Appalled by the escalating insecurity and pervasive kidnapping crisis across the nation, a collective of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating under the banner of the Civil Society Joint Action Group has urged Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency regarding the prevailing security challenges.
They assert that during the first eight months of Tinubu’s administration, at least 2,423 individuals lost their lives to violence, while 1,872 were subjected to abduction.
Speaking at a press briefing held in Abuja yesterday on behalf of the coalition, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), emphasized the imperative for the president to establish a specific timeframe within which security agencies must address the insecurity crisis.
This necessity underscores their plea for the declaration of a state of emergency specifically targeting kidnapping and other forms of terrorism.
“Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria under the auspices of the Civil Society Joint Action Group, Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities, and Nigeria Mourns, are deeply concerned by the deteriorating state of security across Nigeria and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and therefore call on the Nigerian government to take actionable steps to end the endemic insecurity, mitigate further attacks by kidnap syndicates and terrorist groups, and, account for persons missing in these attacks,” he said.
The coalition stated: “Mass atrocities fatality tracking across the country by Nigeria Mourns reveals that in President Buhari’s second term alone (2019 to 2023), after Buhari as a former military general, gained public trust to run as president by promising to curb the then fledgling insecurity, at least 24,816 Nigerians lost their lives, and at least 15,597 persons were abducted.
“This alarming trend has continued despite President Tinubu’s assurance at the beginning of his presidency in May 2023 to tackle insecurity. It has now been eight months since President Tinubu took his oath of office and yet, things have failed to improve. Our tracking shows at least 2,423 people have been killed in mass atrocities-related incidents and at least 1,872 persons were abducted since the beginning of President Tinubu’s administration till January 26, 2024.
“We are particularly concerned about the upsurge in abductions, noting that at least 230 incidents, in most of which multiple victims were involved, occurred within the first two weeks of January 2024 alone.”
According to Rafsanjani, during the previous fifteen years, terror attacks throughout the country’s northern region, terror attacks, also known as banditry, in the North-West, farmer-herder violence in the Middle Belt, including the Benue Valley, secessionist struggles in the South-East, piracy along the country’s southern coast, intercommunal attacks, political violence, cult-gang violence, and kidnapping in the South-West, have all contributed to a spike in insecurity in Nigeria over the past fifteen years.
He stated that these types of insecurity have become more severe over time, endangering the safety and well-being of Nigerians.
He went on to say that the government has not been able to fulfill its primary responsibility under Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution to ensure the security and welfare of all citizens, or its duty under Section 33 of the same document to uphold and protect citizens’ rights to life.
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As a result, the coalition demanded that President Tinubu take 12 urgent steps to address the nation’s security issues, including declaring a state of emergency over kidnapping and other terrorist acts and carrying out the constitutional obligation to protect Nigerian citizens’ lives.
Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, a visionary of the Throneroom Trust Ministry Kafanchan and a cleric from Kaduna, has also expressed regret over the nation’s security issues and urged the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on crime and terrorism in order to restore law and order to Nigeria.
Kure also urged Tinubu, during his speech in Kafanchan yesterday, to give the military and other security services an order to quickly stop the activities of criminals who take joy in killing innocent people.
Also, he recommended that the government provide the military with cutting-edge weaponry to combat criminals, claiming that they are utilizing more sophisticated weaponry to carry out their evil deeds. Kure also issued a challenge to the governors of the North Central states, including Kaduna, asking them “to consider creating a unifying security structure within the confines of the law, just like their counterparts in the Southwest who established Amotekun to fight crimes and criminality in their region.”
The strong statements followed the deaths of seven farmers in a commercial vehicle due to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) detonated by terrorists from Boko Haram on the Pulka-Firgi Road in the Gwoza local government area of Borno State. Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security specialist in the Lake Chad region, claims to have received information from sources that the incident happened early on Monday when the victims’ vehicle ran over an explosive.
According to the sources, seven occupants of the car, including the driver, have been confirmed deceased, while seven more have suffered serious injuries. Terrorists from ISWAP and Boko Haram have resorted to drastic but desperate tactics in an effort to repel the Nigerian military’s smashing incursion into their areas. Because of their vulnerability and diminished capacity, they have increased the use of IEDs as their primary military method. In Borno, these landmines have killed innocent civilians in recent days and weeks, primarily women and children.
Moreover yesterday, in Ohii Junction in the Owerri West local council of Imo State, two police officers and two civilians were slain by unidentified gunmen. They promptly passed away after being shot in the head. When it happened, the departed police officers were wearing their camouflage while they were on duty.
As of the time of this report, no explanation had been provided for the deed, but there were strong rumors that their murders may have done it to vent their resentment over the Monday sit-at-home edict.
This comes after Imo State Police Commissioner Aboki Danjuma revealed on Monday that seven decaying remains had been found in a jungle close to the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO).
To counter the growing number of insecurity instances in the Southwest states, President Tinubu has begun holding talks with the six governors in the region over the necessity of granting the Amotekun corps permission to carry advanced weaponry.
The governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, made this revelation on Sunday night during a media chat dubbed “Meet Your Governor” in Ado-Ekiti. He said that governors believe the local security force, equipped with the appropriate tools, can effectively combat the rising number of kidnappings, murders, and other horrible crimes in the area.
The former president Buhari’s administration, he revealed, was accused of impeding the local security network’s ability to function effectively and efficiently when it was first formed, some years ago. Oyebanji expressed hope that the current administration will concur with the Southwest states regarding the necessity of the Amotekun corps having the legal and operational authority to take on the criminal elements in the area, characterizing President Tinubu as a supporter of true federalism.