Narratives of unfolding events have continued to emerge with diverse manifestations of palpitations since the saga of the #ENDSARS protests last year. It appears the events that surrounded the happenings were apparently an exposition of the weakness of the security architecture in the Country. It is arguable that the rolling of dimensional disorder which later overtook the protests were in actual sense the exposure of decayed security architecture. The onslaught on the Police was more or less a reflection of a system which having suffered years of decadence, was set to be exposed to public embarrassment. The profile of insecurity records since the onslaught on the Police have clearly worsened as potential security threats have been emboldened to come forth on stage to perpetrate their dastardly act without being handicapped. Heinous crimes which used to be carried out with some level of caution are now manifesting with effrontery owing to perceived collapse of Police architecture in the Country. The tale of domestic insecurity has worsened to the point whereby the state of affairs is seemingly poor, brutish, nasty and short; a situation that depicts the state of nature predating the formation of the organised state.
Roving round situations where threats against human life and properties have become the order of experience of daily living, practically defeats the essence of state authority. It is practically an expression of the loss of the impact of government in exercising the powers of the state. The inability to forcefully and tactically deploy the state’s instruments of power and authority to secure an atmosphere of peace, safety and tranquility for human coexistence and cohabitation is tantamount to loss of relevance and purpose of a government. Where a government is in existence and such order is the prime experience of the society, it is indisputable that the resulting records will be a loss of confidence in government institutions. Under such circumstances, several misdemeanor and adventures may begin to show forth as members of the society may resort to self-help in securing themselves. However, the collision of these efforts coming from different angles in an unorganised manner, will further compound to worsen cohabitation in the society.
The manifestations of several disturbances in the Nigerian society has grown recently to the heightening phase of confusion. The inability of Government authorities to cope with and bring ready solutions to the stormy waves of socio-economic and political disturbances in the Country, have led to popular loss of confidence of the masses in the Government. Most recently, this has broken the elasticity of loyalty for Government institutions. The dynamics of the unfolding of events most recently have continued to manifest numerous misadventures which are glaringly against constituted authorities in the Country. The onslaught against government authorities, particularly since the #ENDSARS protest, has been alarming while the Government seemingly appears handicapped.
The attacks on authorities ranging from persons to government structures are troubling onslaughts which assume dimensional effrontery against state authorities in the actual sense of the definitions of state political power formations. The affront has practically not left out its whip on the subsisting arms of government in the Country. Across different states of the Federation, records of attacks from the executive to the judiciary architectures have been reminiscent. It would be recalled how the attacks on state properties, courts, police stations, inter alia, ravaged Lagos and not with exception of other states, during the #ENDSARS protest. Jail break attempts among other plundering misadventures were recorded during selfsame period.
It is however saddening that despite making headway from the collapse of order, situations have further worsened. The remains of several security infrastructures which came under arson and other forms of attacks still subsist in their collapsed state. On Monday, the tingling report of the attack on the Owerri Correctional Prison in the Imo state capital by gun men who broke into the jail to set no less than 1,500 inmates free, overecharged the atmosphere. The gun-men who did move ahead to razing the Imo State Police Command headquarters situated in Owerri, set ablaze almost all available vehicles parked at the command headquarters. Reports have it that the attackers who carried their operations in the early hours of Monday, further freed the suspects in almost all the cells at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the command. In a show of effrontery, it was reported the attackers had rendered solidarity songs at the Government House Roundabout for about 30 minutes before breaking up the jail with the aid of explosives and dynamite.
The necessity to address the foundations of weakened fabrics of State authorities in the Country is alarming. The onslaught on constituted authorities is a symptom of loss of relevance which the custodians of political authorities must no longer take for granted nor treat with levity. It is observable that the apparent docile posture of the Government in addressing matters of threats against the Federation has continued to lay the precedent for potential mischief makers to come into play and have their plans actualised without hindrances. The Country is seemingly lying on a dilapitating platform which if left unaddressed, portends great threat to order and peace. The handling of state matters, particularly on red security signals, with softened hands have led to degenerating resonance which has emboldened the formations of threat circles against the entire public space with disregard to constituted authorities.
To forestall situations from degenerating further into unmanageable profile of irreparable damages, it is imperative for the Government to approach the prevailing situations with multifaceted strategies, bringing into consideration the interlocking factors that bear relevance to the propelling forces driving the threats of onslaught and affront against constituted authorities and at the receiving end the law abiding citizens of the Federation. It is arguable that the multifaceted character of threats against the Nigerian State, is such that demands a corresponding multi-dimensional approach backed with the complementary advantage of State instruments of force.