One major figure that was conspicuously missing in Okiro's breakdown was the number of ordinary civilians that have been killed. So, who is keeping the statistical records for the number of innocent people that are killed daily by armed robbers? But we were informed that 62 police officers died in the line of duty under the reviewed period. Armed robbers in Nigeria are very wicked, heartless and mean. They kill innocent people in their homes, at work and on the streets, night and day. Sometimes, they maim other people just to satiate their evil pleasures. When they'd met their waterloo or death, there have never been real expressions of Stockholm syndrome for them.

Armed robbers cause sorrows and pains. They have turned many parents childless and they have made several children become orphans. They have created widows and widowers just like that! There are more wicked things that armed robbers do. In the end, they usually depart leaving us with memories that bring tears to our eyes. Once there was a lady that committed suicide just a few days to her wedding because she had been raped by robbers. Sadly too, she travelled from abroad to Nigeria to meet her ugly fate and unplanned death.

On February 13th 2008, one of the major news that transverse Nigeria's newsprints and online news services was the dreadful activity of the men of the underworld which took place in Afikpo, Ebonyi State. Even the Guardian newspaper reported this story online on its front page. For such a murderous adventure that remained absurdly sketchy to the police at press time, at least 11 people were sent to their early graves in the most unexpected manner. It is absurd because the Police Headquarters in Afikpo was quite close to the scene of the nefarious robbery which lasted for more than 2 hours.

This is not the first time that our fears have been confirmed. The armed robbers are far better armed and prepared than the Nigerian Police. It is the element of fear that made the Police stayed away from the crime scene while the successful robbery and heinous killings lasted. Against the backdrop of a recent opinion expressed by Reuben Abati on the mis-used or mis-spent Police fund and the well known documentation of the deficiencies of the Nigerian Police, the repeated triumph of armed robbers is nothing short of a continuous big scandal. It tells a lot about fools in power in Nigeria.

The government of Nigeria and the Nigerian Police cannot yet guarantee the security of lives and property. The Police are far less equipped to perform these functions. The officers (men and women in uniform) are grossly underpaid and operating in a seriously abnormal sphere. Quite understandably, there is a lack of commitment from the police force. In a country where dirty politics continues to overshadow all positive aspirations and where such peculiar politics had taken its toll in adverse manners on proper societal values, it is a rare trait to "serve our fatherland with love and strength and faith". Where is the love? Where is the strength? It is not hard to see the faithlessness and hopelessness. That the police still demand egunje as a supplement to their meager income is worrying. Usually, I prefer to say they take common 20 Naira as a proof of life. Despite the fact that this anomaly had been overflogged, it shamelessly persists.

The scenario in which we have found ourselves is one of the several phases of the vicious cycle in which we are entrapped in this country. A lot of things are wrong and remain largely unattended. In our vicious entanglement, the ordinary people are voiceless, powerless and helpless. There is no one or nowhere to turn to for help. Even the National Assembly is allegedly full of gangsters and fraudsters. As common Nigerians, from where cometh our help? We live in a country and at a time that gun-armed robbers and gangsters now see themselves as colleagues and pals to pen robbers and looting politicians.

Again, there is no one way out of any mess that we have created for ourselves in this country. But on one hand, some aspects of our lives should be critically examined. Among several objectives, the major goals will include to create jobs and employment opportunities for the youth (skilled and unskilled) and the graduates. In a system where millions of people in the human resources category are jobless or misplaced, the fight against crime cannot be won. I have stated elsewhere that until such a time that crime will be the pastime of the socially deficient or misfits only, the figures presented by Mike Okiro can only be expected to rise and we will be left to estimate our losses for the figures not presented. Imagine if 11 people die in every community in a day due to bullets and if millions of Naira continue to disappear from the banks routinely!

It is imperative and hastily exigent that the Nigerian Police should be well equipped to tackle both the challenges posed by the increase in crime in the country and the sophistication of the robbers. The police should upgrade with immediate effect in terms of structure, training, remuneration, insurance policy and equipment. By all standards, the target should be to make the Police the most sophisticated security outfit within Nigeria. This is the only way to transfer the fear in the minds of the police officers to the armed robbers such that it becomes impossible for robbers to operate for hours unchallenged. The ultimate goal will be to make Nigeria safe for all and sundry. The government of Nigeria must be wary of the fact that the benefits of a relatively safe country are huge.

aderounmu@gmail.com

Thy Glory O’ Nigeria…!

Robot  # 1 | 16.02.2008 10:22

var sbtitle6463=encodeURIComponent(The persist...Read the full article.

K_Station  # 2 | 16.02.2008 20:03

Dear AA, Thank you for another good article. I had been a victim of armed robbers in Lagos, not once but twice and after each encounter, I considered myself lucky to be alive. My dad's home in Ile-Ife was also invaded just a couple of months ago. The armed robbers raided at least 3 houses on his street shooting and brutalising innocent folks in the process. My dad was shot and carried bullets in his body for days as he could not get immediate medical attention as the OAU medical center doctors were on strike (my dad is a Math Professor at OAU). It took a couple of days before he could finally undergo the required surgery at OAUTH; it`s a miracle that he survived. I hope and pray that the Nigerian Police will realise that their primary duty is to protect the citizens of Nigeria. As for me, I am seriously considering the possibility of arming myself (albeit legally, if possible) as a first line of defense the next time I visit Nigeria, especially if I travel with my family. I hope the Nigerian government and by extension the Police wake up to their responsibilities, but I must quickly add that I am not very hopeful.

Oguguo Yakere  # 3 | 16.02.2008 21:16

AA, Good article on the unfortunate insecure situation in Nigeria. This kind of subject matter can not be over flogged. It needs to be drummed into the ears of the so called leaders, even though some of them are said to be no different from the perpetrators. Frankly speaking, as long as the occurence of arm robbery remains unabated, Nigeria can not be declared a safe country to live or invest in. Is there any wonder then that despite abundant cheap labor in that country, investors still find it difficult to choose Nigeria? In addition to your suggested partial solution, I would add that we should not leave out the necessity of introducing local state police as we have here in the US. In Nigeria most of the police officers are deployed to other states, other than their own. Their dedication to offer security to people they hardly know or would hardly get to know for that matter remains minimal. But knowing us, a police man would be more inclined to protect people in his village, town or state to prevent any of his own relatives being the next victim. The only people the police are dedicated to protecting now are the Andy Ubas and Adedibus and that is for the sake of money.