ALL over the world, the security of lives and property of citizens constitutes the primary duty of government; hence, in modern democracy, the security of citizens and their prominence in the scheme of affairs.
This is rooted in the time-honoured concept of social contract, which implies a principle that citizens surrender their power and loyalty, in addition to payment of taxes to the government, which in turn provides security to the people.
In a practical demonstration of a firm resolve to discharge this onerous responsibility to the citizens, the government, especially one that subscribes to democratic norms and values, maintains the armed forces, comprising the army, Navy, Air force, Police, and other sister security operatives tasked with securing the territorial integrity of the country and internal security, respectively, while citizens manifest their performance of the contract through loyalty, patriotism, and payment of taxes to the government.
Quite strikingly, Nigeria, as a sovereign nation, has, over the years, maintained that the security, lives, and property of the citizens are inviolable and that no sacrifice will be too much in ensuring the sanctity of citizens’ security and property protection.
However, the recent murderous siege by terrorists and Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the country, particularly Benue State, appear to be whittling down the government’s effort in the time -honoured responsibility of securing the lives and property of citizens.
In Benue State alone, no less than 218 people have been killed and more than 6,000 displaced between June 8 and 14, following a spate of deadly attacks on communities in the state by suspected Fulani militants, with the bloodiest attack meted out to 400 people in Yelwata and other communities, including Udei, Tse Ivokor to mention a few, deserted by the residents for fear of being wiped out by the killer herders.
In the recent gory attack, the marauders razed buildings, raped women and girls, and killed 200 persons, leaving five injured, including three soldiers in separate incidents. The same orgy of violence was perpetrated in parts of Plateau State before the tragedies in Benue.
These coordinated, callous, reckless, and unlawful killings by suspected Fulani herdsmen remain not just reprehensible and very unacceptable but call for urgent military measures to arrest the situation and save Benue and Plateau indigenes and, indeed, Nigerians from unwarranted pain and anguish at the hands of the herders.
This worrisome trajectory no doubt prompted the visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police to Benue State, during which the governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, youths, traditional rulers, and opinion and religious leaders bared their minds on the agonies and frustrations of their people at the hands of ravaging herders.
Many gory stories ranging from rape and arson to wanton destruction of farm crops as well as invasion of internally displaced persons’ camps dominated the discourse among the people. It was indeed a pitiable scenario.
A number of persons attributed the murderous onslaught by the killer herdsmen to an orchestrated plan to exterminate the Benue people and grab their fertile lands. This sinister move, and indeed, any other motive behind the bloodletting, is highly reprehensible and very unacceptable in any democratic society.
Whatever must have prompted the ungodly and unprovoked siege, it is clear that Governor Hyacinth Alia and the internal security mechanism in the state have been overwhelmed by the deadly invaders.
Certainly, Benue and Plateau people alone cannot handle the security situation in the state; hence, they need a decisive, sophisticated security measure, particularly from the federal government to save them from extermination.
It is, however, gratifying that President Bola Tinubu during the visit, gave a marching order to the service chiefs to smoke out the deadly herders and bring them to book. We align ourselves with this presidential directive as it has the capacity to flush out the murderers if strictly adhered to and security operatives are adequately equipped and motivated.
More can also be achieved by re-strategizing the security measures, redeploying troops, increasing intelligence gathering, and sharing the same information among various security outfits, as well as placing more emphasis on the use of modern technology and security gadgets in tackling headlong the herders murderous onslaught.
Efforts must be redoubled, as we cannot afford to watch our brothers and sisters in Benue and Plateau states or any part of Nigeria languish in an unacceptable Hobbesian state of nature where life is solitary, nasty, short, and brutish. We must collectively work harder to restore peace in conflict zones across Nigeria.
