It is with the saddest and most frustrating mix of emotions that we address the recent killing of Nigerian citizens by criminals who parade themselves as herdsmen in our country. Our thoughts are with the friends, families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives unjustly to the actions of these people.
We assert that the fundamental right to life of those who have been killed which also includes the right not be killed unjustly by any other persons, group of persons or state has been snatched away from them in what has now become a recurrent experience.
The Federal Government under the APC Led administration has shown that it has no interest and no plans in securing the lives of these set of Nigerians and by implication, any set of Nigerians.
Appalling is the Presidency’s reactions to the killings of innocent people by a similar criminal in far away Orlando, Florida; hours after the killings in sympathy with the United States but needs days to “ascertain reports of fresh attacks” in the communities in Benue State before they draft a report and go back to business as usual.
It is high time lives of citizens irrespective of class, background, social status or political leanings begun to matter in the affairs of our country. A situation where nothing is been done but wait for the next attack in what was the same approach and attitude given to Boko Haram by the previous administration.
We continue to maintain that it is a Herculean task and an almost impossible task for an apparatus controlled from the Federal Capital and unaccountable to state governors or community leaders. All POLICING is LOCAL!
The inefficiency of the Nigerian Police is ludicrously evident in the fact that they need days to ascertain the events that happened meaning their men were not on the scene or even close enough to ascertain talk less prevent or curtail the attacks.
We are hereby calling the National Assembly whose representatives are obligated to represent the interests of their people through lawmaking to consider and speed up laws that would ensure that occurrences of this nature do not repeat itself.
There is also an URGENT need of a review of the powers of the state governors as far as security is concerned. State Security apparatuses that are accountable to state governors and community leaders can co-exist with the Federal Police structure.
The Nigerian Police is currently not capable of protecting the average Nigerian with a workforce of less than 400,000 and a structure that answers only to Abuja.
We urge State Governors to begin to look into setting up para-security apparatuses within the powers available to them in communities prone to violence and oppression. There is a need to defend the average Nigerian who is not shielded from these violent occurrences by the walls of state houses and defense systems.
A Leader that cannot protect his/her own people does not deserve the appellation of a leader and this reason amongst other reasons was responsible for the protest votes that helped the current APC Government in getting to power during the last elections.
Nigerians who cannot protect themselves in these violent prone communities are urged to come together and demand security apparatuses from their state leaders. It is important that they know that demanding security from their leaders is not a privilege to be accorded to them but a right they are entitled to.
Together, we make a difference.
May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Jude Feranmi