By Sunday Ani
The National Coordinator of the Southern Solidarity Alliance (SSA), Ndubuisi Okafor, has expressed concerns about the escalating insecurity in Southern Nigeria, particularly in the South East and South West regions.
In this interview, Okafor highlighted alarming incidents of killings, kidnappings and widespread violence perpetrated by criminals, alongside the excessive use of force by security personnel.
He criticised the government’s inability to address these issues effectively, citing specific cases in Ebonyi and Imo States where criminals reportedly operate with impunity.
He also attributed the worsening insecurity in the South East to the continued detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
He called for Kanu’s release as a step towards stabilising the region. He also spoke about the urgent need to establish a state police and the adoption of technology-driven security systems, similar to the ones successfully being implemented in Enugu State, to combat the growing security crisis.
Q: Your organisation is known to have the interest of the South at heart; what do you think about the security situation in the southern part of the country?
A: We are concerned because the government is not doing enough to address it. For instance, recently, there was a serious security situation in Ebonyi State where a group of people descended on innocent Ebonyi villagers and massacred over 16 of them in cold blood and up till today, the government has not been able to find the culprits.
How can some criminals kill innocent people en masse, and there is no clue to the whereabouts of such criminals? That is why we are saying that there is no security of lives and property in the south.
Then moving to Imo State, the situation is even worse. There seems to be a total collapse of security, particularly in the Osu area of the state. We understand that criminals have taken over the entire area; they go into the forest and terrorise the people.
They abduct people into the forest, where they decapitate, behead, kill, rape and commit all kinds of evils against the people without a whimper from the government. There was a sordid video of a woman who was beheaded and her private parts cut off and so many other terrible incidents like that.
Also, the excessive and overbearing attitude of the security personnel in that area against the people is equally worrisome. We have seen a video of a young man who was pushing his bike, and suddenly, these security officers accosted him, and one of them planted a bullet in him and accused him of arms deal.
And before you know what was happening, they started beating him and one of them suddenly pulled his trigger and shot the boy dead. Are we in a jungle? And these beasts that are doing all these things are busy making videos of such sordid occurrences, and our security agents can’t arrest them even when we have registered our SIM cards and all that.
Besides, there are security checkpoints everywhere in the South East, yet the insecurity is rising. The more security checkpoints we have in the East, the more brutal they are against the people; so who is actually doing all these?
The government is not addressing the issues the way they are supposed to be addressed.
Q: People are saying that the continued detention of IPOB leader, Mazi Nnnamdi Kanu, is contributing to the security breakdown in the South East; what is the position of the SSA on that?
A: We have clearly said that Nnamdi Kanu should be released to stem the tide of insecurity in the South East. We knew how and when the insecurity started in the South East.
It was during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. That was when we started seeing unknown gunmen and all manner of security threats. So, we want to believe that holding Nnamdi Kanu has aggravated the situation in the zone.
There seems to be a false narrative being raised in the east; false narrative in the sense that some authorities are simulating the violence against the people. You can’t also rule out criminal gangs who have capitalized on the situation to wreak more havoc.
So, Kanu should be released so that if his own people (IPOB members) are part of the problem, it will be easy to identify them, and they will be pacified to halt the carnage. This will also enable the authorities to identify those who are criminals and treat them as such.
Q: Talking about the failure to address the security situation in the South, are you holding the state governors responsible for that, or should that be the responsibility of the Federal Government?
A: It is a joint responsibility. Look at the case of the Afenifere youth leader who was recently kidnapped between Ondo and Kogi states. Up till now, he is still with the kidnappers.
There are circulating videos in social media, where he was seen pleading with Nigerians to make contributions to raise N100 million ransom so as to secure his release, else his abductors may waste his life. So, it is a total breakdown of security; nowhere is safe.
The issue about security is that it is everybody’s business. Some time ago, Gen TY Danjuma (Retd) charged Nigerians to protect themselves or they would perish. It is the responsibility of communities to take care of their environment.
Secondly, the state government has to sit up. Look at what is happening in Anambra State. Before now, all the native doctors, the yahoo boys and all the get-rich-quick proponents in Anambra took over the entire place, made a mess of the entire state, and there was total insecurity of lives and property, but since the homeland security law was introduced, all the criminals have fled the state.
So, everybody, including the state governors and the Federal Government, should be part of the solution.
Q: Is your organisation also advocating for a state police as some other Nigerians are pushing?
A: Yes, the constitution should be amended to give way for the creation of state police. It is imperative because if there is security at all levels, Nigeria will be better for it. We are in a very terrible security situation. So, if we have multi-level policing, the issue of insecurity will be drastically reduced to the barest minimum, if not totally eliminated.
We are also saying that the government’s approach to fighting insecurity is very wrong. In this digital age, we should be able to deploy technology in the fight against insecurity. Enugu State has done it.
The state has its own command centre; it has its own AI-driven technology system; vehicles that work 24 hours and armed outfits that move all over the place. That is how it should be.
All the southern governors should emulate Enugu State. Install AI-technology driven security systems, and that way, the south will be safe for the inhabitants, and that will bring about development and growth in their economies.
If Enugu State can do that without borrowing a dime from anywhere, then other states in the south, and indeed, Nigeria can also do that.
Did you hear that Gov Peter Mbah went to the IMF or World Bank to borrow money for that? No, he never did that. It is a matter of priority, and governors should learn to take the lives of citizens very seriously.
Q: Your association has raised the alarm about the imminent Islamisation of southern Nigeria through the introduction of Sharia laws; where is that coming from?
A: It is always better to allow the sleeping dog to lie rather than waking it up. We are alarmed to read that the Sultan of Sokoto gave that directive that Sharia laws should be implemented in Southern Nigeria. It is not acceptable.
The Sultan is not the supreme leader of Nigeria to give such an instruction. He leads his people in own territory, the North, so venturing into the South is a bit disturbing. Is he now the Sultan of Nigeria?
Majority of southerners are Christians, so you can’t implement Sharia laws in a place like the south where you have a very small number of Muslims. Although he specifically said South West, it is possible that they may like to extend it to the South East and South-South once they are through with the South West.
Their forebears talked about sinking the Koran in the Atlantic Ocean, that is, taking Islam deep into the south and ensuring that everybody becomes a Muslim. But we know that it is not all about Islam; it is about land-grabbing and the occupation of people’s ancestral homes.
We are students of history and we know what happened during the Jihad when the Borno Empire was attacked by the Fulani jihadists under Usman Dan Fodio, even when the people were already Muslims.
So, if we allow them to succeed with that, the next thing will be how to set up an emirate that will be reporting to Sokoto, so we are saying no to that. Even if anybody wants to start implementing Sharia in the South, it should emanate from the Southerners, not somebody else giving such a directive from the North.
We think that the Sultan should face the problems in the North instead of trying to cause another problem in the South.
They should emulate Islamic countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and develop their zones to improve their people’s lives and not to capture or conquer other parts of Nigeria.
We are also saying that the move is political and not religious.
Q: What is your position on the revelation by IBB in his book that the 1966 coup, which has all along been tagged an Igbo coup, was actually not an Igbo but a coup by the Nigerian military?
A: Our position has always been that Nigeria is tilted against the South, particularly the South East. So, we are not surprised by that revelation. We all knew right from the time that it was not an Igbo coup.
Different authorities, including that of the late Ikemba, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, have all said it, but because it is now coming from a powerful person from the north, we are all taking it seriously. It is a good revelation because it could signal a new beginning.
The Federal Government should make amends. It should lead to proper reconciliation. Although Abiola has already been recognized, the government should take it a step further. The Igbo should take this revelation very seriously because that lie of being responsible for the 1966 has shut them out from Nigeria totally.
That is why many Igbo are outside the country; they have no chance in Nigeria due to that tag. That is why Ohanaeze Ndigbo is asking for N10 trillion as compensation; yes, there should be restitution. Apart from that, Nnamdi Kanu should be released without further delay.
Q: Do you think the Ohanaeze’s monetary demand is what the Igbo need or a proper reintegration?
A: When we say restitution, it can come in many forms; it must not be in monetary terms alone. Treating the Igbo as equal partners in the Nigerian project is one of them.
The N10 trillion may not come in the form of cash; it can come in the form of projects. There are so many abandoned federal projects in the East, so they can use the money to do a lot of developments in the East. Again, it is an opportunity for an Igbo man to now aspire to lead Nigeria like other people and be respected as equal citizens.
Q: Some people have called for the prosecution of IBB to pay for his crimes against the Nigerian state; do you agree with such a call?
A: It is a very difficult situation. He made a confession; he was not compelled by anybody to do that. It was more of a personal decision, so for me, the most important thing is to address those revelations and not prosecute him because he has confessed his sins and should be forgiven.
However, we are still waiting for other elder statesmen like Gowon to address this 1966 coup. He has not spoken. Let him also write his own book because all fingers are pointing at him as one of the main actors at that time.
He led Nigeria into an avoidable war. What happened? Why did the Aburi Accord fail? He should clear all the misconceptions surrounding the events of that period.