Former National Director for Legal and Public Affairs, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and also a member of the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council, Samuel Vondip Kwankur, speaks with ISAAC SHOBAYO on the protracted insecurity in Nigeria, particularly on the issues of amnesty, negotiation, and peace deals with bandits in the northern part of the country. Excerpts:
THE general belief is that Nigeria is losing grasp of one of its constitutional responsibilities, which is to protect lives and property. What is your personal assessment of the situation?
Well, I will say the issue of security challenges in Nigeria is not new. It has been there for more than a decade. There has been a consistent fight by the authorities against it. But to my mind, the major concern of Nigerians, myself included, is the skill with which the battle is fought, the commitment to it, and the results expected from it. When it started, every government would come and say, We have finished terrorism; there is nothing again. Since the Obasanjo regime, we have heard such claims. Yet, after such statements, victims still cry, communities are attacked, and no complete results are seen.
The unfortunate thing is that each time the government makes claims of overcoming terrorism and banditry, a worse attack happens. And most times, other groups come up with new names, continuing criminality, terrorism, and the killing of innocent Nigerians. That is what is so concerning that while authorities are claiming to have achieved safety and protection, more attacks are happening, more sophisticated, and with different terrorist groups coming up. Before there were no bandits; now we have bandits, and from West Africa we now have different terrorist organizations coming in.
The spread has also increased; it started in the Northeast, then moved to North Central, and now the North west is in it. So it’s complicated. On one hand, the government claims victory, but on the other hand, the reality shows things are not going right. What the authorities should do is make deliberate plans to ensure that when you say something, you pursue it to the end.
It will interest you to note that I’ve watched on TV where military chiefs keep saying, ‘We have conquered, we have defeated thousands, we have bombed their camps.’ Then, on the same television, another news item will report that a community was attacked and people killed. Sometimes I wonder if the government watches such contradictions and if nobody feels guilty that they just said they conquered, yet the next day another attack happens. Yes, I will say there is commitment from the Tinubu administration, from some security chiefs, and from the National Security Adviser. We have seen their posture and desire for peace, for safety, and for the protection of innocent citizens. The efforts of security agencies are commendable. But the reality is that Nigerians are still under attack, communities are still being wiped out, and we want to see an end to it. Sometimes people complain that it looks like a business. Some people are making money from this situation. Those fighting get money, while the victims are left to lick their wounds. That’s the sad truth, and that’s what most of us are left to believe.
I can’t understand how we have equipment, recruitment, and foreign-trained experts, yet we are not winning. I always say that when you see Nigerian soldiers fighting outside this country, they perform excellently. They are celebrated and commended. But bring them home, and everything changes; the general will no longer be general again.
Are you saying the government is no longer in charge of the situation? What is the way out of this situation?
I won’t say it has completely lost it, because no leadership will admit to being defeated. But that’s the position we are in now. If you go to the Northwest, for example, Zamfara, Kebbi, and Katsina, so many local governments are no longer under government control. You see terrorists coming into towns and cities, negotiating with government officials while holding guns. Where is the law that forbids citizens from carrying guns? Yet they come with weapons, with their heads wrapped, with machine guns, sitting and negotiating. They will say, Yesterday you took our people, so we will release these ones if you bring this money. It’s so sad and unfortunate. But I will say we cannot lose hope. My confidence is that I’ve seen Mr. President speak, and I’ve seen some level of commitment from him and the National Security Adviser. The issue now is to translate that commitment into results and action. That’s where the problem is. We can’t give up. We can only encourage the security agencies to keep the commitment, but let’s see results. Honestly, until we see results on the ground, some of us who have been in this struggle for years will keep saying things are not yet right. We may pretend politically that all is well, but the truth is that nothing is well. Something is wrong, and I see it largely as sabotage. When someone uses his uniform to make money, you won’t know. You give him an assignment, he tells you the number of security personnel and weapons he needs, and at the end, nothing happens. Sometimes information leaks-and the same security agents become victims. We have seen this many times. So if citizens cannot show commitment to love this nation with all their heart but prefer to make money from people’s blood and build mansions, which is where our problem lies.
What are your thoughts on a situation in which bandits meet with government officials to negotiate, and in most cases with security agents in attendance? Isn’t this a defeatist response to the pitiful situation?
If you look at the case of Katsina and Zamfara, we have situations where those who even went to the mosque and killed people are now sitting at the negotiation table with government officials, sometimes in the presence of security agents. That is the greatest trial of a nation. We have seen countries that have fought terrorists to a standstill, like America. It’s not that they don’t have insecurity, but you don’t hear them constantly negotiating with terrorists. I have not seen any nation that negotiates with terrorists the way Nigeria does, believing that once we negotiate, the killings will stop.
Even if some people believe negotiation brings solutions, what result have we gotten from such failed efforts? The only result is that money meant for the terrorists emboldens them to buy more arms and attack more communities. Along the line, some negotiators also enrich themselves. Everything revolves around personal gain.
Recall that former governors of Katsina, Zamfara, and a few others in the past negotiated and offered amnesty to bandits, but nothing changed. But what assurance does the nation have that the latest attempt will be different?
Nothing tangible. How many of them have come out to help fight terrorism or rebuild society? One would expect that if you rehabilitate someone, he should be able to share intelligence or help address the problem. Thousands have been rehabilitated, yet Nigerians do not even know what has become of them. It all seems like another avenue for corruption and embezzlement.
It is also shameful that we see these negotiations on television, with terrorists sitting relaxed, laughing, and dictating terms to the nation. Yet, within the same week, they go on to attack another community.
What has happened to the victims of these terrorist attacks?
That’s another painful part. While we are spending millions and billions rehabilitating terrorists, who cares for the victims? Where are they sleeping? What are they eating? Who is helping them recover from trauma? No one seems to know how they are surviving. By neglecting them, we may be pushing them toward becoming terrorists themselves. When people are repeatedly victimized, they may feel the only option left is to fight back. Terror groups exploit this, recruiting such victims and making money off them. Nigeria has not truly sat down to assess how these efforts have failed and come up with a concrete strategy. The bottom line remains sabotage and greed. Everyone seems to be making money while victims languish. Has there been any positive result from all these negotiations with terrorists? None. You and I live in this country; have you seen any improvement? Despite all the meetings and negotiations, communities are still being attacked. I know people who have sat with terrorists, collected money from the government, and claimed to have solutions, yet we’re still suffering.
So, my perception is that this whole thing has become a business. People are making money with human lives. Until we see genuine commitment, not on television or in statements, but in real results-nothing will change. The true testimony of progress will come from the victims. If they say, ‘Thank God, we’ve been rescued; there are no more attacks,’ then we’ll know something is working. We’re not saying criminality will end completely, but the frequency and scale of attacks should reduce. We’re not condemning the authorities, but we must tell the truth: things are not well. Nigeria is not well as far as insecurity is concerned.
Ethnicity and religion are the basis and major problems of Nigeria. Many strongly believe that if we can conquer these, there will be a turnaround for the nation. Do you subscribe to this notion?
I agree, to some extent. When Nigerians go outside the country to fight or support other governments against terrorism, they succeed. Look at our involvement in Liberia; the results were excellent. So why is it different here at home? The problem is ethnicity and religion. When an issue touches ‘my people,’ the response changes. You can see it clearly even in the media. If one community is attacked, there will be no response; if another is attacked, there will be a quick one. Some attacks are labeled terrorist attacks, others communal clashes or farmer-herder conflicts. Why the difference? If all the attackers are criminals, bandits, or terrorists, why profile them differently? Look at Plateau State-it has faced consistent terrorist attacks, yet such incidents are described as community conflicts, even when people were sleeping and attacked at night. But in Zamfara, similar incidents are called terrorist attacks. Why the double standard? Something is clearly wrong. Unless our leaders rise above ethnic and religious bias, this will continue. I’m happy the president, during his last visit to Plateau State, made a statement showing balance in his perception of religion and ethnicity. I appreciate him for that, and I’ve seen some signs he’s trying to act on it.
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But what about those below him-do they share the same perception? Are they carrying out their duties truthfully and according to their oath of office? These are questions that need to be answered. We may pretend that these issues are not about ethnicity or religion, but in practice, those lines are visible. It’s unfortunate that many of us are still unable to rise above them and stand for truth and justice. Even in appointments and employment, ethnicity and religion play a role. When you get a job or position through such connections, you become tied to those interests and end up defending them instead of serving the nation. So, I believe Nigeria needs a complete overhaul-we must learn to be patriotic, truthful, and committed to what is right.