[ad_1]
According to the 2021 Global Peace Index, Nigeria is ranked 6eleast peaceful country in Africa and 10e in the world. In July, an article on Yahoo! Finance ranked Nigeria 12e Most dangerous country in the world with a political stability score of –1.93 (on a scale of -2.5 to 2.5) and a crime rate of 63.27 (on a scale of 0 to 100). These rankings are evident in the high level of insecurity and continued banditry that plagued the sub-Saharan nation in 2021.
In the first half of 2021, 2,371 people were abducted in the country; according to a report by research consultancy group SBM Intelligence. The northern region of the country has been the most affected so far; as criminal gangs (with ties to Islamist groups in the West Africa region) known locally as bandits, continually raid villages, kidnap people, kill and destroy property in the geographic area . These gangs have reportedly been operating with these vices for over a decade, but were recently joined by members of the Jamaat Ahl as-Sunnah Iid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad terrorist organizations, known worldwide as Boko Haram, and the Islamic State of West Africa. Province (ISWAP). The additions resulted in an increase in the strength and sophistication of arming bandit cells. Important to the “lucrative” strategy of mass kidnappings for ransom by Islamist terrorist groups, these cells have recently targeted educational establishments in which a large number of students are held hostage and a ransom demanded before their release. Details of the chronology of some of these kidnappings (mainly focusing on educational institutions) by bandits are given as follows;
· February 17: 41 people (students, teachers, family members) are kidnapped at the Government Science College of Kagara in the State of Niger. A student was shot dead during the kidnapping.
· February 26: At least 317 schoolgirls are kidnapped from Jangebe State Secondary School of Science for Girls in Zamfara State.
· March 11: 39 students are abducted from the Federal College of Forest Mechanization in Mando in Kaduna State.
· April 20: At least 22 people (including 20 students and 2 staff) are kidnapped from Greenfield University in Kaduna State.
· April 24: 2 students are kidnapped at Makurdi Federal Agricultural University in Benue State.
· May 30: 136 students are kidnapped from an Islamic school in Tegina, Niger State.
· June 24: At least 50 students are kidnapped from Federal Government College Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State.
· July 5: At least 140 students are kidnapped from Bethel Baptist High School in Kujuma, Chikun, Kaduna State.
· September 1: At least 73 students are kidnapped from Kaya Public Secondary School in Maradun, Zamfara State.
The abducted students were released following various ransom payments. Although the government consistently denies these payments, relatives of the victim reveal to news platforms that they were forced to release the abductees. These kidnappings had a very negative effect on the education system in the affected areas. On September 1, following the last mass kidnapping, the Zamfara state government imposed a curfew and ordered all schools in the state closed. In addition, on September 3, the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) ordered the suspension of all telecommunications services in the northwest region; in particular the states of Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara. Recently, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) released its manual advising participants of the one-year compulsory program to avoid high-risk roads such as the Abuja-Kaduna, Abuja-Lokoja-Okene and Aba-Port Harcourt. He also advised participants to alert their relatives, friends and colleagues of the ransom payment in the event of a kidnapping.
Similar to Islamist terrorist groups, these bandits operate from hiding places in the region’s vast forests; which are characterized by a rigid and mountainous topography. These hiding places are very inaccessible to vehicles, which is why bandits use pedestrians and motorcycles for their operations. In addition to their strategy of “financing” mass kidnappings, the bandits have also been accused of carrying out multiple raids on villages where they destroy property, mutilate and kill people. Although responsibility for these raids was initially attributed to the herders who carried out retaliatory attacks against communities that opposed open grazing, responsibility has shifted to the bandits in recent times. In 2019, Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State met with the leaders of several bandit cells for peace negotiations. However, these negotiations turned out to be fruitless, as the rate of kidnappings and bloodshed instead increased dramatically. Recently, Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi (who acted as an arbiter between the bandits and the federal government) demanded that the bandits be granted an amnesty similar to that of the militants in the Niger Delta in order to end the violence.
In the southern part of the country, a different paradigm of insecurity can be observed; especially in the south-eastern region. The capture and detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the secessionist group Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), resulted in increased violence with the militia branch Eastern Security Network (ESN) involved in multiple battles with operatives of the Nigerian army. security forces. Following the release of the leader of the secessionist group, the security structure instituted a sit-at-home order every Monday. Several individuals, companies and institutions which flouted the order were attacked because they were labeled as saboteurs of the main objective of the secessionist group; the split of Nigeria and the reform of the Republic of Biafra. These developments have led to several murders and assassinations; majority of them who would have been motivated by political considerations. The most recent of these murders is that of Dr Chike Akunyili; a renowned surgeon and husband of the late Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili. The doctor was shot dead alongside a relative, his driver and a police escort; returning from a conference paying homage to his late wife.
The southwest region has also been riddled with kidnappings; in particular the Lagos-Ibadan-Bénin highway. Passenger buses and private vehicles are taken hostage and occupants are held hostage until a ransom is paid. On several occasions, the hostages are killed even though the ransom has been paid. Responsibility for these kidnappings has been attributed to armed shepherds who roam the region’s forests with their cattle. Shepherds have also reportedly attacked villages and killed community members who oppose their open grazing method. These vices led to the formation of the Western Nigeria Security Network commonly known as Amotekun in order to combat insecurity in the region. This has been somewhat effective as several arrests and hostage rescues have been carried out since its launch. However, there have also been several reports of impunity against security officials.
Unemployment has been a plague factor in Nigeria; leading to a massive exodus from the country. Between December 2020 and March 2021, the unemployment rate in the country fell from 27.1% to 33.3%; according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This placed the country in the second highest unemployment rate in the world; behind Namibia which has a rate of 33.4%. Economic analysts predict a rise in the unemployment rate commensurate with rapid population growth. The lack of jobs has led a large percentage of Nigerians to migrate or to start developing migration plans. Another important factor that has contributed to the rapid mass exodus from the country is the low employment benefits. In 2019, the national monthly minimum wage increased from 18,000 (equivalent of $) to 30,000 (equivalent of approximately $ 77). However, with the continued depreciation of the Nigerian Naira currency in the global forex market, the cost of living continues to rise rapidly beyond the capabilities of the average citizen; because the country depends on imports. This made it almost impossible for the average Nigerian to be able to feed themselves on a daily basis.
The hardships have caused many Nigerians to risk the tedious and illegal journey through the deserts of Libya in search of greener pastures in Europe. Professionals (doctors, lawyers, engineers, tech enthusiasts, etc.) have resorted to jobs in countries with better benefits such as UK, US, UAE, Arabia Arabia, etc. Currently, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has been on strike for almost two months to demand payment of its salaries and allowances. Several countries took advantage of this situation to recruit these professionals. Recently, Saudi Arabia conducted a recruitment process in Abuja which attracted applications from hundreds of experienced doctors. The federal government has consistently shown nonchalance towards employee demands, with Labor and Employment Minister Dr Chris Ngige saying he thought the striking doctors were playing a prank when they took the plunge. in industrial action. A previous interview with Channels Television in 2019 shows him saying that he did not care about the migration of doctors from the country because according to him “we have surpluses and if you have surpluses, you export”. The majority involved in the exodus are young adults who want to ensure a better environment for their children (born and unborn) with a functioning system that can provide them with basic amenities and give better assurance of safety. Recently, several people have taken to social media platforms to celebrate their migration from Nigeria.
With these current events, it is only imperative to ask the following questions;
i) Will Nigeria be able to fully tackle the insecurity in the country?
ii) Will the Nigerian government be able to tackle the unemployment problem?
iii) Will the Nigerian government institute and implement policies to provide real solutions to employee problems?
iv) Is there hope for the survival of the average Nigerian?
Only time will tell and tell.
Happy Independence Day / New Month to all Nigerians in the country and in the Diaspora.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
By Agwah Michael
(247NewsUpdate Blog founder, researcher, human rights activist, social critic and political analyst)
Source link
