Unlived Peace

The year 2021 has been a violent period in Nigeria. Twelve months to September 2021, data from the Nextier SPD Violent Conflict Database shows that about 3,787 died in 890 incidents across the country. Region-specific and cross-cutting violent conflicts threaten lives and livelihoods, stretching security institutions beyond their capacity. The government and residents have born the economic implications. In the words of Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Mr Usman Baba, the year 2021 was challenging for the Police Force, citing threats posed by bandits, separatist groups, kidnappers, and other organised criminal organisations.

Indeed, across the nation, various violent conflicts require security responses. There are twelve years of insurgency in the northeast, transitioning banditry in the northwest and northcentral, and ongoing secessionist struggles in the southeast and parts of south-south and south-west zones. There is also ransom kidnap, unidentified gunmen attacks and organised crime waves across the board. Yet, security responses to the cascading violence have not stopped the instability and losses to lives and livelihoods.

Many Nigerians are responding to security threats by creating self-defence militias groups, secessionist calls and protests insecurity. For example, there are ongoing #NorthIsBleeding protests in some parts of Northern Nigeria. The Eastern Security Network (ESN), the brainchild of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was purportedly created to secure Igbo lives from rising insecurity. The latest Yoruba nation movement is because of security challenges in south-west states. However, civilian responses to Nigeria’s security challenges are complicating them.

Despite the current realities, between 2019 and 2021, Nigeria has climbed one step up in the yearly Global Peace Index (GPI). The GPI, a product of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), measures societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarisation to determine the peacefulness of countries. Out of 163 countries rated in 2019, Nigeria occupied the 148th position and 40th out of 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2020, Nigeria moved up in the global category, the same as the 2021 statistics. The index reports do not support the widespread concerns and reports of wanton killings and attacks. Indeed, it shows a slight improvement in Nigeria’s peacefulness. However, these gains should be felt by ordinary Nigerians who face life-threatening scenarios across the country.

Unaddressed security threats will complicate eventual responses. Cascading security challenges in Nigeria should be matched with commensurate securitisation. Additionally, non-combative measures such as peacebuilding strategies and early warning mechanisms will help avoid security needs. The continued threats to lives and livelihoods will engender resentments and lead to the rise of self-defence groups. Due to reactive and inefficient security efforts, self-defence militias may complicate the security atmosphere in the hotspots or even become agents of terror themselves. Furthermore, the rise of militias comes with the propensity to acquire small arms and light weapons, which further undermines the Nigerian state’s supposed monopoly of the instrument of violence.  Essentially, the unabated rise of violence in Nigeria may birth more violent incidents.

The government’s preparedness towards increasing violence may be the game-changer. There should be proactive peacebuilding and early warning mechanisms to address attacks in the crisis hotspot. A study of workable peacebuilding approaches and evaluating security responses in a crisis environment will help shape policy actions and programming for communities prone to violent upheavals. Building peace is a proactive effort to engender tolerance and prevent war. Early warning mechanisms are essential to identify grievances and threats of violence before they fester and become a full-blown crisis. Nigeria’s cascading insecurity and fall of crisis-ridden nations worldwide are timely lessons for proactive action.

Therefore, to navigate Nigeria out of the current escalating crisis of violence and deaths means recognising an increasing deterioration of general peace and security. The January 2021 affirmations of the new service chiefs have statistically not reduced recurring violence and threats. Hence, a comprehensive security framework reorganisation is needed to capture existing and emerging violent threats beyond political and ethnoreligious purviews to an objective and solution-focused strategy. In essence, the Nigerian security operatives need to tackle the menace of insecurity and ensure the safety of lives and properties. The Nigerian government must also provide adequate resources in advanced training and security hardware to position the nation’s troops to be effective and efficient. The current reactions to insecurity must push the Nigerian state to double up security efforts. Nigerians must experience first-hand sustainable peace.