A NATION IN SEARCH OF SECURITY

A nation overwhelmed by banditry, kidnapping, marauding herdsmen, and unbridled insurgency, sandwiched between the two poles of outright kinetic evisceration of the cancerous disorderliness and the use of moral persuasion to achieve orderliness and national peace.

This is precisely an appropriate description of the nature of things security-wise in Nigeria.

The doctrinal exclusivity in term of the application of lethal weapons by security agencies has been broken by, with, the acquisition and possession of sophisticated lethal weapons by non- state actors challenging the supremacy, legitimacy, of the Nation.

It is common knowledge that all over the nation, and in every geopolitical zone, security agencies are being challenged in a contest for territorial dominance by non-state actors, despite the fact that yearly billions of budgetary and extra budgetary financial provisions were made to purchase sophisticated weaponry.

The resurgence of kidnapping in Abuja, Lagos, Ekiti, most especially when it hits home at the nerve centre of political superstructure, has woken up the urgency within the medullary of politically exposed personalities to adopt drastic measures in tackling the menace. One of such medullary urgency can be found in the proposed bill presented by Ned Nwoko for the granting of firearm license to Nigerians.

Though, this is not a new proposition, what is strange however is the zeal at which this time around such bill is being pursued, this lead one to believe that without the thunderstorms of kidnapping at the doorstep in Abuja, our legislators wouldn't have taken it seriously.

The killing of two monarchs in Ekiti state,, signposted the fact that the fire burning under the roof of the poor is about to engulf the rich hidden in their cocoons in Abuja.

 

I wonder, if the proposal to licence firearm usage to Nigerians is exactly the panacea that is necessarily adequate to curb the impunity, disorderliness, banditry, kidnapping, and unbridled insurgency in Nigeria. 

In Ned Nwoko's response to question concerning substantial anarchy resulting from his proposal in respect of generic firearm licence and the conditionalities he proffered being susceptible to corruption. He opined by making reference to the general availability of Cutlasses, Knives, in our communities and that if such availability doesn't transfer into uncontrollable, indiscriminate use of above-mentioned weapons, he saw no worries concerning the general population possession of firearm since the security agencies have failed to protect lives and properties. 

This is a simplistic way of reasoning in my view, though Cutlasses, Knives, are weapons in their own right, and people used them to commit heinous crime in our communities which cannot be denied. The fact that it is not generally reported doesn't make them a good example for justification of firearms general licensing. It is noteworthy to state here that Cutlasses and Knives are not similar nor same with firearm like AK47. 

It is imperative to state here without any doubt that what we need is decentralisation of our security architecture, wherein,  Federal police, State police, Local government police would be established in a coexistent manner to deal with insecurity right from the grassroot. 

The general licensing of firearm, notwithstanding the strictest conditionalities wouldn't resolve the issue of insecurity, rather the opposite should be expected. Let us focus our attention on restructuring, decentralisation, of our security architecture.