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B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News |
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THE sad events which occurred recently in Rivers State raise many questions. The state has been under siege from militias controlled by political warlords, cultists and economic predators. From Buguma to Okrika, Abuloma through Ataba to Njemanze, militias are on the rampage committing murder and arson virtually unchallenged.
Whereas these militias had, hitherto, operated in the creeks and the scantily-policed outlying areas of the oil-producing state, the ineffectual response of the security forces has emboldened the marauders to launch forays into the state capital of Port Harcourt, an international port city and a regional centre of commerce. In the most recent case, AK47 guns and grenade launchers were in use in the mayhem unleashed on the community of Njemanze within the city. Five persons were killed, 50 houses were torched, thousands rendered homeless and thousands more are fleeing the city.
It is strange indeed that all these are happening in a state with police, army and naval presence. Apparently irritated by their ineffectiveness, the Deputy-Governor of the state Mr. Gabriel Tobi demanded that these agencies should fulfil their statutory obligations for which they are paid, equipped and maintained. He even went further to give them a strategy to work with, that is, a 24-hour joint patrol of the state capital.
Why do our security forces, caught napping each time, merely react to the destructive initiatives of criminals? And when they do so, they are too late to be in a position to make any difference. For instance, two police stations in Port Harcourt, are walking distances from Njemanze and yet, it took the police three hours to arrive at the scene. If security forces cannot secure lives and property of law-abiding citizens, then what are they doing?
Two, with different security agencies in existence, what happened to intelligence gathering? Three, given the economic and strategic importance of the oil-producing region, why is our satellite not programmed to monitor the area for suspicious activities? And if, for whatever reason, this equipment will not do, why would the government of Nigeria not seek the help of Britain, France, and the United States " countries that have business interests in the region?
There are indications that the militias are in the pay of a cabal of political, drug and oil warlords jostling for control of various turfs. The stakes are high and the prize is immense in terms of power and wealth. Some of these paymasters are well-known, and yet no one has deemed it necessary to bring them to book. Governor Peter Odili has reportedly said that he knows others " privileged sponsors from outside the state and their highly placed collaborators within. But curiously enough, he won't name them. Why protect from opprobrium "evil ones and agents of darkness" who, the governor says spend public funds to terrorise the public?
This is a serious matter in which claims and allegations will not do; only names and facts will help. We choose to believe that the Governor has shared his information with the very security agencies that everyone expects to live up to expectation. If there are other troublemakers who are yet to be identified, we firmly believe that they can be located if the security agencies are diligent enough.
The Federal Government has already dispatched a Special Task Force code-named Operation Flush Out 3, comprising officers of the Nigeria Army, Navy, Air Force and other security agencies, to bring the situation in the state under control. Community, political and religious leaders in Rivers State also have a duty to assist the authorities to ensure peace. But the present problem is not about Rivers state alone. A siege by militias and private armies on any part of Nigeria is an assault on the entire nation. Warlords who with impunity execute their dastardly schemes in one state, encourage similar actions elsewhere. Nigeria is not a banana republic; it is a country under the rule of law. The Federal Government must offer the Rivers State government every support " moral, political and security " to enable it confront and subdue this threat to peace and stability.
Indeed, the happenings in the state imply dimensions that give cause for concern. First, a pattern is discernible whereby minority ethnic groups are increasingly at the centre of instability in the Nigerian polity. From Taraba through Benue and Plateau to Delta and Rivers states, forces of instability are up and about. Driven purely by the greed for power and/or illicit lucre, but pretending to champion communal interests, they leave only death and destruction in their wake. It needs be stated clearly that the minorities are the cement and mortar that bind together the three major ethnic groups in this country. It is in our collective interest that they do not fall victims of self-seeking warlords. Therefore, government at every level, as well as every responsible citizen must do all within their powers to confront, most urgently, the causes of instability in these communities.
Second, the emergence of warlords and militias seeking to advance personal and group interests suggests a lack of confidence in constituted authorities to meet the legitimate expectations of the citizenry including, of course, the youths who, for want of honest work to do, are the ready source of recruits for private armies. Third, the rather disdainful brazenness of the militias in Port Harcourt indicates the incapacity of government to protect the people. Residents of the city continue to flee despite the fact that a round-the-clock security patrol is in place.
The simple truth is that the legitimacy of government is being challenged with impunity. And victims, as well as watchers of the unfolding events do not trust government to protect them. Vigilante groups have sprung up in Rivers and other states in response to the ineffectiveness of the security agencies. But if private armies are raised to protect vested interests and every man bears arms for self-protection, surely this is an invitation to anarchy. Constituted authorities must worry about these developments and their import.
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