INSECURITY IN NIGERIA: Is "VOODOOISM" to the Rescue?

By Festus Ejiroghene Fifen

It is no longer news that the rate of crime and other related activities in the country has reached an alarming stage.  The average Nigerian has completely lost hope in the government’s security system for protection.

Almost every other family across the country that can afford it, has one form of informal security arrangement or the other that they believe could come to their rescue when the need arises. In as much as we all believe in Nigeria as one indivisible entity called Nigeria, the few lines you have read above capture the new reality of things except we want to play the ostrich, a game that has brought us to where we are today as a country.

Informal arrangements like Neighborhood Watch, vigilante groups, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Bakassi Boys, Egbesu Cult, Yan Banga and a host of others are security arrangements across the six geopolitical zones of the country that eventually gained popularity amongst Nigerians because of the perceived failure of the Nigeria police and other state-owned security architecture. 

The growing popularity these informal arrangements are enjoying is not because of their sophistication in strategic arms and weapons, but for the assumed level of charm and mystical powers they possess to solve problems of theft, kidnapping, armed robbery and other security challenges that are unique to specific regions across the country. No wonder a lawmaker in Ogun state house of assembly during the tenure of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as the governor of the state jokingly said on the floor of the house that other unconventional means could be used to fight corruption in the state by introducing traditional means of administering oath to political office holders in place of the Bible and Quran. His argument was that these others means would ensure total compliance much more than the Bible and Quran which appointees and public office holders have come to abuse over time.  

One will better appreciate the new security ideology that is fast gaining acceptability nationwide due to the roles it played prior to the 2015 general elections when the local vigilantes in the Northeast region of Nigeria gained prominence in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency. It was assumed then that these natives with dane guns and other mystical powers could succeed where the armed forces of Nigeria failed.

These days, statements like “forget the Police, help yourself” have become a norm amongst the masses who are of the opinion that the Nigeria security architecture is only meant to cater for the rich and privileged few in the society.

I remembered clearly sometime in May 2018 when the men of the “underworld’ robbed me and others in an elite suburb of Abuja where our belongings, including my car, were carted away at gun point. Events after that incident changed my perception about how we see our security system and respond to crime as a people. While I was making plans to fortify the perceived loopholes in the neighborhood, to my surprise, some of my neighbors were consulting different spiritual homes for their compounds or properties to be fortified spiritually against further attacks. You can imagine their response to my submission on the need for security lights and other security measures during the general security meeting.  Their responses made me pack out of that neighborhood. The outcome of that robbery incident is story for another day. Though the robbers were caught, I did not recover even a toothpick, till today. Sympathizers that came around during that period also subtly suggested I fortify myself spiritually to avoid a repetition. no one talked about strengthening our security forces

The above short account of my experience goes to show that even the elite is sold to the practice of using other spiritual means of getting justice and protection.

If you have ever considered these alternatives in the past in place of the Police or other law enforcement agencies, it means you could be among the new converts who are gradually becoming “believers”. It is even amazing that some that pretend not to subscribe to it will eventually succumb when assured that they won’t have to spend their money or physically participate in the rituals.

The recent accolades that trailed the “Amotekun” security network in the Southwest region of the country and the public call for other regions to emulate such step is another indication that we are gradually going back to the Stone Age when we depended on “Dibias”, oracles, deities and other ancestral means for intelligence gathering, security and justice delivery.

It is a common knowledge that those that will be recruited by the “Amotekun” system will not be trained by the dreaded “MOSSAD” of the Israeli forces or the “Marines” in Europe. From the mock jingle that was trending after the launch by the Southwest governors, voodooism was being promoted above state-owned policing system. Another shocker that gives credence to this assertion is the speed with which all the State Houses of Assemblies enacted a law to back it up.

The increasing dependence on voodoo in the country at a time other developing countries are getting more sophisticated in technology and other  means of intelligence gathering for fighting crime and criminality, raises a few questions as to what we are actually dealing with as a nation. Is our policing system failing? Are the security agencies saddled with the responsibility of protecting life and properties failing in their duties? Or is it just a shift from the norms of society? Could it also be a loss of confidence in the present security arrangement? These and many other questions are begging for urgent answers.

In the meantime, the government needs to take urgent steps in winning back the confidence of the people as these new developments do not tell well of the biggest black nation in the world.

Head of security agencies must ensure that justice is not dependent on the highest bidder syndrome or those with “connections”. The average security or law enforcement agent must be made to understand that he is not doing anyone a favour by ensuring that justice is served at all times.

The remuneration for officers of the police and other paramilitary agents should be commensurate with international best practices so as to avoid cases of accepting bribes to do the biddings of the paymaster.

If we must overcome this budding challenge as a nation, all hands must be on deck to fight for the soul and security of Nigeria.