Nigerian’s Ravaging Insecurity : Nigeria Loses 3,225 Lives in 2020

Experts Call For a Change in Tactics

• Nigeria is the Third Most Terrorized Country in the World 

• Insecurity most Prevalent in Borno, Kaduna and Kano 

• Nine Nigerians killed on daily basis due to insecurity in 2020 

By Mike Odeh James

It has been two years of hell for Nigerians as Boko Haram, Islamic State in West African Province, Bandits, Kidnappers and Foreign Herders continued to unleashed terror on Nigerians.

Reports from international organizations and media outfits state that the country remains among the most terrorized in the world.

The Global Terror Index, in its 2020 report which was released in November of 2020 states that 1,245 deaths were recorded in 2019 as a result of terror activities. This is far less than the 2,043 killed in 2018 throughout the country.

Global Terrorism Index report further stated that the number of deaths caused by Boko Haram in the country upped by 25 per cent in the period between 2018 and 2019.

It also stated that the attacks by Fulani Herders and subsequent casualties that followed due to Fulani attacks had reduced by 73 per cent.

GTI also stated that Nigeria is still vulnerable to more attacks as “renewed activity by Boko Haram in Nigeria and neighbouring countries, including Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic remain imminent.

A research conducted by The Cable Newspaper in 2020 showed that on a daily basis, nine Nigerians are killed due to terror related activities. The outfit conducted the research between January and December 2020.

The report goes further to state that there were 16 reported cases of mass killings – those resulting in more than 30 deaths – during which 717 persons lost their lives in total.

The massacres were more pronounced in Borno State – which contributed to 43 per cent of such killings, all by Boko Haram members – and in other northern states where bandits raided villages at will, The Cable report stated.

Borno State is the epicenter of terrorists attacks closely followed by Kaduna, stated the reports, even as there were 735 reported attacks in the country in 2020.

Killings were reported in all the months; September had the least with 171 deaths, while June led with 451. Borno, Kaduna and Katsina – in that order – had the most deaths. Gombe had just one reported death from one incident, the least among the states. Kaduna was attacked the highest number of times -78.

South-east was the safest zone, while north-east and south-west were the most attacked.

Nigeria recorded 16 massacres – i.e. attacks resulting in more than 30 deaths – in 2020.

The most prominent causes of deaths were attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, bandits, kidnappers and cultists.

The cable further stated that “Borno State, which has remained the epicentre of Boko Haram insurgency for the past decade, recorded the highest number of casualties at 665, which represents 20 per cent of the total casualties.

“Next in line was Kaduna State which accounted for 14.7 per cent of the casualties (489); Katsina 11.3 per cent (375); and Zamfara 6.6 per cent (219).

Overall, Cable recorded that in the year 2020, 3,326 Nigerians were killed as a result of insecurity.

It is obvious that the Buhari administration has failed in its mandate to ensure security, from which there are serious economic implications. The constant attacks by Boko Haram and bandits seriously and negatively affected the economy of the North East and North West and by extension the whole country.

Bandits, Kidnappers and Boko Haram have over the years attacked, kidnapped or killed farmers thereby stunting food production. Fulani herders’ activities in the Middle belt have also displaced farmers.

The whole situation has caused food shortage across the country, unemployment and also has helped fuel the current recession.

How To Curb The Insecurity 

Omojowo Ajosanmi Gowon, an Abuja based security expert, said if the Federal Government is interested in solving the security situation in the country, the first thing to do is embark on massive recruitment of military personnel and possibly other security operatives.

“The overall numbers of the Nigerian Forces isn’t up to 250,000. How do you expect that low number of Forces to secure a population of over 200 million?”

“It will be overwhelmed. Even the less than 250,000 cannot secure Borno State let alone the whole of Northeast, talk more of Nigeria,” he said.

Ajosanmi also added that the Federal Government needs to embark on massive rearmament of the nation’s Armed Forces in order to combat insecurity throughout the length and breadth of the country. 

According to the expert, “it is obvious that Nigeria Army, Air Force and Police need attack helicopters, surveillance and transport helicopter and gunships. These helicopters can facilitate and assist rescue troops during ambush, ferry wounded soldiers from battle grounds and rush troops to battle field.”

He also stressed the need for the government to source for weapons from China, Ukraine, Russia, North Korea and countries willing to sell arms to Nigeria. 

Speaking exclusively to Desert Herald, Ajosanmi stressed the need for police reform and reorganization in order to be able to face the modern day challenges.

“We have up to 371,800 police personnel in Nigeria, yet we call on the Army whenever there’s internal crisis that ought to be handled by the Nigerian Police.

“The Army should be restricted to fighting in our borders against external forces and terrorists.

“If the Police is well equipped with sophisticated equipment, most of the crises we call on the Army to intervene for us would be done by the Nigeria Police”, he added 

He further advocated that the police personnel be deployed to liberated areas in the Northwest.

A security expert and a defence analyst, Col. Hassan Stan Labo, said that adequate funding of the military, manpower, logistics, training and welfare of military personnel must be taken into consideration and these areas must be reviewed.

The Security expert also identified the influx of foreigners into Nigeria as a major threat and therefore proposed the creation of a border guard to help curb the influx of unwanted elements.

Col. Labo explained that “I want to propose for the establishment of an elite Border Protection Force with special force capability. The Col explained how the force should work.

“The force should combine air surveillance capability with ground mobile capability. Other areas of its capability should include sound communication, metal detection, intrusion detection and sound detection.

“The force should be saddled with the aggressive patrol of our land borders and air surveillance watch over our borders among other things.

“It should also liaise with the border security/intelligence community in the area of information sharing, prevention of illegal immigrants into Nigerian territory and counter insurgency activities.

The man whose state is most affected by the prevailing insecurity, Prof. Babagana Zulum, who is also the Governor of Borno, bared his mind as to how the insecurity challenges should be tackled. 

He called for the return of hired mercenaries which President Goodluck Jonathan administration used in tackling Boko Haram before the advent of the Buhari administration.

He also called for the reactivation of joint military cooperation between Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

The Governor spoke to the Presidential Delegates that visited him to condole with him after the deadly Zabarmari massacre.

He said “One of our recommendations as possible solutions to end the insurgency is the immediate recruitment of our youths into military and paramilitary services to complement the efforts of the Nigerian forces.”

The Governor went further and advised the President, “Our second recommendation is to engage the services of our immediate neighbours, especially the governments of Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic, in clearing the remnants of Boko Haram hiding in the shores of the Lake Chad.

“Our third recommendation is for him to engage the services of the mercenaries to clear the entire Sambisa forest, while our fourth recommendation is for him to provide the police and the military with armed resistant armoured personnel carriers and other related equipment.

“We are also soliciting the support of the federal government to support the Borno State repatriation of our displaced persons currently residing in Cameroon and Niger Republic,” he said.

As plausible as the Governor’s suggestions are, analysts have said that those proposals or suggestions would not make any headway as President Buhari is not used to accepting suggestions from any quarters except his inner caucus.  

Previously, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum and Ohanaeze Ndigbo had called for the removal of the Services Chiefs, but that call went unheeded to.

A number of highly respected Nigerians have also called for a change in the way the country fights insecurity, but the President has refused to consider the advices.