- The strident call for self-defence received a fresh vigorous push following the reaction of the Federal Government to the carnage and its framing of the killings.
- The presidency had stated that the killings were a result of a communal clash and asked the victims to reconcile with their assailants
The killing of over 200 people at Yelwata in the Guma local government area of Benue State last Friday has reignited the call for people who live in areas prone to attacks by rampaging armed non-state actors to arm themselves if they want to put an end to the heinous and nefarious activities of these criminal elements as governments across all level have shown a troubling disregard for the security of lives and properties.
The strident call for self-defence received a fresh vigorous push following the reaction of the Federal Government to the carnage and its framing of the killings. The presidency had stated that the killings were a result of a communal clash and asked the victims to reconcile with their assailants. The statement from the presidency is devoid of firmness, decisiveness and pragmatism that is expected from a government that is willing and committed to dealing with those who are behind these attacks and killings.
While Self-defence has been touted as the panacea to the killings, there are reports of villagers being disarmed by security operatives whenever they arm themselves to fend off their attackers. The actions of these security operatives lend credence to speculation that some unscrupulous and devilish characters in our security agencies are actively involved in the widespread and perennial insecurity in the country by aided and abetted criminal elements. There are concerns that allowing people grappling with insecurity to bear firearms to defend themselves against any threat and aggression could lead to abuse of the opportunity.
Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia rejected the call for self-defence and proposed community policing as a solution to the insecurity crisis currently rocking the state. He said “I would encourage us all to keep calling for community policing because it’s the only way. It’s only people from within the state and local government who would understand what is going on with them.”
The problem with Governor Alia’s opposition to self-defence is that he’s not made any deliberate and conscious effort to address the killings in the State. Even if the security matter is largely that of the federal government, he still has to take the initiative and move like a leader whose people are under siege. While it can be argued that the killings predate his administration, one thing that can’t be denied is that the situation has worsened under him. It also does not help that his party, the All Progressives Congress, also controls the federal government. One would expect him to leverage that political affinity to bring respite to the people of the beleaguered state.
As the debates on how best to protect the people and secure their properties rage on, something has to give regarding Nigeria’s military architecture. The current structure of Nigeria’s security makeup is not equipped to tackle the existential security threat that it is grappling with. For Nigeria to find a lasting solution to the deepening security crisis that has enveloped many parts of the country for years on end, its security architecture needs to undergo extensive shake-up, revamping, remodelling and reorganisation.