Lip service, hypocrisy of government to killing of vulnerable Nigerians must stop

The spate of killings in Plateau, Benue and the surge in terrorists’ attacks in Borno smacks of the lack of seriousness of government to tackling insecurity for such a long time. From one administration to another, invaders have not stopped wreaking havoc to communities around the country with attendant casualties.

Unfortunately, vulnerable rural dwellers have been the targets of attacks leading to deaths of thousands of innocent vulnerable Nigerians. Government whose responsibility it is to protect lives and properties is not doing enough and worse still, the best of government is not good enough and these arsonists continue to rape, maim and abduct our mothers across communities.

The attack in Bokkos and Bassa in Plateau State is a sad reminder of impunity by criminal elements every Nigerians know, including government security agents. These criminal elements which has been identified by security intelligencegencies as armed Fulani herders who moves from forest to forest especially in the North Central Nigeria have not been profiled appropriately and security agents given marching order to raid forests and clear them out of way is the worst indecision of any administration.

One wonders the kind of ‘Arms Prohibition Law’ that is in operative in Nigeria. Whether the marauders are operating as armed herders, kidnappers, bandits or terrorists, bearing arms is illegal in Nigeria, but here these elements are carrying sophisticated weapons such as AK47, AK49, Pump Action, Machine Gun, Rocket Propeller and others, which they use to terrorise Nigerians, yet nothing is done drastically to send them to their graves.

It is an undisputable fact that no Fulani herder go grazing without bearing one of the aforementioned weapons and one could see video of them deliberately taking their livestock to farms to graze, take video coverage and snapshot and post it on social media to humiliate the helpless farmers.

A fortnight ago, these armed herders attack Logo and Ukum communities in Benue State which has been confirmed by the Executive Governor of Benue State that they are Fulani herders from a neighbouring country. These intruders are emboldened because no federal administration has shown enough declarative stand against them, hence, vulnerable Nigerians continue to be at the receiving end.

It appears, approach to security measures as it were has become primitive and obsolete and there is need for international collaboration for these ever spreading attacks to be curtailed as there is no justification or excuse for Nigerians to continue to get killed.

The idea of one minutes silence in the Green and Red Chambers of the National Assembly each time there were massive killings is lip service, hypocrisy and unacceptable and not even visits to families of dead victims by government functionaries were good enough. Combating terrorism has shifted from ground attack to the air in the 21st Century and Security agents must brace up.

Nigeria is under siege of bandits to say the least. From North East to North West and the North Central, South East, South West are not left out and there is no safe place as kidnappings, killings and attacks happening daily are under reported in the media.

The Mahmuda group, another deadly criminal gang that sprung up in Kwara in the North Central lately has changed insecurity to another level that we should all be worried.

Unfortunately, the 2027 general election is fast approaching and by the last quarter of 2025 the administration will concentrate on how to win the election and may not have time to think about killings; That has been the norm and we cannot pretend about it.

The idea of State Police being mulled in some quarters would not solve the problem. The State Police will end up being machineries of election rigging for governors in their respective States. Citizens should be allowed to bear arms with strict supervision of security intelligent agencies for citizens to responsibly defend themselves, otherwise the country is going to lose some communities and Local Governments to bandits.

In Plateau for instance, the State capital, Jos may likely going to be the only city existing in the next ten years, if nothing is done to curtail insecurity even as so may villages and communities in the State have been sacked by bandits.