By Dogara Caesar-
I have been so reluctant on speaking or writing about issues that seems to be of great concern to national security and also very mindful of being outspoken so I don’t offend! A disturbing trend since the increased attacks by alleged armed herdsmen in recent times, so far not good, thousands have been slaughtered or gunned down right in their homes at night and farms by day, while many more are displaced and forced out of their ancestral homes.
Internal Consultations and investigations have been in place by agencies concerned, religious/traditional leaders and nationalists towards having a clearer view of the origin of such conflicts so to find permanent and long lasting solutions to the security challenge but seem to come up with less or no results on effecting peace on the affected regions thus far.
In trying to be rational in my views, I also wouldn’t want to rush into conclusions without getting to understand the cause of what I would describe as unfortunate and unreasonable actions between the so called armed Immigrant’s and the other side of the divide. In Kaduna state, armed herdsmen had committed and still are what can be said to be genocide in the making. Minority groups are being murdered and sacked from their homes and villages literally on a daily -So much had happened in this part of Nigeria and several others that includes Zamfara state, Benue state, Plateau state and going down across the river Niger to the west as well.
Never the less, it is important to note that the present administration had failed to respond up to expectations of a failing state under the control of war lords whom some state governors claim to be invaders from neighboring countries and terrorized Libya. Sounds like Nigeria is now a safe haven for some agents of global terrorism?
Further, for a fact that some groups had in the past, claimed responsibility for several attacks and therefore still being pampered, paying them billions of tax payers naira by same government that tagged them as foreign invaders is unimaginable! Does our own government now negotiates with terrorists, our killers??
However, on proffering solutions to security challenges In Nigeria, soft talking is never the answer. Sometimes military interventions without checking into the right loopholes will further get things complex. Government must be able to do the needful and play an improved role without any ethnic religious manipulations and bias. Government alongside security agencies must be able to act fast by identifying and persecuting sponsors and promoters of such evil activities and in accordance with the law. Similarly, citizens must ensure by all cost that the unity of this great nation is never tempered upon, -with the ruthless boko-haram yet to be defeated, another terror group is the least that Nigeria needs at this time to remain united and to grow an economy that will compete on a global scale. Therefore, better responses and solutions such as mediations, reconciliations and a review/report of the 2014 confab amidst improved military interventions ought to be in place as soon as possible, else, Nigeria might just be running towards a very critical and the “next security problem”.
Dogara can be reach via dogara.ud01@gmail.com