From Idris Ahmed, Lokoja.
The rate of insecurity occasioned by insurgency and its attendant consequences on the entire country , some University Dons have expressed their dissent over the spate of kidnapping, robbery and other forms of criminalities that have become prevalent.
While calling on governments to tackle the menace, they also urged the Federal Government to be seen addressing the insurgency, armed banditry and ethno-religious issues that are currently debilitating the fabric of Nigeria.
Presenting position papers at a National Conference organised by the Department of History and International Relations Studies in honour of Professor Toyin Falola at the 5th Convocation of Federal University, Lokoja on Wednesday , the University teachers unanimously called on Nigerians to rise up and support the security agencies in the fight against the lingering criminalities.
The theme of the conference is “Insurgency, armed banditry and ethno religious conflicts in the central Nigeria”.
The key note speaker, Professor Yakubu Ochefu submitted that if urgent actions are not taken now, the future of the country is very bleak because of new dimensions the issue of insecurity is currently taking in the country.
Professor Ochefu who was represented by Professor Patrick Tsarkar highlighted the historical insurance perspective from the past and boost in agriculture which led to demand for land and to the present day climate change that aggravated movement by pastoralists.
Professor Shola Omotola also blamed ethno religious conflicts which promotes divisive existence and justifying sources or motivation of complicity.
Omotola also pointed out that a total 18, 638 incidents had occurred in the Central Nigeria with a fatality rate of 79,844 deaths, saying that the situation is becoming worrisome
The Vice Chancellor, Federal University , Lokoja, Professor Olayemi Akinwunmi noted that in the last decade, the Nigerian State had been besieged by devastating activities of insurgents, armed bandits, and violent non-state actors.
Akinwunmi stated that the situation seems to be a free for all, as the entire country is enmeshed in a theatre of violence, with an intensity that is unprecedented since Nigeria’s return to civil rule in 1999.
He noted that among other factors, the ugly phenomenon has been compounded by the unchecked proliferation of arms, the porous state of the country’s borders, the seeming lack of political will to bring perpetrators to justice, and the incessant agitations for resource control.
“From the available literature, this phenomenon has become more manifest in Central Nigeria due to the desertification of the North East, leading to migrations to the area.
” The complexity of the situation is worsened by the ethnic composition of Nigeria, ethnic-politics for resource control and ethno-religious determinism.
“The ripple effect of which is the general insecurity of lives and property with its attendant effect on the education and economy of the people, and the gross violation of the rights of women and children, most of whom are either sexually abused or killed,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor added that apart from being the convergent point of Rivers Niger and Venue, and the passageway from southern to northern Nigeria by road, Central Nigeria is critical to food production in the country.
“Given the religion’s importance and the seemingly unending nature of the crisis, the conference hopes to.intorogate these boggling issues from multidisciplinary perspectives and their implications in the Nigerian State
“This conference will provide a platform for scholars to interrogate the trajectories of these developments and their implications in the Nigerian State,” he said.
