A defence security analyst, Nnamdi Chife has decried the rising spate of Insecurity in Nigeria. He described as as frightening the dimension banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping have taken across all the states in the country.
In this interview, he takes a look at the security crises and what he thinks the government can do to stem the tide of insecurity across the country.
In the first week of 2022, we recorded 220 deaths in various attacks across the country, with 64 kidnap incidents. In the first week of 2021, 67 persons were killed and 110 were abducted. This means a total of 284 were killed and kidnapped in the first week of 2022 and 177 in 2021. This represents 60.5 percent increase in the killings and abductions in the country in the first week of the year. What do you make of this?
There is need for the security services to be reinvigorated with new intelligence assets to combat these types of asymmetric crimes. It’s not enough to have manpower. If we do not have a comprehensive intelligence and security approach to tackling kidnapping and banditry, then we may never end the menace. Aside from the security intelligence approach, there is another dimension which has to do with failure of governance at the rural and urban centres of the country, whereby the government has responded adequately to people’s basic needs, thus creating a state of desperation and opportunities for crimes.
Do you think the bandits are the same as terrorists looking at their level of arsenal and sophistication?
From the assets and tactics available to the so-called bandits, they are not different from that of Boko Haram/ISWAP, and their move from the Northeast to the Northwest indicates the success of the military in dislodging them from the Northeast theatre and they have brought that lethal sophistication to the business of banditry. Yes, the banditry may have started due to farmer-herder clashes but the bulk of those involved in the enterprise have seen combat in the Northeast or are trained and in partnership with those that have seen war in the Northeast.
Would you say Nigerians now see kidnapping as a business or an industry looking at the widespread occurrence in the Southeast, South, North Central and Southwest?
It’s a security and economic problem, people resort to desperate measures to enrich themselves due to the economic downturn in Nigeria, made worse by absence of security coverage by the State. Criminals take advantage of opportunity (lack of basic security) whenever it presents itself and tend to exploit it to the maximum. We have also seen reports of immigrants from the West African sub-region and the Sahel emigrating to the Nigeria through the northern for the purpose of carrying out kidnapping for ransom. So, it is in essence a business venture of the participants since they are highly rewarded through the payment of ransoms by the victims, unfortunately.
Is it right to describe it both as a business or a security issue?
I have said that Nigerians are participating in the crime due to the rewarding experience for the criminals and absence of a security architecture to curtail the menace. We can even say this is now a transnational crime owing to the involvement of foreigners in enabling the crime especially in the Northwest and Northeast, and all the way down to the South.
Considering that bank accounts are mainly used in kidnapping for ransom transactions, do you think some Nigerian banks are complicit?
The banks can freeze such accounts and notify the security authorities, it’s usually under what it’s called “suspicious transaction report”, that way the KYC of these criminals can be gotten, tracked, and arrested. However, it appears not enough is done by the financial institutions and the relevant authorities to stem the tide of illicit money flows such as the ransom payments.
What do you make of attacks on schools by these bandits?
The federal government did design a security strategy called SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE which was meant to provide a comprehensive security for the schools that were under attack by the Boko Haram, i think the FG must resuscitate that security programme and provide safe corridor for students, otherwise we may have a lost generation. The recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics alluded to the fact that states with high incidence of insecurity have seen significant drop in school enrolment, so i believe that the government must step up to resolve the problem.
Looking at how insecurity has undermined the growth of tourism industry in Nigeria, would you say the government has done enough to inspire confidence?
The problem of insecurity is tied to banditry and terrorism. Tourism will always suffer because the areas where tourists are supposed to visit are under siege and people are afraid to be kidnapped or killed, but i believe with a comprehensive plan the government can pacify these territories towards improving tourism.
What should be done to cushion the effect of insecurity in Nigeria?
The government must overhaul the national security architecture and carry out a comprehensive reform of the internal security, to provide a safe and secure environment for the citizens to thrive without any form of hindrance.