Lamentations by members of the National Assembly that the country’s security situation was nearing breaking point are misplaced, given that the institution they constitute is responsible, along with the executive, to safeguard the lives and property of all Nigerians. The lawmakers should either admit their failure in this regard or come up with profound and calculated remedies to reverse the bad security situation.
Too many innocent Nigerians have been sent to their graves in recent times and countless others are languishing in kidnappers’ captivity. The truth is that the security situation has already broken down, with the greatest worry being no signs that Nigeria, with all its security architecture, is winning the war against the scourge of terrorism and other heinous crimes. It is indeed a very dangerous situation for Nigerians, given that there is nowhere else to seek a solution.
As part of the current administration, the lawmakers have a responsibility to ensure that everything legally possible is done to crush the invasive forces of terrorism and kidnapping that have constituted a serious threat to the corporate existence of the country.
It was at a special plenary session that members of the House of Representatives, while reviewing the security situation in the nation, declared that it was nearing breaking point. They warned that terrorists, kidnappers and other criminal elements were outmatching state forces. The legislators called for urgent intervention (by the government, which they are part of), tougher laws and a complete overhaul of the security architecture.
At the session presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, lawmakers from each of the six geo-political zones took turns to lay bare the depth of the security crisis in their region, which confirms the fact that criminal elements are fast overwhelming state forces and that government at all levels are failing to act with the courage and urgency required to curtail the hoodlums.
The chairperson of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Kafilat Ogbara, in an emotion-laden address, described the recent abductions in Papiri and Kebbi as a national tragedy. Referring to the trauma, violence and agony that women and children are suffering in the hands of terrorists and kidnappers across the country, Ogbara bluntly declared that Nigeria was fast failing its most vulnerable citizens.
At about the same time that the House of Representatives members held the special session, the Senate was also outraged by the seemingly intractable level that the security situation in the country had assumed. The upper chamber urged the government (which they are also part of) to immediately launch a comprehensive security intervention in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger states to stop the bloodshed and escalating abductions in the domains. The senators recommended a death sentence for kidnappers, and an urgent amendment to the firearms law to allow those they described as responsible citizens (obviously including themselves) to bear arms for self-defence.
By expressing fear that the security situation was nearing breaking point, the House of Representatives members sounded like people who are not living in Nigeria or lack knowledge of the current realities in the country, probably because they move about heavily guarded by the security personnel that are supposed to be protecting the general populace. The truth is that security of life in the country is presently non-existent, and the first set of Nigerians who should know this and take appropriate action are those in the corridors of power, including the lawmakers.
Insecurity has escalated to the point that foreigners now perceive Nigeria as a theatre of bloodshed, a killing field, and a genocide-torn country that is not safe to live in. The Senate’s craving for constitutional approval for individuals to bear arms for self-defence is a confirmation that the security situation has broken down. The lamentations of the House of Reps members confirm the same. But what will solve the problem is not lamentation; it is the political will of the leaders in the corridors of power to end the menace; discipline of the institutions of government to uphold the rule of law; commitment of ethnic, political and religious leaders to unity and peace; and good governance.
Rather than lamenting, the National Assembly members should use their legislative and oversight powers to forge a strong and sustained political will in the leadership to end terrorism and kidnapping. The current campaign against terrorists is being weakened by the lack of political will of the leadership to end the scourge and it is incapacitating the Nigerian military, which is respected in Africa and beyond for its gallantry. The lawmakers have only become agitated after the withdrawal of police escorts from VIPs by the President.
Terrorists, kidnappers and other criminals are becoming emboldened and more daring because of the weak enforcement of the existing laws. The Senate recommended a death sentence for terrorism and other violent crimes, but who will implement it when state governors are refusing to sign death warrants? They know it is part of the responsibilities before contesting an election to become governors, but they sabotage it, denying justice for the wronged and emboldening criminals. Capital punishment has always been part of our laws and until it is repealed, it stays. It is a breach of their constitutional oath for the governors to work against it by refusing to sign a death warrant. If this persists, the responsibility should be taken away from them and assigned to other officials who will uphold the rule of law. In any event, are security agencies doing enough to arrest and jail violent criminals?
The lawmakers should cause the trial of suspected terrorists and kidnappers in detention so they can be punished for the offences they committed, if convicted, to serve as a deterrent to others. It is distressing that, as insecurity escalates, Nigerians rarely see perpetrators being held and prosecuted. Kidnapping is happening constantly and freely, with millions of naira being paid as ransom to the hoodlums as if there are no police personnel in the country.
The National Assembly should use its legislative power to stop arms proliferation in the forested areas and ungoverned spaces, particularly in the northern part of the country. The lawmakers, individually and collectively, must be honest with Nigeria, say the truth about the menace of insecurity and sincerely support efforts at tackling the challenge. They must openly condemn and move against the sectarian ideologies and doctrines in their religious circles, constituencies, districts and states that spur the terrorist tendency of Jihadists in Nigeria, a secular country of diverse nations.
Amending the law to allow them (as part of the prescribed responsible citizens) carry arms to defend themselves smacks of insensitivity to the safety of their poverty-stricken constituents who will remain defenceless in the insecurity-ravaged environment not only because they don’t belong to the category of those that may be allowed to bear arms but also that they cannot afford the cost to get arms for themselves.
When the walls of a building go down, the roof is never left standing. The best the lawmakers should do is work for the safety of all Nigerians and foreigners living in Nigeria, because it is when the society is generally safe that the country can experience peace and socio-economic growth to be able to achieve its national development aspirations.
