President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has responded to a significant surge in armed violence and mass abductions across Nigeria by declaring a nationwide security emergency.
He also ordered the recruitment of additional manpower to the armed services, and undertook to ‘support state governments which have set up security outfits to safeguard their people.’
In a statement issued on 26 November, the president reiterated an earlier order for police officers to be withdrawn from guarding VIPs. He also called for 20,000 more police officers to be recruited in addition to the 30,000 he had authorised earlier, and for these officers to undergo intensive training to prepare them for deployment in security-challenged areas. In addition, the Department of State Security (DSS) was authorised to recruit and deploy forest guards ‘to flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in […] forests.’
The president went on to call on cattle herders to end the practice of open grazing and to hand in all illegal weapons, stating that ‘ranching is now the path forward for sustainable livestock farming and national harmony.’ He also advised mosques and churches to seek security protection when gathering for services and advised states to ‘rethink establishing boarding schools in remote areas without adequate security.’
In addition, the president urged the National Assembly to amend legislation in order to ‘allow states that require state police to establish them.’
The announcement came in the wake of a robust debate in the Senate on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation, which had highlighted, among other issues, the recent spate of abductions, a shortage of manpower and inadequate weaponry within the security forces, intelligence and technology gaps, attacks on houses of worship, and the fact that schools remain soft targets. The Senate concluded by declaring kidnapping had escalated into a form of terrorism and recommending perpetrators receive the death penalty with no option of a fine or commutation.
During a special plenary session, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, highlighted that the North Central region suffers around 52% of the country’s overall insecurity. However, he warned of infiltration of security institutions, stating that the names of known Boko Haram members, ‘armed robbers and other criminals’ had been found in a shortlist of recent recruits cleared to join the army and police, stressing that only credible, trustworthy individuals should receive endorsements.
Among the incidents referred to both in the presidential declaration and the National Assembly debates was the abduction on 21 November of 303 students from the St Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary School in the Papiri community of Agwara Local Government Area (LGA), Niger State, 253 of whom are still missing, along with 12 of their teachers. Most are aged between nine and 14 because their captors, who arrived on motorcycles, began by attacking the primary school dormitories. Unfortunately, CSW has been informed that the father of three of the young abductees, Mr Anthony Musa, died of a heart attack on 24 November, possibly induced by trauma.
In further disturbing news, CSW has learned that The Venerable Edwin Achi of the Anglican Diocese of Kaduna, who was seized along with his wife, Sarah, from their home in the Nissi community of Chikun LGA, Kaduna State, by Fulani assailants in the early hours of 28 October, was killed by his captors on 26 November, after their family was unable to raise N100 million in ransom. News of his murder came hours after the release of a proof of life video by his captors depicting Venerable and Mrs Achi seated on the ground alongside other captives.
In an incident that underlined the widespread nature of current insecurity, during the evening of 26 November militia men sporting AK-47s raided two homes in the Gidan-Bijimi community, in the Kawu Ward of Bwari Area Council in the federal capital, Abuja, and abducted six young girls and a 16-year-old boy. In addition, four pregnant women and a number of children were reportedly among around 20 farmers abducted by armed assailants on 26 November in Unguwan-Kawo, in the Erena Ward of Shiroro LGA in Niger state.
CSW’s CEO Scot Bower said: ‘CSW extends deepest condolences to the family, friends and congregation of Venerable Edwin Achi. We urge the government to spare no effort in ensuring the release of Mrs Achi, of the 253 children abducted in Niger State, and of all others languishing in captivity at the hands of armed groups. We welcome the fact that Nigeria’s existential crisis, and the suffering of ordinary citizens who continue to be terrorised and commoditised by violent non-state actors across the country, are finally being acknowledged and addressed at the highest levels of government, along with the plight of the under-resourced armed services. However, the Nigerian authorities must heed the warning of Hon Idris Wase, and exercise extreme caution during recruitment to offset infiltration. The government would also do well to revisit the recommendations of the Civil Coalition Against Mass Atrocities in the Middle Belt, and in particular its calls for an integrated intelligence framework combining knowledge from local communities with the technical capabilities of the armed forces, and for the increased use of drones and other technological innovations.’