Plateau Attacks: When Security Should be Everyone’s Business
By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi
On Christmas Eve, Sunday December 24th, gunmen raided multiple communities by unleashing a reign of terror, leaving a trail of death and devastation. Reports paint a horrifying picture of families massacred, villages razed, and a sense of security utterly shattered.
Residents of attacked communities in Bokkos and Barkin Ladi local government areas wouldn’t have believed that they wouldn’t celebrate this year’s Christmas with their loved ones in peace, especially as many had already begun the festivities in their own way.
The recent Plateau attacks added to the inventory list of terror attacks in Nigeria where tragedy struck, killing scores of people with many injured and properties destroyed.
For over two decades, the state has been grappling with ethno-religious crises that have claimed thousands of lives. Observers said the lack of political will among the stakeholders in the state is the major setback in efforts to bring an end to the prolonged crisis.
As usual, a series of condemnations from governments, international communities and other stakeholders have since trailed the aftermath of the incident.
Meanwhile, the military who are considered as the first line of defense in case of any external aggression are being blamed for not responding promptly while the attack was happening.
In fact, Amnesty International, AI, has even called on the authorities to investigate the inability of the security agencies to curb the attacks.
According to the AI Country Director, Isa Sanusi, their investigation showed that the armed men operated for more than 48 hours, moving from one village to another.
He said, “Our investigation shows that the gunmen were on the rampage of killing and destruction for more than 48 hours, moving from one village to another. Apart from Bokkos Local Government Area, where the attacks started and lasted hours, the gunmen also crossed into Barkin Ladi Local Government Area and killed dozens of people in Hurum, Daruwat, Maiyanga, and NTV villages,”
While reacting to the unfortunate development, the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, admitted that the troops received over 30 distress calls while the attacks were on but were handicapped by the difficult topography of the areas in addition to other factors.
He also said the manner in which the assailants planned and executed the attacks across the locations made it difficult for the troops to get to the scenes on time.
Reacting to the incident, Rear Admiral Henry Babalola (rtd), said the recurring bloodbath on the Plateau could be largely blamed on intelligence failure.
According to the retired military officer, the recent Plateau carnage could have been averted if the country’s intelligence architecture was alive to its responsibilities. He noted that, intelligence failure has continued to compound insecurity in Nigeria without sign of abating in near future.
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The expert lampooned the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Department of State Services (DSS), Police Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB), Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and other intelligence units in the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the military for failing in their duties, the result of which is the continued loss of lives and property across the country.
He said: “Prior to an attack in any area, the killers move in large numbers to concentrate forces at the intended locations, massing arms and ammunition.
“How come all the security and intelligence agencies rarely notice this movement? The DSS have reps in all the 774 council areas, yet no adequate and timely intelligence to prevent these killings.”
Thus, he blamed the security forces for not having prior knowledge about the attacks so as to eventually foil its occurrence.
The persistent violence being perpetrated by criminal elements in various communities in Plateau State cannot be solely tackled by the security forces.
There are several underlying causes that trigger conflicts, communal clashes, banditry and militancy that need to be examined and addressed through a whole-of-society approach to nip them in the bud.
Clashes mostly emanate as a result of resources control among the indigenous people and those tagged as ‘settlers’. For many years, lives and properties are being lost due to the lingering conflicts.
Nigeria as a country has over the years been battling with myriad forms of insecurity that defied all odds in spite of all measures being put in place to tackle the menace.
The security challenges include cultism, kidnapping, farmers-herders conflicts, ethno-religious rivalry, communal clashes , ethnic militias, violent separatists’ agitations, and other forms of insurgency.
Though the recent Plateau invansion is unfortunately complex and multi-faceted, with several intertwined factors contributing to the ongoing violence, pronouncements alone cannot heal wounds or deter future attacks.
Concrete actions, decisive leadership, and a concerted effort to address the root causes of the violence are what are required.
In fact, finding a lasting solution to the crisis requires a multi-pronged approach addressing the root causes and building sustainable peace. It requires the coming together of traditional rulers, religious leaders, residents, security agencies, media, politicians, businessmen, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to brainstorm, identify the ways forward and subsequent implementation.
In the long run, military, police and other security forces must rejig their strategy to ensure speedy intervention in the future.
Therefore, more importantly the citizens must support the security by providing adequate timely information on suspicious objects and movements. Such efforts facilitate intelligence gathering and timely sharing among security services from proactive and prompt rapid responses.
Intelligence gathering has proven to be a powerful weapon in averting security breaches and enhancing national security.
MUKHTAR is the author of “National Security Strategies: A Young Writer’s Perspectives,” and is a Senior Correspondent with the Emergency Digest
