Of The North And Insecurity

While the world continues to battle with the novel coronavirus, some northern states in Nigeria battle an endemic. In this part of the country, COVID-19 is real but the incessant killings are more of concern to them at this critical period.

Northern Nigeria is in deep grief, things are not going smoothly in that part of the country. As other Nigerians wake, sleep and live in peace, the case of Northern Nigerian is the opposite. Borno, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, etc are epidemic centre for banditry, kidnapping and killing. These states are in serious security threats. The men of the underworld have launched countless attacks which claimed many lives in this region. Sadly, they’ve not stopped. The peaceful atmosphere tho, since the day of inception, has been a story for the gods.

On this scourge, life and online protests have been established and advocacy against the menace and also been recorded on the media. But it is quite unfortunate, despite all the clamouring voices raised by concerned and heartfelt citizens, insecurity in the North is still in the loom. Prior to this, a huge number of military officers in the frontline to tackle insecurity was reported to have willingly resigned over what can be called despondency.

Sad to hear, this part of the country produced the first citizen of the Country; the President. The president, in 2015, before the general election, who vowed to bring insecurity down to its kneel and peace shall reign. Then, this agenda was among his topmost agendas and manifestos.

Apart from that, top officials in the administration are majorly Northerners. This is a big challenge for our leaders. This, in the sense that, almost all of our service chiefs are from the North. But, despite their great capacity and authority, we continue hearing a series of information daily on massacre killings by bandits, kidnappers, robbery and other insurgencies. So disheartening! for the killings to reduce, it is rather witnessing a rapid rise.

However, there must be certain causes for this bad experience in the North. This, maybe obscure enough. And maybe, their forefathers might have eaten a sour grape in the past while their posterity is now feeling it sourness. To the extent that, majority of the culprits and perpetrators are from the north. They remain their own problem.

In stark contrast, there are some factors that can say to prevail these challenges in Arewa. Ranging from lack of proper education both Islamic and Western, huge rate of unemployment and to poverty. These are the factors that exacerbate the security insurgence in the North. Standing on this, northerners might be their own problem.

Education is said to be the bedrock of any development while Ignorance is the root of underdevelopment and evil. Western knowledge is low in the North. Despite the early Islamization of the region and the huge population of their international Islamic scholars, retentive memory and quality Islamic schools, some people are still falling back in terms of basic knowledge of Islam. Despite all these, application of the knowledge is scarce and practices matter a lot. For the sake of reference, clarification and criticism, visit the words of the former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

In the same vein, peace cannot live in a society where unemployment is rampant. Both are incompatible and obvious enemies. Idleness mostly enhances evil acts. A Yoruba proverb illustrates “An idle hand is the devil’s handiwork.” On the other hand, wherever poverty stays, violence will vehemently penetrate and peace will strivingly abscond. Bad thoughts will keep trailing in the heart because there are basic needs of life which cannot be meant with Cobo-less. To be candid, people in the north are suffering and there, resides what they called “Abject poverty.”

On this note, personal securities and weapons need to stay. These, among which are: adequate knowledge by the people; which can also open the gate to massive employment and eradication of poverty. Notwithstanding, internal securities should be strengthened and used to combat the security insurgence in the Northern part of the country.

Disclaimer: Please note, opinion pieces published on CAMPUS REPORTER undergo minimal editing to preserve the writer’s original voice.