Protocol
INTRODUCTION:
When I was given the invitation to present a keynote address at this book launch on the topic: Security in Plateau State and Nigeria, I was ok with the topic because it is a familiar area to me. But on reading the title of the book to be launched today-Statistical Probability and its Applications and Business Statistics at its Base; I was completely lost as to the connection of the topic given for my keynote address and the title of the book to be launched. I am wondering whether the book will contain the statistics of the killings and destruction of properties and communities in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria occasioned by the nefarious activities of unknown gunmen or terrorists as the case may be.
I must confess that my knowledge of statistics is only linked to my area of specialization-Administration, Public Service and Development Work. Therefore, please permit me to share a little of my professional experience. For the avoidance of doubt and by the grace of God, I have served Plateau State as an Administrator for 24 years in the Civil Service and rose to the rank of a Permanent Secretary during which I was assigned some portfolios that exposed me to the security architecture of the state such as the Permanent Secretary Cabinet and Special Services (more popularly known as Permanent Secretary Security). During this period, my duties included the collation, analysis, processing and management of security reports from all local government areas, security agencies, other government bodies, States and Federal, News papers, magazines and informants. I also served as secretary of the State Security Council etc. That period coincidentally was during the peak of ethno-religious crisis from 2002 to 2004 which culminated to the declaration of the state of emergency in the state. I was saddled with huge responsibilities in the team that managed the security challenges on the Plateau within the said period thereby garnering a lot of experiences and knowledge on security in Plateau state.
In Public Service, I was appointed the Special Adviser to Governor Jonah David Jang on Peace Building from 2011 to 2015 during which I acquired vast experience working with communities and government in building architecture for peace in Plateau State. During this period I worked with security chiefs, top government functionaries, traditional, religious, youth, women and community leaders in addressing security challenges in the state through dialogue, trust building, reconciliation, mediation and coordination of early warning and early response mechanisms.
As a development worker today, I am the Executive Director of New Vision for Peace Building Initiative (New Peace)-a Non-Governmental Organization that is very active in the areas of youth and women empowerment; advocacy and dialogue between conflicting communities in Plateau state and beyond. Iam also privileged to be the current acting Chairman of the Plateau Peace Practitioners Network (PPPN) which is a network of over 50 Local and International Civil Society Organizations and development partners working in Plateau state and beyond in the area of peace building. We have been in the forefront of addressing security challenges and coordinating peace activities in the state.
Having said all these, please permit me to share my reflections on Security in Plateau State and Nigeria.
UNDERSTANDING SECURITY
Experts say, security is a science because it is an all-embracing discipline about human existence, institutions, observations, experiments, and technology and skill techniques. The nature of security is that it is preventive, protective or investigative. The goal of its prevention is to hinder, stop or make the breach of security impossible while protective security strives to make it safer, shield or guard against danger or threat. It is difficult to define security because for most part, it is a very broad subject. Several scholars have tried to define security from different perspectives, but for the purpose of this keynote address, I will define security in philosophical terms to mean the state of being secure, being free from fear, worry, apprehension, danger or risk.
Security can further be described as the act of making certain that persons and property remain safe and secure from danger. This therefore means that freedom from fear is a key value of security. John Alderson (1979), a British expert on policing corroborates this, according to him, security is the “best chance of human happiness and high standard in the quality of life”. The true test of good security is when all goes well; lives are safe; burglaries prevented; robberies foiled and frauds are prevented or minimized. When terrorism is prevented and when security intelligence is effectively utilized to defeat career optimistic criminals; when there is stability, justice, peace and the attainment of public goals and aspirations without disruption, harm, fear or uncertainties.
This security we are talking about is the responsibility of all including individuals, communities, nation states and global institutions. In fact, this is why security is a first line charge for all governments and an imperative precondition for human existence. This is why S.14(2)(b) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution states that the primary purpose of government is security and the welfare of the people.
INDICATORS OF INSECURITY
Since security is applicable to individuals, communities, nation states and the international community, expectedly, indicators of insecurity can be analyzed at these levels. Individuals perceive insecurity when threats to life and property abound, when there is worry and fear of the unknown, when danger looms and when physical occupational stability is not guaranteed. What makes this a little more interesting is that these individuals could be students, peasant farmers in our villages, industrial or government workers or even professionals.
For communities, ethnic, religious or even neighborhoods, insecurity manifest in the form of homicide, automobile accidents, theft and burglary, attacks, wars and other forms of criminality. For nation states, they experience insecurity in the form of external aggression between two or more states or internal insurrection in instances such as Boko Haram Insurgency, maitasine, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other acts of criminality like kidnapping, ethnic and religious clashes etc. At the global level, insecurity may arise in the form of nuclear armament, arms race and the development of continental ballistic missiles such as between the West and Russia, India Vs Pakistan, Israel Vs Palestine etc.
UNDERSTANDING PLATEAU IN TERMS OF SECURITY
The present entity known as Plateau State was considered as one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria with its motto “The Home of Peace and Tourism”. However, for over two decades, the state has witnessed a gradual and later consistent wave of cyclical violent clashes and conflicts that have changed the socio-cultural, economic and political structure of the state and its people. Permit me here to present an overview of the conflicts and clashes witnessed in the state in the last two or more decades.
Communal Conflicts/Clashes
The Mwaghavul and Ron Conflict of 1992 and 1995 where violent communal conflict occurred between the Ron people of Bokkos LGA and Mwaghavul people of Mangu LGA over farmland and territorial boundary. This was one of the first major conflicts that defiled the peace of modern Plateau.
The Jos Riots of 12th April 1994 which was the first major civil disturbance in Jos metropolis that broke the record of peace and tranquility of the town.
Lohmak and Sabon Layi (Jat) conflict:
The inhabitants of Lohmak and Sabon Layi (Jat) are Taroh people both of Langtang North LGA. The two communities clashed on the 22nd and 23rd February, 1997 setting ablaze many houses and destroyed other properties while one man lost his life.
Changal Conflict:
The communal clash at Changal Village of Mangu Local Government Area on the 6th -7th April, 1997 involved the Mwaghavul and Pyem communities. In addition to many live lost, houses, food item and other properties were destroyed as a result of the fracas.
Gero communal Clash:
On the 10th April, 1997, the Berom and Hausa ethnic groups clashed in Gero village in Jos South LGA. Like other conflicts, this unrest resulted into a great loss of lives and destruction of properties.
The Qua’an-Pan and Tiv Crisis of 27th march 2001 targeting Tiv Ethnic groups in the village of Kundum which borders Plateau and Nassarawa States by a band of bandits and marauders living deaths and destruction of the whole town in their wake.
The Shendam communal clash of 30th march 2001 barely after the Qua’an-Pan crisis, by group of unknown armed persons which led to destruction of properties and farm produce.
The Wase Communal Clash of 11th to 15th April 2001 which started between 2 individuals over the harvest of locust beans and later culminated in a communal clash between the Taroh and Bogghom ethnic groups. This clash resulted in the death of 8 people and the destruction of property worth millions of naira.
The Langtang Crisis of 20th May 2001 which disrupted the peace and tranquility of Langtang town and resulted in the destruction of properties.
It is worthy to note here that all the communal clashes enumerated above are on a less sophisticated level and were perpetrated with crude and local weapons such as machetes, clubs, sticks, Dane guns and knives with resultant less human casualty and minimal destruction of properties as well as less destruction of the relationship between people co-existing in such areas.
Ethno-Religious Conflicts
Ladies and Gentlemen, Ethno-religious conflicts are naturally very devastating to any nation, state or people because it touches the very fabric of the culture or belief system of a society or a group of people which they hold very dear to themselves. As you all know, Nigerians are very passionate about their culture, ethnicity or religion therefore any conflict that touches any of their way of living, is always very difficult to resolve. Unfortunately, Plateau State which was the melting pot of Nigeria (with different ethnic and religious groups) found itself at the core of ethno-religious crisis that lasted for over a decade.
On Friday 7th September 2001, Jos the Plateau State capital lost its innocence. The land of peace and tourism was violated, for about six days, violence foamed the chilly ambience of the city, splashing blood on the rocks. Casualty figures were in hundreds, churches, mosques; residential as well as commercial structures were reduced to ashes by tongues of fire. The extent of the violence and the speed with which it engulfed the city took every body by surprise. The violence quickly spread not only to the outskirts and outlining communities but engulfed the whole state and affected the neighbouring states of Taraba, Nassarawa, Kaduna and Bauchi States as well as Kano and Anambra States in the North and South-eastern parts of Nigeria respectively.
This crisis later culminated in the 2004 Yelwa-Shendam Crisis that swept across the Southern Plateau thereby culminating in the declaration of a State of emergency by the Obasanjo Administration. The spate of ethno-religious conflicts continued on the Plateau and later led to the 2008 post local government elections, 2010 crises and 2011 post presidential election crisis that swept across some states in Northern Nigeria. Plateau will forever remember the period between 2001 and 2011 as one of its darkest decades coloured in ethno-religious crisis.
In many instances, the cause of what is fought for cannot be said to be entirely a religious issue. However, for the purpose of mobilization, religion is manipulated and this becomes the fuel for escalating the crisis. In general, the major characteristics of the ethno-religious violence are the fact that worship places and worshippers became targets while religious intolerance in the society heightened.
Terrorism on the Plateau
This is the current situation in Plateau State and indeed the Nigerian Nation. It is in this era that the use of sophisticated weapons such as AK47 rifles and bombs are employed to inflict maximum and massive collateral damage on people, properties and institutions. It is on record that Plateau State is the first to witness a major terrorist attack when the ultra-modern Jos main market was brought down by a bomb by terrorist. Subsequently, other incidences ensued such as: The Christmas Eve Bomb Blast in Gada Biyu in 2010; The COCIN Headquarters Church, St. Finbarrs Catholic Church, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Church, The JIBWIS Mosques and other bomb blast on religious institutions; and the several bomb blast in Terminus Market and football viewing centers as well as other relaxation spots in other parts of the state capital.
Alongside these acts of terrorism, Plateau has had the greatest share of farmer/herder clashes, cattle rustling as well as attacks on communities by so-called unknown gunmen. What is happening today in Benue state is a replica of what has happened and is still happening in Plateau State and other states in Nigeria. We could still remember with grief the Dogo Nahawa Massacre of 2013 where over 500 people died in cold blood in the village of Dogo Nahawa; also, the Mass Burial in …which culminated in the death of a serving Senator and the majority leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly. These are amongst many incidences where masked and unknown gun men will go out on killing spree and not only kill innocent citizens but wiped out several settlements and communities away from their ancestral lands and always escape without any arrest.
Ladies and gentlemen, my submission on Plateau state can safely be generalized to represent the Nigerian situation where insecurity as a function of violence continues to degrade our unity, harmonious co-existence and indeed progress. Plateau state and indeed Nigeria is in for a very long ride as there seems no respite in view. Boko Haram is still killing and maiming people on a large scale; the spate of killings by herdsmen is on the increase, insurgency in the south east is still prevalent, kidnapping and arm robbery are still with us and the narrative continues that we have aliens from Libya, Chad, Niger and others infiltrating our lands and causing havoc. However, I still believe that we should not lose hope, because Nigeria and its people have the capacity to overcome these challenges.
Impacts of Insecurity on the Plateau
Plateau state is yet to officially publish the number of human lives that have been lost to all these conflicts. However, it is a well known fact that thousands have perished. These loses are regrettably irreplaceable in terms of livelihoods whether farmers, traders, artisans, professionals, herders have all recorded huge loses. In economic terms, experts have pointed to capital flights, insignificant tourist attraction and non-existent foreign direct investment. Pupils and students are usually great losers during crisis period as their school calendars are dislocated and the duration of their courses are avoidably extended. On the whole, life in society becomes not only nasty and brutish, but short. Individual and intergroup relations are plagued with a lot of fear, suspicion, mistrust and intolerance.
Conclusion
From my little excursion of the facts, it is obvious that Plateau State and indeed Nigeria still have large security deficits and gaps that must be breached to guarantee the unity, peace and progress of the country. The current approaches to the security challenges are yet to massively involve the people in the security architecture. The Police and other security agencies alone cannot shoulder the security needs of Nigerians. Therefore, there is need for a complete overhaul of the security architecture of the country to aggressively target the involvement of the people, increase in security manpower and logistics as well as deployment of personnel to cover every nook and cranny of the country. The idea of community policing should be explored to allow communities control their own security processes. All I am saying is that the security of Nigerians should be vested in the people themselves.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
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