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In the last 17 years, combating terrorism and criminalities has been on the front bunner of operational activities of Nigerian security forces.
Apart from the terrorism and banditary in the Northern part of the country, violent crimes and criminalities- ritual killings, internet fraud, armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, separatist agitations, pipeline vandalism etc-are also ravaging a plethora of Southern states including Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Ebonyi, Anambra, Rivers, Imo, Bayelsa, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo among others.
Nowhere in Nigeria is safe today.Virtually every state and local government area has their own share of insecurity, crimes and criminalities to grapple with. In one of the states, it was a huge task taming the situation by an anti- robbery special squad headed by Simon Midena.What is presently not happening in Nigeria is targeting of dissenting prominent politicians and citizens by armed hoodlums and state- sponsored actors as was the case during the inglorious days of military rule, especially during the late General Sani Abacha’s iron fist, brutal dictatorship. Recall that under Abacha, many prominent Nigerians were targeted, attacked and eliminated by gunmen suspected to be agents of the state. Victims of such brutality include Pa Alfred Rewane, a chieftain of the then main opposition group, NADECO, Mrs Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, the late MKO Abiola, a journalist, Bagauda Kaltho of the now rested TheNews Magazine among others.
Even in the early years of the current democratic dispensation, some prominent politicians and individuals also suffered the same fate, including, Chief Bola Ige,Minister for Justice and Attorney- General of the federation in President Olusegun Obasanjo’s first term, Harry Marshal, a chieftain of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, APP and Anthony Olufunsho Willams, a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos among others. In the case of Willams who hailed from Lagos and was the State’s Commissioner for Works under Colonel Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s Military administration,according to records, he was on July 27, 2006, found bound, strangled, and stabbed at his home in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, an exclusive and wealthy neighborhood in Lagos.
On July 28, 2006, two persons were arrested in connection with his death. One was his campaign manager, and the other was a senator and former Works Minister Kingsley Adeseye Ogunlewe Ogunlewe. Like Williams, Ogunlewe was also a PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos at that time.
Also records showed that Chief Rewane who was an industrialist and a wealthy businessman was murdered on October 6, 1995 at his residence in Ikeja, Lagos.He was a financier of NADECO and a close associate of the late Premier of the defunct Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige SAN popularly known as Bola Ige, was a Nigerian lawyer and politician. He served as Federal Minister of Justice of Nigeria from January 2000 until his assassination in December 200.Ige had previously served as governor of Oyo State from 1979 to 1983 during the Second Republic.
On 23 December 2001, Ige was shot dead at his home by unknown gunmen.
Now note this: Assassination bids follow almost the same trend and pattern. Firstly, there is always a motive which are always negative. Secondly there is time for planning and execution during which thugs are hired to carry out the dastardly acts. The trend in Nigeria has always been that personalities, especially opponents or rivals in business or politics are targets. Because of the easy availability of illegal firearms, idle hands (unemployed youths) and proliferation and availability illicit, hard drugs, hired hands for such murderous enterprises are not in short supply.
The news of the alleged assassination attempt on the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi in Benin city, Edo state brings back the grim memory of the dark days of political assassinations in Nigeria .
According to news reports, Mr Obi and other chieftains of the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC were at the residence of former APC Chairman, Chief John Oyegun for political engagement when they came under attack with sporadic gunshots which shattered their vehicles.
The Edo State Police Command confirmed the attack through its spokesperson, ASP Eno Ikoedem. According to him, “some plastic chairs and canopies were damaged during the incident. No casualties were reported,” disclosing that the personnel of the Command responded swiftly to the distress call, prompting the suspects to flee the scene.
Eyes witnesses said the suspected thugs, who came in several vehicles allegedly moved from the ADC state Secretariat to Chief Oyegun’s house where the dignitaries were having meeting and shattered the screen of the vehicles parked outside the house.
As a security analyst and Nigerian who abhor crime and violence, I join my voice with those of others to condemn the dastardly act which from all ramifications is inimical to our democracy for according to a quote, “the death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush.” Also another quote said: “Assassination is the extreme form of censorship”
With the growing population that is not statistically known, high number of unemployed and restive youths roaming around the nooks and crannies of the country and firearms and hard drugs easily accessible to the unemployed youths, the current debilitating insecurity and criminalities may just be a glimpse of a bigger and grim nightmare to come as the 2027 elections approach.
IGP Disu: May your road be rough!
This is what I am wishing the new Inspector-General of police, Olatunji Disu Rilwan. I first met him when he was my student at the Mayflower junior school, Ikene, Ogun state where I started off my working career as a teacher. However, after many years our paths crossed each other’s again when I was the Managing Director of police security newspaper, DAWN, and Media Adviser to the former Inspector- General of Police, Mike Okiro.DAWN would win a United Nations award in security reporting.
As the Rivers state Commissioner of Police, Disu performed outstandingly which made many security analysts, including myself, to see him as an Officer destined for a higher office. It was therefore, not a surprise that he was picked by President Bola Tinubu for the plumb IGP position. The President did not mince words when he told the new IGP: “I made this decision for you to assume this responsibility because I know your record. I saw the dedication you exhibited while you were in Lagos when I was governor”.The president was very correct because even members of Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) gave a thumb up for the appointment.IGP Disu is a workaholic a crime fighter and a professional officer who does his job with the fear of God. I see him as an IGP who would not want to let the president down nor his friends, family and colleagues.This is why I went into the archive to fish out the title of a column written by the late educationist and my former boss the late Dr Tai Solarin who was the proprietor of Mayflower College. The title of the column was “May Your Road Be Rough.
”May your road be rough” is a famous, counter-intuitive blessing popularized by Tai Solarin in 1964.
It is not a curse, but a wish for a life rich in experience, overcoming difficulties, and developing character.
Congratulations, IGP Disu. I wish you success on the job and bumper tenure!
