Buhari on reprisals

IN the aftermath of the recent mindless killings in Katsina and Delta states by bandits and nomadic herdsmen, President Muhammadu Buhari warned members of the communities affected by the killings against any form of reprisals last week. Such actions, according to him, would invariably lead to a cycle of mutual killings and anarchy. Instead, the president said, arrested bandits or herdsmen should be handed over to the law enforcement agencies. In the statement released by Malam Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Buhari warned: “No one in the country has a right to take the law into his own hands by way of self-help or revenge. Local communities that catch bandits should hand over the suspects to law enforcement authorities instead of meting out capital punishment, leading to a cycle of revenge and counter revenge. The authorities must be allowed to investigate and deal with any breach that occurs.” He further urged community leaders and local authorities to sustain efforts in partnering with law enforcement agencies in order to bring the bandits to surrender, resulting in peace between farmers and herders.

To be sure, reprisals as acts of vengeance only escalate violence in the society and are discouraged by all progressive human societies in order to avert anarchy. To this extent, President Buhari’s admonition was just right. It would not be right for people to take the law into their own hands in a society that has a government in place. That would be like returning to prehistoric times. But then, this sentiment would be  unassailably valid only in a system that has effective institutions in place to protect life and property, and to mete out swift and appropriate punishment to criminals. It would be tantamount to pure hypocrisy and a sleight of the hand if the admonition was meant to prevent victims from reacting to the carnage in their communities, thus keeping them in a state of absolute helplessness. The scope of insecurity in the country is dire, and clearly beyond the capacity of the security agencies as presently constituted. Bandits and herdsmen have turned the entire country into killing fields. Innocent and hapless citizens are regularly murdered. For instance, in Katsina and Delta states, 40 people were gruesomely murdered by bandits and herdsmen recently. But up till now, there have been no arrests. The Delta State Commissioner of Police was in fact accused of partiality when he refuted the claims of the local community on the reported number of deaths.

Incidentally, the narrative of attacks and killings across the country is latently suggestive of conspiracy and compromise on the part of the security agencies. In any case, if the president had done the needful, the outcry over insecurity would have reduced substantially. But in a situation where the people feel threatened by the perceived support which bandits and herdsmen are receiving from the Nigerian state, preaching against reprisals will be hollow and ineffectual. Reprisals are unacceptable only to the extent that the legitimate structures and institutions of the state are effective and reliable. When they fail to live up to societal  expectations, the ambiance is invariably provided for reprisals to flourish and prevail.

We align with President Muhammadu Buhari that reprisals will not augur well for the country’s security system and that there is a desperate need to revive the trust of the Nigerian people in their own security architecture. But given the incessant security breaches which occur in the country, the people cannot be blamed for their scepticism and outrage. There must be  an immediate and effective response to the security threats.