The government is failing in its duty of protecting the people
The headlines have become all-too-familiar: ‘100 killed in Plateau’; ‘50 killed in Taraba’; ‘70 killed in Benue’, etc. Yet as unfortunate as these tragedies are, it would seem that the culture of violence has come to stay among several ethnic groupings in those three states. Statistics appear to support this theory and that is why the relevant authorities and critical stakeholders within the zone have to go beyond the conventional if they must put an end to the orgies of bloodletting fuelled largely by cycles of revenge.
It all started in 1999 when a serious ethnic crisis broke out between the Jukun and Kuteb tribes in Taraba State. A year later in 2000, there was fighting between the Jukun/Chamba and Tiv people, with over 250 villages burnt and no fewer than 60 persons killed. After a lull of about six years, the spectre of violence reared its head again in 2006 as violent clashes broke out between the Kuteb and the Tiv, in the course of which many people also lost their lives. Since then there have been several violent uprisings that have claimed cumulatively the lives of thousands of Nigerians and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
Seemingly overwhelmed by the crisis and clueless on how to handle them, then Taraba State Governor Dambaba Suntai said in December 2008 that there may never be any end to the killings among the communities. Suntai was reacting to the December 27, 2008 crisis in Takum which claimed several lives. The alleged killing of a Jukun youth by Kuteb youths was all that was needed to spark the killings which reportedly claimed over 20 lives.
Most often, the arguments that trigger the violence result over the grazing of farmlands by livestock. The dangerous trend with each crisis is that our security agencies fail to fish out the perpetrators. Under such Hobbesian conditions, the perpetrators often see themselves as avenging warlords for whatever ethnic interests they may be defending. What is more, with such warlords walking the streets free, younger otherwise law-abiding youth are misled by such impunity into believing there are no consequences for bad behaviour.
Very saddening is the fact that, in most cases, several members of these warring tribes have blood ties and, sometimes, are related by marriage. The religious and traditional rulers also appear to be silent in the face of these brutalities, without advising their subjects on the danger of such brutish actions. It is our hope that governors would mobilise the traditional authorities in the efforts to enthrone peace in their domains. But beyond that, they should also be alive to their responsibilities.
The principal duty of any government is to protect the lives of citizens. Under no circumstance should an individual take the life of another. When, however, such happens, the state, acting through such agents like the police should be able to step in and ensure that the law takes it course. We therefore expect the new Inspector General of Police, Mr Solomon Arase, to step up his game the same way he is tackling the menace posed by cultism.
The upsurge in ethnic (and sometimes clannish) politics and religious bigotry has become a serious bane to our development as a country and we urge the federal government working with the states concerned to come up with practical solutions to the problems. This can be done by rejuvenating institutions like the National Orientation Agency (NOA) that can then intensify efforts on educating the population on the benefits to be derived from harmonious co-existence. Nigerians are generally considered peace-loving people. They should be encouraged to continue to pursue this virtue.
