By default, Nigeria may be quietly returning to the unpleasant regime of deadly violence unleashed by militants in the Niger Delta region which, pre-2010, put the country on the edge economically through sabotage of crude exports and the pipelines. Militancy has gripped Cross River State for the past few months and militants are responsible for an increasing wave of kidnapping, armed robbery, and other criminal activities, especially, in Calabar, the state capital. But reports that armed militias generally believed to be members of Bakassi Strike Force, have seized control of two local government areas in Cross River – Bakassi and Akpabuyo and displaced virtually every civil and traditional authority in the area, are worrying signs that the country might be slipping back into the dark days, especially in the face of the current consuming insecurity in the Northeast. The augury is bad and the government must nip this in the bud.
www.aso.rocks search engine understands that even before the militants finally took over the two LGAs last Friday, the elected chairmen had fled the area, while councilors held their legislative sittings in the state capital, Calabar. The secretariats of both local councils have also been deserted by civil servants for fear of being kidnapped or attacked by the militants. Bakassi and Akpabuyo LGAs, which share maritime boundary with Cameroon, have become a lawless, anarchic zone in which militants rule. The militants collected rents and levies from local businesses, which they termed “protection money” – a situation that has provoked mass exodus from the areas. The militants are said to have also rendered the state judicial organs and the traditional institutions in Akpabuyo and Bakassi local governments impotent, as the militias now handle matters that should otherwise be handled by the conventional courts, village heads, clan chiefs, and paramount rulers.
To try to stem the descent into anarchy, the state governor, Ben Ayade, has appealed to President Buhari to extend the activities of “Operation Delta Safe”, a security taskforce protecting oil installations in the Niger Delta, to Cross River, saying his state should not to be isolated in the battle to keep the Niger Delta safe. In which case, all the millions of dollars spent on amnesty granted hundreds of the militants in exchange for weapons and a renunciation of violence are being eroded by a resurgence of violence and attacks on oil facilities, notably by the so-called Niger Delta Avengers.
Although the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), recognized as the umbrella body of the Niger Delta militants has come out to distance itself from the resurgent violence; what then is the rationale for the current agitation by the Avengers and Bakassi Strike Force, more than five years after the adoption of the amnesty program? In which case, the Buhari government can be excused for suspecting foul play or greed in some quarters.
A great lesson from the security challenges the country has had to grapple with so far is the need for a timely response to brewing crises anywhere without jeopardizing the larger interests of the country. The militants have been operating a parallel government and are threatening to reclaim the entire Bakassi peninsular from Cameroon. That sounds like a declaration of another war with the government, a threat that must be taken seriously before a major escalation occurs with Cameroonian forces; leading to greater damage to oil facilities, and a diversionary and proxy battle the country can hardly afford to fight during this very challenging time with insurgents in the North-East.
Considering the complex structure of the federation that has never been meaningfully addressed suggested consultative approach is not in any way indicative of a weak government but one to lay the grounds for a lasting peace engineered through justice. The resurgence of attacks provides another moment of reflection on the defective federation with wobbling structures successive administrations have managed to build upon. For instance, the age-long agitation for resource control and other critical matters are pending.
Besides, government should take more than a fleeting interest in this resurgent violence in the Niger Delta, and the nebulous activities of the militants. For now, the public has no cause to doubt claims that the militants have taken over two local councils. That is how Boko Haram started before declaring its caliphate; from where they unleashed terror and declared war on the Nigerian state. This must not be allowed to happen. The government must reclaim the two LGAs and dislodge the militants immediately before the low intensity conflict becomes entrenched as an uprising.
So, rather than shout down at agitators and wish them away with a wave of the hand, this government should find answers to the thorny issues that created this monstrosity in the first place. Fortunately, the answers to many of these problems are contained in the report of the National Conference. It was with patient expectation of good fortunes that Nigerians committed themselves to the National Conference convened by former President Jonathan. True to Nigerians’ expectations, the report of the Conference made recommendations that should augur well for this country’s future. The Buhari government should look into the report if it is to make any headway in addressing the renewed agitations across the nation. Nigerians must press for the implementation of the National Conference Report as an answer to the renewed agitation in the Niger Delta and by other aggrieved groups.
Under whatever guise they claim to be operating, these militants should also realize that no matter the genuineness of their complaints, resorting to jungle tactics to force the hands of government would not sway public sympathy in their favor again. Militants must learn to embrace dialogue and present facts at their disposal for public consumption. That is the level of reason the country is aiming to attain now. Its campaign of economic sabotage to cripple oil infrastructure, ostensibly to shut down oil production must be halted forthwith in the collective interest of the country. Enough of violent agitations.