Highways of Horror

Nigeria’s highways of terror are a nightmare for many road users. Across several locations, travellers are vulnerable to violent onslaughts by gunmen. Several road users have been killed, and several others kidnapped. Even railway operations are not left out in the wake of gunmen’s menace. Dozens of travellers were either killed, hurt, or kidnapped when bandits opened fire on travellers on Monday, December 13, 2021. In recent months, interstate highways have been vulnerable to armed men attacks. Many road users who can afford plane tickets are ditching road trips due to fear of attacks. However, millions of Nigerians without the financial means are stuck with the dangerous paths prone to bandits’ attacks, indiscriminate ransom kidnaps and wanton killings.

Dreadful highways reflect Nigeria’s cascading insecurity. Terror on Nigerian roads mirrors road users\’ vulnerability to terror. From vulnerable rural communities to forests of violence to insecurity in the waterways to highways of horror, lives and livelihood of many Nigerian residents is threatened by terror. Reports of security deployments and highway checkpoints have not ended the attacks road users face. Indeed, security operations in violent hotspots may be triggering the migration of armed groups. According to a report, bandits that attacked travellers on Monday, December 13, 2021, relocated to forests near the Kaduna-Zaria dual carriage. Recall the ongoing combative action against bandits in the northwest and northcentral zones, including shutting down mobile communications in several locations across the areas. Despite these measures, bandits’ violence appears unending, and peace in the hotspots, a long journey.

Nigeria must be safe for Nigerians. There is a need to increase security measures to match current security needs. Every day, dozens are killed, maimed, kidnapped, or displaced because of mounting terror. The Nigerian government must live up to its social contract to secure lives and livelihoods. There is a slippery slope that continued terror on defenceless citizens may trigger the need for the instrument of violence, which should be exclusive to the government. Already, self-defence militias groups are responding to violent conflicts in various locations in Nigeria. This trend may undermine formal security measures. Therefore, Nigerian security operatives must be strengthened to manage these complications.

Maintaining its statehood means protecting its dwindling ‘monopoly’ of violence. The Nigerian government must address the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. In 2013, African Union member-states representatives gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and adopted the “Silencing the Guns in Africa by 2020”. Eight years down the line, conflict in the African continent has grown. From Burkina Faso to Burundi-Rwanda, The Gambia, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mozambique, violent conflicts rage. The ongoing Sahel violence is another tough challenge for the continent and its development partners. Boko Haram insurgency, which started in Northeast Nigeria, has spread to Chad, Niger, and Cameroon. Bandits, kidnappers, and unknown gunmen violence seem endless across Nigeria. Securing guns in Africa, especially in Nigeria, has become increasingly difficult. Therefore, government must investigate the drive to access guns as a necessity towards survival or a means to pursue publicly undesirous activities.

There is also a need to review existing combative responses to insecurity in Nigeria. Genuine efforts to evaluate security operations and responses to the crisis will help to inform innovative approaches and reshape existing frameworks. The Nigerian government must seek local and international support to manage the wave of violence. Additionally, the spate of insecurity requires multilayered and multisectoral responses. On the one hand, proactive security operations, early warning mechanisms, community engagements to increase collaboration will help mitigate the growing violence. On the other hand, institutional capacity building and interagency collaborations will help security agencies respond to the terror wave more efficiently. Furthermore, Nigeria\’s response to insecurity must be strategic and robust to achieve sustainable peace.