To Unmask Unknown Gunmen In Anambra: All Hands Must Be On Deck

According to a recent statistical facts provided by Statista, an organization that is committed to the provision of market and consumer data, “Political instability, citizen alienation, terrorism and violence define the Nigerian crime scene. Nigeria has recently been included among the countries with the least peace in the world, according to the Global Peace Index. It is the 17th less peaceful state. In addition, Nigeria is the third country most affected by terrorism, based on the Global Terrorism Index. One further serious threat in Nigeria is the risk of mass killing, or genocide. Nigeria is the second country in Africa with the highest risk of genocide and the sixth worldwide. This risk is influenced by a population of over 200 million people, a high child mortality rate, ongoing battle-related deaths, the country's own history of mass killing, and its ethnic fractionalization”.

Pertaining to Anambra State in this context, headlines used in anchoring crime reportages in the state as gathered by this writer through google search engine are ubiquitous; both in traditional newspapers and on virtual news platforms, and they unarguably speak volumes.

Analyzed from the perspective of the news headlinesgathered, it cannot be pooh-poohed that it is not exaggerating to conclude that the rate of crime in the state has become worrisome.

Worrisome enough, just yesterday, gunmen were reported to have attacked three locations in the state. The areas include: Ogidi headquarters of Idemili North local government area, Military checkpoint at the highbrow 3-3 Housing Estate in Onitsha and Eke Oko in Aguata local government area. The incidents occurred barely two days the Governor of the state, Chukwuma Soludo, visited the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Each passing day brings with it different tales of crime. From arson, cult-related killings, carnage to kidnap, mayhem and insecurity has become the order of the day in the state.

Although, no geographical zone among the six geo-political zones in the country can boasts of being invulnerable to crime, however, the severity of psychosisthat characterizes the pattern of crime in each of the zones has never being at par with the other. It is against the foregoing observation that governments try as much as they could to always make efforts in combating crime as much as they can.

In fact, it has never been this bad, particularly when seen from perspective of the fact that during the pre-colonial era in Igbo society, crime and criminal elements were at their barest minimum as training children was then seen as a communal effort. Any adult can caution any erring child, whether related or not. Upholding of security and prevention of crime became the responsibility of all agile people in the community.

Looking at the spiraling crime rate in the state, it will be expedient to proffer in this context that all hands must be on deck. To this end, members of various communities in the state need to show interest in what goes on in their environment. Suspicious and out of the ordinary activities must be noted and reported promptly to law enforcement agents. In addition, members of the communities as stake holders in crime prevention can form neighborhood watch, vigilante and community policing operations. If such crime precautionary bodies exist, there is need to once again review their compositions missions, goals and objectives.

You might have asked, “Why Community participation in crime prevention and control?” The answer to the foregoing question cannot be farfetched as it has become requisite since it appears the police lacked the manpower and resources to effectively police the state alone, particularly with the prevailing rate. It is therefore vital to involve the community members who own and understand their environment better in the overall policing of both rural and urban communities in Anambra.

To my view, the State Police Command in Anambra should without dilly-dallying adopt the concept of community policing in the state, with a view to curbing criminal activities. With this, all hands will definitely be on deck in fighting crime as the government, market associations,traditional rulers, community leaders, youth leaders and individuals as well as Journalists would be involved in the fight.

On the part of the government, efforts should be made to call any Igbo man in diaspora suspected to be fueling the security crisis in the state to order. The reason for this mistrust cannot be farfetched as it is possible for someone to be comfortably living in Europe, and from there beremotely brainwashing or radicalizing the youths. This imply that the unarguably struggling youths and teenagers will naively succumb to the antics of their alleged sponsorin diaspora who uses carrot and stick approach to recruit them into the fight. Worse still, they will profoundly have themselves diverted from their usual and reasonable way of thinking as they were assured of witnessing Eldorado on earth upon attaining victory.

As it seems, the masterminds of this mental trickery are implicitly credited with considerable psychological skill, while the target is simultaneously assumed to be vulnerable to a large extent. Is it not bizarre enough for someone to be in Finland or in the UK, and from such far flung country be influencing the youths and teenagers at home to be engaged in a fight that is unarguably beyond their self-assumed military strength?

In as much as I am not unaware that the governor few weeks ago commented on the recent developments in the state, saying that a significant percentage of persons behind the attacks are from one of the South-East states, I am in this piece suggesting that the fight against crime in Anambra should be of 360 degree dimension, which means that the government should also look inward. After all, our forefathers proverbially said that “It is the in-house rat that informed the one in the bush that food is availablein the house”.

The governor at the time said, “The point is that majority of the people doing this, from statistics so far, 85 percent of them come from one of the states in the South-East, another 15 percent from another state in the South-East”.

To my view, the fast eroding sociological landscape is enough to worsen the security situation in the state. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the government to put its communication machinery into action in order to begin to change the collective mindset of these youths and teenagers. Put in different phrase, there is an urgent need for the government to commence creation of awareness on the need for gullible young ones in the state to be altruistic and committed towards the peaceful and infrastructural development of Anambra State.

Be that as it may, it is apt to opine in this context that tounmask unknown gunmen in Anambra that all hands must be on deck.

Sandra Ijeoma Okoye (Author)