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From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Penultimate Saturday, about 29 people were reportedly killed in Runji village, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State by terrorists. That came barely three days after suspected terrorists had killed eight in Atak’Njei community in the same local government area.
According to reports, the latest attack happened at about 10pm that fateful night and the stone-hearted terrorists left blood, sorrow and agony in their trail.
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in the state, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incident in a statement, saying that several houses in the community were burnt down while some residents were injured by the attackers.
Although Aruwan, in the statement, said that troops of the Nigerian military had a fierce gun battle with the terrorists, residents of the area who commented on the sad development said that they were not aware of such military action.
But such incidents in Kaduna are not new. Available records show that terrorists, bandits and all manner of armed groups kill innocent, defenceless people in that state on a regular basis.
Strangely, Kaduna houses all manner of security bases, including military institutions. Strangely because many people have been wondering of what use those security structures are in that state when terrorists operate as they like, regularly.
Most people argue that given the level of military presence in Kaduna, in addition to its proximity to the nation’s capital, Abuja, terrorists and bandits shouldn’t have any space in that state.
It was also in Kaduna that terrorists attacked an airport in March 2022, reportedly killing an aviation worker and injuring many others. Not satisfied, the terrorists, about 48 hours later, attacked an Abuja-Kaduna train which had about 970 passengers onboard.
But Kaduna is not alone on this rough path. The insecurity in Nigeria is widespread. From East to West, North to South, the stories are the same – terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, killer herdsmen, armed robbers and their likes are going about spreading pains and agonies.
In the northern part of the country, terrorists and bandits are wreaking havoc, killing and destroying property and the people’s sources of livelihood as they liked. They also kidnap for ransom.
Along that line, quite a number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps have been set up by the government in various parts of the region to shelter hundreds, if not thousands, of people whose houses were destroyed by the terrorists.
Some others in such camps, Saturday Sun gathered, fled their homes for fear of being attacked by bloodthirsty terrorists terrorising parts of that region.
Several media reports indicate that farmers in that part of the country seldom go to their farms for fear of being kidnapped or killed by the armed elements operating in that area.
In the southern division, kidnappers, armed robbers, gunmen and others are holding sway, making lives quite unpleasant and very difficult for the people in that section of the country.
But that ugly situation may be a thing of the past soon, if the solutions which surveyors said they would be willing to bring to the table upon request are explored.
Young Surveyors Network (YSN), at their recent gathering in Awka, Anambra State capital, said that they have solutions to Nigeria’s security problems. They added that they would be willing to assist the government to end the menace.
That gathering was the 6th Harvest of Ideas annual conference and training of the association, with the theme ‘Leadership – Diversity and Inclusion: Preparing the Next Generation of Surveyors’.
National Chairman of the group, Otobong Nse, at the event, lamented that surveyors themselves had suffered insecurity. He said that they had been attacked by armed criminals a number of times while carrying out their duties.
He disclosed that some of his colleagues had been kidnapped and killed in various parts of the country, adding that some others were only robbed and rough handled.
Nse lamented that they were often waylaid and attacked by criminals in the bushes and forests where they usually operate owing to the nature of their jobs.
“We have security problems. We have surveyors being kidnapped; we have them threatened in the course of carrying out their jobs; some of them falling victims in cases where we have communal crises and the rest of them.
“Just a few months ago, a very well respected and highly loved surveyor was kidnapped along Abuja – Lokoja Highway and he was killed by his abductors. These are among a series of other security challenges that surveyors in particular have faced.
“In the last one year, we have had more than one assassination; the recent one being about two or three months ago. We have had a surveyor assassinated in Rivers State; we have had a surveyor kidnapped in Ekiti State”, he lamented.
Nse told Saturday Sun that surveyors could provide solutions to the myriads of problems affecting the country, including its security challenges if the government works with them in that direction.
“Surveyors have evolved to that stage where we can actually provide geographical information as to the hotbeds and hotspots where these things are very prevalent.
“Recently, we had the Olumide Memorial Lecture and we had a guest lecture by the chairman of the NDLEA, Major General Buba Marwa. He was able to articulate what the surveyors can do to stem the tide of banditry, criminality and kidnapping in this country.
“And so, we are calling on the government to rise up to the occasion, partner with the surveyors and see how some of these wicked vices can be stemmed before they get out of hand.
“Surveyors have the skill and the expertise to be able to provide the government with the necessary assistance to, if not eliminate it, bring it to barest minimum.
“There are quite a lot of angles to it. They say that prevention is better than cure. If we go to the bushes with security men, we are actually applying a cure. How about we work in ways that we’ll not even have those individuals in the forest in the first place?
“How do we do that? There is a lot of technology now. We can use drones, satellite images; we can use quite a lot of technologies at our disposal to pinpoint areas that are threatened by these people, especially areas where they have operated before.
“Surveyors have the technology to be able to pinpoint some of these areas and give information concerning these areas to the government. So, these are some of the things that can be done. I am preaching that prevention is better than cure,” he said.
The YSN National Chairman, Nse, also expressed concern over the spate of building collapse in the country, saying that surveyors could also help to stem that tide.
“Recently, we’ve had a spate of building collapses in the country. And I’ll say if certain professionals were engaged properly, they would have been able to detect the problems ab initio and make recommendations.
“Every building is actually carried out on a surface. Buildings don’t float in the air; they’re established in a space. A surveyor can actually give you information concerning the ground configuration. And with that information you now know what you need to do that is necessary to make that place such that some kinds of buildings can come up on them.
“I am not negating the fact that there are other factors that may contribute to the building collapse, like maybe the use of inferior materials or lack of adherence to building regulations.
“But all I am saying is that the surveyor, being the first that goes to the site, can give you a picture of how the ground configuration is; what we call the topographic survey.
“So, if it is enshrined in the building code adopted by the different states to make it compulsory that for every building application, this topographic survey must accompany any application that you’re providing, it will go a long way in, first of all, giving whoever is designing that structure the information concerning the ground configuration.
“Then, with that we can go to other information that may be required and provide whatever is necessary to be able to come up with something that will stand the test of time”, Nse said.
Keynote speaker at the event, Dr Stephen Ufoaroh, urged the young surveyors to continue to make their contributions towards the growth and development of the country, saying that he was hopeful that things would get better someday.
Ufoaroh, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, lamented that many first class brains who were supposed to be making their contributions to the growth and development of the country were leaving in droves in search of greener pastures abroad.
He told the surveyors that they had a great potential in them and that he was confident they could achieve their goals if they remained focused.
“You should ensure that the laws, rules and regulations and other operational codes guiding your profession are protected and obeyed at all time”, he advised.
Ufoaroh lamented the leadership challenges in the country, saying that the ugly situation was affecting every aspect of the national life. He revealed that when ASUU was on strike, many of his colleagues left the country in search of better deals.
“Our professionals are leaving the country. Our young people are leaving in search of greener pastures. And the economy is bad. The best professionals are leaving and we are worse off for it. We have a leadership problem in this country. So, you have to arise and provide leadership”, Ufoaroh stated.
