To start with, it is apt to state that the news of resorting to self-defence or self help by the people of Matusgi village in Zamfara state which led to the killing of 37 bandits and three villagers is a dangerous trip back to the “State of Nature” as explained by Thomas Leviathan Hobbes, John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau.
This is sadly a clear indication of the fact that the people have been pushed to the wall. The truth of the matter is that a lot of people are increasingly losing confidence in the ability of the government to protect their lives and property. Where is the social contract?
The government must be reminded that its primary responsibility is the protection of lives and property of its citizens. The government must be alive to its responsibility in order to avoid its citizens resorting to or self help. All hands must be on deck towards finding a lasting solution to the menace.
In my observation, security is the last man standing in our social contract with the government which we must not breach. The reality in our dear country now is that the citizens are the ones who provide their electricity in form of either solar or generators. They drill their personal boreholes or wells to provide drinking water since the pipe borne water is no longer coming.
We spend greater parts of our earnings on our children’s school fees since the public schools barely function. We spend a greater portion of our earnings on medical care due to ineffective health insurance system. We pay for expensive private transportation system since our public transportation system barely work. We pay expensive rent with our noses since our mortgage system is ineffective.
In my thought, farmers-herders clashes which have not been properly managed are the major cause of armed banditry in the country. Another major reason is the struggle for land resources. The farmer needs it for crop cultivation while the herder needs it for pasture. From independence to date both human and cattle population have increased, but the size of our land has even reduced due to desertification and or climate change.
Other reasons often adduced for the aggravation of the clashes are deliberate destruction of farms by herders, encroachment of cattle routes, abandonment of grazing reserves, Jungle justice against herders, maiming and killing of cattle. In the event of crop destruction by herders, there were allegations of extortion by local judges, village heads, and the police of herders . That allegedly made herders become very violent against farming communities.
This is not unaware of the allegations of infiltration of all sorts of criminals to armed banditry due to high rate of unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, proliferation of small and light weapons, drug abuse and porous borders.
However, the use of military might is only part of the solution, but certainly not all of it. We must approach the crisis from, firstly, the political front. On this front, cattle rearing which is part of agricultural activities must be supported as a business not as an ethnic thing. The right attention must be given to cattle business. There must be genuine effort at its modernisation.
Secondly, the legal front. There must be justice in handling famers-herders clashes. We must work hard towards addressing the allegations of corruption among our judges and extortion by the police of herders.
Thirdly, the socio-economic front. The issues of illiteracy, poverty, drug abuse and unemployment have contributed immensely to criminal activities in our society. There must be the political will in fighting insecurity in the country. For us to get it right, the government should pursue policies towards combating same.
Fourthly, we must properly secure our “orests which are generally unsecured. Our vast unmanned forests in the country serve as hideouts to criminals. Something serious must be done on it. Our porous borders must be properly secured. Let’s deploy technology in securing our borders. The NDLEA must be strengthened to do more in the fight against drug importation which is the energiser to all sorts of crimes.
Fifthly, small and light weapons are too many in our midst which must be mopped up. We must frustrate its supply to non-state actors . We must properly kit our security agencies. We must fight corruption within the security agencies. Their welfare must be taken very seriously. We must invest more in Intelligence gathering/sharing. It is high time we deployed technology-driven approach to security challenges.
Our major fault is that we are into conflict settlement as against resolution. Unless the right things are done, the use of military might will only bring temporary peace.
May God bless Nigeria!
Nurudeen Dauda,
Kaduna, Kaduna state
[email protected]
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