Last week, several youth groups in the north took to the streets to demand immediate end to bloodletting in the region, accentuating the general weariness of Nigerians living in a country beset by insecurity. Some Nigerians who spoke to Scholastica JOSEPH and Williams ABAH want government to take immediate action to end insecurity nationwide. Excerpts:
EMBERGA BAKI: When these killings started across the country, most northerners kept quiet thinking it was a war against Christians alone. They thought it is to their own favour. But now that they have realized otherwise, they are doing the right thing by protesting. The protests are a good development. They are supposed to team up with their leaders especially, to demand that the government order the security agencies to rise up to their responsibility.
If you ask me, it was as if there are some dignitaries that are behind the atrocities going on. The northerners should rise up, especially political, traditional and religious leaders; northern governors and the emirs should team up and urge government to put a stop to the killings and kidnappings. But if they are not interested or keep mute, the atrocities will continue.
We also need to conscientize the security agents because some of them are giving out intelligence that is sabotaging their work. We have one of the most trained and equipped military in the world. All they need is the right directives and orders from the appropriate authority and they will bring all the killings to an end.
IBRAHIM GALMA:
 The situation in the north is a very worrisome thing and should be a cause of concern for every individual and organization. For everyone and groups, especially Civil Societies, ethnic groups like the Miyetti Allah, we are all concerned about the insecurities most especially, in the north central and north western part of the country.
If more people can go to the streets and protest, it is supported because people are dying here and there on daily basis. People are being kidnapped and killed all over the country. It is worrisome. We have lost thousands of lives and property worth billions of naira. It is no longer bearable at all.
We are calling on the federal government to rise up and bring an end to this banditry that we are facing in this country. Security is everybody’s business, not only for government. So, we are supporting the protests. All stakeholders should come out and join the protest. Government should rise up to their responsibilities.
HAJIA HAUWA ISAH: The issue of insecurity in the country is one that is bothering everyone. As it is, nobody feels free to move about, travel, go to the farm or work due to kidnappings and killings. If our leaders are concerned about the lives of citizens, they will make sure that everyone is protected. I think it is a good thing for all our traditional and religious leaders to come together and ask the government to do something.
We live in communities that we know each other. So where is this coming from? Is it the anger, the poverty or is it about the politicians not doing the right thing? Why are we in this situation? When you look around, the gap between the rich and the poor is so wide that something needs to be done because this is a sign, a very terrible warning sign that if care is not taken, something terrible will happen. Who are these people kidnapping? Are they our people? Where are they coming from? We should find out and fish these people out.
For the protest, it had been so in Nigeria, protests, protests protests. We don’t want protests that will be hijacked as an avenue to cause mayhem like the EndSARs protests in Lagos. When it started, we thought it was a peaceful rally that voices will be heard and changes will happen but at the end of the day, some groups of people hijacked it and it turned out bloody. So we don’t want protest. We just want peace.
JOSHUA ALI: For me, the protest is a welcome development. But for how long is government toing to play the ostrich? The rate of insecurity in the north and indeed the entire country is beyond the strength of our security operatives. What is happening in Nigeria, as regards security, is one that any responsible government should, as matter of urgency, take steps to redefined the security architecture and work out modalities to tackle the challenges.
Far from that. What we hear every day from our authorities is how the government will negotiate with terrorists. This singular action tells how weak Nigeria’s security system is. The energy wasted on these so-called negotiations which has never yielded any positive result, would have been used to brainstorm on how best to tackle insecurity across the country.
Insecurity in Nigeria has grown beyond mere protests. We have witnessed series of protests but it will always end in futility. The northern group that protested should search their conscience. What is happening in the north is the failure of leadership. So, if northern youth are calling for an end to insecurity, then the leaders in the north should go back to the drawing board and work out a new framework to change this narrative.
NENGE CHEN: The call to end insecurity in the north is long overdue. It is not about the north alone; it is about the entire nation. This should serve as a wakeup call to government to take more decisive actions and restore the nation’s lost glory. In the history of Nigeria, it has never witnessed insecurity at such an alarming rate.
Nigeria has turned to a killing field where people are being slaughtered like animals. Something is fundamentally wrong. The issue of high rate of unemployment contributes to this ugly scenario. There is a saying that “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop” Look at the high cost of living in the country. So many households cannot afford three square meals. Many have been left frustrated and resorted to crime. My own appeal to government is to reposition the nation’s economy.
WUYE DANLADI: Even here in Abuja we are not safe. Nowhere is safe in Nigeria as we speak. Human blood is flowing on daily basis. The worse is how government is tackling it. For me, the authorities are not doing enough.
Imagine Abuja, the nation’s capital which houses all top security personnel, being terrorised. Terrorists have the guts to write that they are coming to attack residents and government facilities. It clearly shows that government is incapacitated and cannot carry out its defined responsibility. Why insecurity continues to persist in Nigeria is because government and citizens play politics, and ethnic card with it.
We are not speaking with one voice. No cooperation among security operatives. When it started in the north, the people in the south said it is their problem. But today, all the regions have their fair share of insecurity. Had government been patriotic and proactive enough, insecurity wouldn’t have engulfed the country the way it has today.
