Seat of Violence

Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is gaining notoriety for violence. Despite Nigeria’s economic and geographical strength, Abuja is not among Africa’s top ten (10) safest capital cities. The once peaceful seat of power increasingly records killings, abductions, and mob attacks. According to a report, two persons were killed, and 22 others were abducted in Rafin Daji, a farming community in Abaji Area Council, Abuja. On June 20, 2022, residents woke up to discover the dismembered body of a young lady under a bridge in the Kubwa area of Abuja. The report suggests a case of ritual killing.

The deteriorating situation in Abuja may be linked to several factors. First is the instability ravaging all parts of the country. For example, some states in the northcentral and northwest regions, Nigeria’s most violent areas, share borders with the capital city. States like Plateau, Nasarawa, and Niger are volatile and susceptible to militia attacks and clashes between pastoralists and farmers. Data from the Nextier Violent Conflict Database shows that between January 2021 and May 2022, the northcentral region recorded 402 violent incidents, with 1,981 deaths and 962 kidnap victims. Several other regions of the country face various security challenges. These security issues, especially in rural locations, force dwellers to flee violent scenes.

The population explosion caused by people fleeing insecure states contributes significantly to the insecurity. Thousands of stranded squatters occupy abandoned houses and public and private spaces in the city and slums, increasing risky roadside trading, begging, hawking, and trafficking. Left with no choice, the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) has centred its core task around riding the streets of traders through undue harassment and brutality, an act that may influence individuals to engage in violent activities. In reality, urbanisation is a worldwide phenomenon. However, the unholy blend of urbanisation, unemployment and poverty may propel the heightened insecurity. Currently, 33 per cent of Nigerians are unemployed, and 91 million people live below the poverty line.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has blamed the rising insecurity on the distortion of the Abuja Master Plan. For instance, on July 5 2021, the FCTA demolished over 400 illegal structures in Lugbe, a residential district along the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Most of the illegal structures were identified as a haven for criminals. The Chairman, FCT Ministerial Committee on City Sanitation, Ikharo Attah, during the operation, noted that the effort was in a bid to strengthen security in the nation’s capital.

In 2019, the Federal Capital Territory police command introduced a policing plan. According to the then Police Commissioner, Bala Ciroma, the plan was created after extensive consultations with community leaders, stakeholders, and sister security organisations. The strategy aims to combat five crimes of particular concern: drug abuse, burglaries and theft, armed robberies, car theft, and cultism.

Yet, the activities of criminals have continued unabated. Indeed, the government cannot absolve itself from the declining security in the FCT and the country at large. Recent developments indicate that security is for the highest bidder. According to a report, only 20 per cent of police officers are engaged in the core police duties; 80 per cent provide security for individuals, businesses and government officials.

The government must commit its efforts to creating jobs for the teeming population. The government must work with critical players to expand conversations about job creation for qualified and unskilled Nigerians. The National Employment Policy (NEP) of 2002, the National Action Plan on Employment Creation (NAPEC), the National Youth Policy (NYP) of 2009, as well as the National Policy on Education (NPE), should all be reviewed and put into action by the government.

The Abuja Master Plan, at conception, was designed to accommodate about 3.5 million people, but the city now has over 6.5 million inhabitants. Therefore, the government should review the Abuja Master plan to accommodate growing societal needs and security changes. The plan should accommodate all classes of society. Also, efforts must be made to install operational surveillance cameras and street lights and increase patrol teams around the city.

As the Nigerian state continues to fight internal wars, multiple vistas of violent conflict continue to emerge, requiring urgent and holistic responses. The security measures should include reclaiming armed groups’ strongholds and re-establishing the government’s presence in the ungoverned spaces. Safety and stability will help prevent the need to flee from violence and improve the livelihood of people in rural communities. Furthermore, the government should liberalise the private security sector under a strict regulatory framework. This approach will substitute thugs for responsible, trained security professionals and reduce the burden of VIP protection on the police.