your courage, sacrifice and endurance, which has been exemplary. I pledge to you that in the coming months, you will begin to witness a shift away from a protracted insurgency to peace building, stabilisation and ultimately development in your respective communities as we embark on a revised approach to addressing this conflict.
Read also: A timeline of promises to ‘name’ Boko Haram sponsors and the usual endpoint
President Buhari made the assurance same day SBM Intelligence Thursday, January 31, 2022, released a report, saying at least 2,085 persons were reportedly killed in Nigeria in the fourth quarter of 2021 in violent incidents, including attacks from Boko Haram, militia herdsmen, abductions, gang clashes and terrorists, raising the tally of deaths to 10,366 in 2021.
According to the SBM Intelligence report, the 2,085 reported deaths mean Nigeria experienced a 47 per cent increase in media reported killings, from 7063 fatalities in 2020 to 10,366 in 2021. Of the 10,366 casualties of violent deaths last year, Kaduna alone recorded 1,192 at the hands of bandits.
On February 2, 2022, His Exc. Mgr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama, Archbishop of Abuja, during a ceremony at Veritas University in Bwari, Abuja, said, “The attacks by bandits and other criminal elements on the education sector do not only affect the safety of students and staff in schools but also directly or indirectly affect the survival of private universities.”
Archbishop Kaigama asked the government to improve safety on university campuses to protect students’ lives:
“I, therefore, wish to use this medium to call on the government to take drastic steps to improve on the security and safety of lives and properties in and around university campuses across Nigeria”.
He did not mention that there other ‘forces’ killing students in higher institutions out of which #SaveAAUA has emerged.
Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko in Ondo have taken to the streets and social media to call for the intervention of the state government over incessant trailer accidents.
The students decried the avoidable accidents, asking the government to act now to put an end to the deaths.
Other students have also taken to Twitter with the hashtag #SaveAkungba to cry out and call for help from the Ondo Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Terrorists, kidnappers are not the only ones killing Nigerian citizens. There is an infrastructure problem causing the deaths in Ondo and literally the whole of the country. Road accidents and terrorism are two points on the same coin.
Calls for help to solve insecurity issues in Nigeria have become an anthem. We wake every day to talk about it, and how there are no signs that there is any form of progress. All we see are press statements ‘assuring’ and promising Nigerians that insecurity will become history in no time. Amid all of that, we are also confused that the budget for insecurity is usually the highest in the national budget, and the circle of insecurity becomes even bigger every year.
Proposals have been made by security experts regarding the solution, but it seems the hydra-headed problem has defied all ‘committees’ and measures put in place to tackle it. But, better late than never. The government needs to stop making promises and act on the ideas it has before it.
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