Bandits And Government Arms

Not many Nigerians thought it was funny when, last week, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed that most of the arms used by criminal elements in the country belong to the government and its security agencies.

A photograph of him burning supposed arms recovered from the criminals dotted the pages of most Nigerian newspapers. Before now, Nigerians have consistently raised questions about what the government is doing to check illegal trade in light weapons acquired and handed over to government security operatives but which instead were turned on the citizens.

While that interrogation was on, suspicion was rife that something fishy and sordid was going on within the state security apparatus, considering the preponderance of small weapons in the society and the ease with which bandits, kidnappers and other anti-social non-state actors access and use them to harass, maim and kill law abiding Nigerians.

The nation’s porous borders were blamed for this dangerous trend that is giving the people much cause for concern, especially as insecurity threatens to cripple the nation rendering economic and social life a nightmare.

A former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, was reported to have said that the government had a hand in any act of insurgency that lasted beyond 24 hours. Insurgency in Nigeria has become, intriguingly, part of the daily lives of Nigerians. Could the NSA’s assertion be a confirmation of that horrifying possibility?
Before Ribadu’s outing, not a few Nigerians had personal experiences to narrate about how that fear is real and, to a large extent, emphasise the deadly liaison between the security operatives and the bad guys who are interfering with the happiness Nigerians seek and are denied.

This newspaper is excited about Ribadu’s discovery. He is in a position to find out who betrayed and are still betraying the confidence reposed in them by the state. He has been a thoroughbred insider.
From this perspective, we express our utmost displeasure regarding the NSA’s decision to burn those weapons allegedly recovered from criminal elements. We consider it a deliberate act aimed at destroying evidence and obstructing justice. Operatives who misplace or lose weapons assigned to them stand the risk of an orderly room trial and possible dismissal from service. So why the haste in destroying those weapons?

The NSA and the commanding height of the nation’s security system must not sweep this matter under the nation’s putrid carpet. National security demands that culprits are fished out and dispassionately treated in accordance with relevant laws.

Furthermore, Nigerians have a right to know who desecrated the uniforms bought with tax payers’ money, abused and misapplied the weapons in a manner that has become injurious to public peace and harmony.

Available information indicate that it is standard practice within the ranks of security agencies for weapons handed over to operatives for active duties to be numbered, registered and documented including the make of the ammunition so dispensed and the name of the operative. This maybe how the NSA got the information that weapons bought for securing the society has turned into its vile unmaking.
We are disturbed but not altogether surprised at this disclosure by a key figure in the nation’s security architecture. As a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), he is eminently in a position to know.

It takes an insider to unravel the inanities of a rotten system such as the nation has as security sector. But the question Nigerians demand an immediate answer to is, What next? This matter must be taken off the old boy network steaming in rotten and messy coverups.

It is imperative, in our opinion, that this issue is pursued till the answers are provided in a satisfactory manner. It is not enough for the NSA to talk as if it is just another misstep by the security operatives. Certainly, it is not. Nigerians are already concerned that insecurity in the country has become a very lucrative syndicate operated by powerful people across the socio-political spectrum.
But we are hopeful that Ribadu will apply the same zeal he brought to bear in his activities as the pioneer chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that saw him bring to justice his own boss, Tafa Balogun.

We are not unaware of the risks involved in unmasking the goons that have been tormenting the lives of hapless Nigerians. We are, nevertheless, enthused by the can-do spirit of Ribadu. Nigerians expect him not to disappoint.

And that brings us to the issue of recruitment into the security agencies. The process deserves a thorough overhaul. To begin with, in our view, the security high command must cease pandering to the nonsensical demands of politically exposed persons. This category of the elite class has made it a duty to flood the agencies with their thugs who become useful to them not only during electioneering campaigns but also at other times that suit their nefarious propensities.

Nigerians cannot wait to know who did it. Ribadu must live up to the high expectations of him by well-meaning Nigerians as they wait with bated breath for the outcome of investigation into this matter of urgent national importance.