REGIONAL SECURITY NETWORK: WHY IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR THE NORTH TO HAVE A UNIFIED SECURITY NETWORK.

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By Ogiri John Ogiri.

The current deplorable security situation of our dear country has brought to the fore,the fact that security is everyone's business. The recent unprecedented escalations in kidnappings and gruesome killings of innocent Nigerians in many parts of the country has,thus, necessitated the latest moves by the regions making up the country in setting up security networks that will provide complementary roles to the efforts of our mainstream security agencies. From Borno to Bayelsa,from Adamawa through Benue-Plateau to Ekiti States, it is the same chilling story of people being hacked to death through sheer armed attacks or kidnappings. The gruesome beheading of a CAN chairman, Revd Andimi,the shooting of a young UNIMaid's student of Plateau origin,incessant abductions and killings of students and aid workers all by the Boko Haram Insurgents in Borno,the murder of a poor Seminarian, Michael Nnadi, one of the four seminarians kidnapped from Good Shepherd's Major Seminary,as well as the killing of Mrs Ataga by her abductors all in Kaduna as well as herdsmen attacks on various communities across Nigeria all serve to attest to the fact that Nigeria is under a very serious siege.

Worried by this state of affairs, the western Nigeria shoved party politics and religious affiliations aside and jointly forged a common front that culminated in the formation of the much discussed Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) code-named "Operation Amotekun". The Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN) code-named Operation Amotekun (Leopard), is a security outfit based in all the six states of the South Western, Nigeria, responsible for curbing insecurity in the region.

The initial scepticism that greeted this laudable initiative, particularly from the federal government, was loudly discouraging as it was initially declared illegal by the federal government through the office of the attorney general of the federation. However,the overwhelmingly huge commendations and intellectual supports from the generality of the citizens soon turned the federal government with a few elements from the north into a lone critic of what almost all well-meaning Nigerians saw as a commendable initiative by the leaders of a region that cared about the security of their citizens. The rest, they say, is history as " Operation Amotékun" has now come to stay.

Having seen the potential of having a regional security network that can complement the mainstream security agencies at the regional levels, other regions soon began to mull the thought of having their own version of Amotékun. The eastern region is considering a similar initiative.

However, while it may be easier to have a single security network that will be representative of all citizens of the western geo-political zone and the Easter geo-political zone, the same cannot be said about the Northern geo-political zones. In other word,it will be easier for an antelope to lay an egg than for the north to have a unified security initiative like "Amotékun". The reasons for this are not far-fetched.

In the first place, the western geo-political zone speaks a common language which is Yoruba. Because they have a common language and historical experience, it was easier for them to agree on the language choice of nomenclature for the initiative. The Eastern region will equally have no problem in adopting a single name in Ibo that will be generally acceptable by every citizen of the east. However, the same cannot be true about the north. The debate about whose language should be chosen as the operation's code-name will definitely dominate. Is it Hausa,Igala,Berom,Nupe,Gbagyi, Eggon,Tiv or Idoma that should be chosen? For instance, a Northern Coalition floated an operation code-named in Hausa, " Shege Ka fasa" recently in Kaduna State. But you will agree with me that such an initiative can only be generally acceptable in the northwestern and northeastern geo-political zones where the dominant "lingua franca" is Hausa. However,in the Middle Belt or North-Central States of Benue, Plateau, Kwara among others with their multiplicity of languages, operation "Shege ka Fasa" cannot enjoy any support there.

Another reason the north may not have a common local security network is religion. In the case of the western region, religion comes second in their list of factors determining their choice of interpersonal relationships. Every Yoruba man or woman is conscious enough to know that, in the event of conflict between religion and ethnicity,ethnicity should prevail. The Yoruba man or woman does not differentiate among Christians, Muslims and traditional worshippers. They see one thing- the Yoruba nation and her general interest. In the north however, the nature of religious differences among adherents of the two dominant Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Islam is so pronounced that any attempt to have a common security network will be marred by mutual suspicion of discrimination along religious fault line. Obviously, appointment of commanders of such an initiative may not be based on the content of character and competence but on the religion of the individuals. These have been our challenges in the north and they are likely to kill any laudable initiative of a joint security network for the entire north as a region.

The way of out this seemingly intractable identity imbroglio as it affects unity in the north is for each of the States in the North-Cental zone or Middle Belt to design and establish its home-grown security network to be funded by the state's government while the Northwest can go ahead with "Operation Shege Ka Fasa" since the Northeast already has its own civilian JTF, the members of which have,over the years, proved themselves invaluable in the fight against insurgency in the region.

It is concluded, thus,that,while national defence is,specifically,the exclusive prerogative of our hard-working armed forces, the police and other para-militaries, security is for everybody. The armed forces, Police and the para-militaries need our support. They are humans too.

However, every local security network set up or that may be set up in any region should be carefully planned and monitored in such a way as to prevent undue interferences from unscrupulous politicians who may use them to terrorize the same people they are established to protect in the first place.

God bless Nigeria.

©Ogiri John Ogiri.