Now that Abuja is under siege, By Dakuku Peterside

In the last week, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has re-invigorated the ‘G7’ security operations to secure the territory, which involve collaboration and partnerships with states contiguous to the FCT area. The procedure includes taking the fight to the bandits and terrorists in their camps, primarily in these bordering states of the FCT. The extent to which this effort will allay the fears of residents of Abuja is yet to be seen.
Once upon a time, Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital, was a serene and sprawling city that accommodated persons of all faith, social strata, and economic pursuits. Abuja, to the elite, offered an escape from insecurity, alongside the hustling and bustling that plagued other major cities in the country. It was a city in which most of the elite wanted to own a property, raise a family, or even retire in old age.
The city was a haven for the professional middle class linked to the public sector. It was a city of hope for the many poor people who migrated to its surburbs with the dreams of advancement.
Abuja was a prototype of future cities in Nigeria. It was founded on the vision of a centralised symbol of our national unity. But the era of Abuja being a fortress of peace and tranquillity seems to belong to history.
Now, Abuja is fast becoming the epicentre of terrorist activities that have literarily and metaphorically held the country captive. Abuja is technically under siege. Recently, the barrage of attacks on this city has left everyone perplexed. The more these attacks unfold, the more it has become clear that they are well-orchestrated and coordinated.
The assault of bandits and terrorists has gradually focused on symbols of power and national monuments. It is either an attack on trains linking the nation’s capital, the targeting and killing of military personnel in various parts of the city, an assault on the Kuje correctional centre, or an offensive on the presidential Brigade of Guard – the last line of defence of the President. These terrorists are even emboldened to issue a threat to kidnap President Buhari.
Residents of Abuja, like other Nigerians, live in morbid fear of insecurity, and most have doubts about their peaceful existence in a city that is gradually becoming a ghost of itself.
Things got a bit more complicated after 800 inmates, among them 60 Boko Haram members, were freed during the Kuje jailbreak. The war front of terrorist activities has moved from the North-east to the North-west, parts of North-central, and now Abuja. Recently, the president called a high-stake security meeting to tackle insecurity in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria that have faced the brunt of bandits and terrorist attacks. The Inspector General of Police has belatedly raised intelligence gathering efforts and ordered the strategic deployment of security assets across the city.

The Nigerian military is promising to take the war to these terrorists and bandits in their camping areas in neighbouring states near Abuja. These assurances and statements are recurring decimals and soundbites each time these criminals attack. The government assures residents of safety after every incident without a corresponding improvement in the security of the people. Abuja residents, like the Nigerian populace, have lost confidence in the nation’s security architecture and apparatus. Worse still, nobody is accepting responsibility or facing the law. Residents are reaching the point of taking their safety and security into their own hands since they have lost trust in the security arrangement of the government.

The increased attacks on Abuja is reminiscent of the strategy adopted by other ISWAP insurgents and bandits in other parts of Africa and Afghanistan. We should remember that the Taliban started with the attack of the fringes and rural areas in Afghanistan. Next, they attacked Kabul, the capital, with the intention of taking over control of state power. This strategy was like their approach in the nearby African countries of Mali, Chad, and Guinea.
Abuja is rightly a metaphor for the situation in the whole of Nigeria today. Nobody envisaged that Abuja would ever come under siege, as such there are no connected satellite cities to absorb refugees in case of such an eventuality.
The heightened sense of siege is even more evident, given that road transport in and out of Abuja from a nearby state is fraught with danger. The Kaduna-Abuja express road is a den of kidnappers and bandits, while other major roads linking Nasarawa and Niger States to Abuja are unsafe. After terrorists attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train line, travel options for the elite and middle class have been further depleted. With increasing attacks ever closer to the airport, even air travel doesn’t appear so safe anymore.
Further evidence of Abuja being under siege is apparent in the security measures put in place by both government and non-governmental agencies. Abuja increasingly has more checkpoints with armed police and military men littering everywhere. There is a pervasive sense of impending doom in the collective psyche of residents, and individuals are more security conscious than usual. The government has shut down schools within the Abuja metropolis and beefed up the security of other soft targets.
The increased attacks on Abuja is reminiscent of the strategy adopted by other ISWAP insurgents and bandits in other parts of Africa and Afghanistan. We should remember that the Taliban started with the attack of the fringes and rural areas in Afghanistan. Next, they attacked Kabul, the capital, with the intention of taking over control of state power. This strategy was like their approach in the nearby African countries of Mali, Chad, and Guinea.
The terrorists or ISWAP start by attacking villages and cities near the capital and capturing them. After that, they will begin destroying military facilities and other symbols of power within and outside the capital. Then they will mount an all-out attack to seize the government.
We hope Nigeria is not heading to become the next Afghanistan. Therefore, we must defend Abuja and ensure that we do not fall prey to these non-state actors with a sinister motive. A pertinent rhetorical question is: Why are these terrorists fixated on attacking the President, the best representation of power, government, and democracy? They are sending a clear message that they are bold enough to challenge Nigeria’s very essence of power. If the peace, safety and security of Abuja are compromised, it’s meaning and symbolism of national unity will evaporate .

There are narratives and counter-narratives on why the Nigerian military is not wiping these people out. Some reports highlight the possibility of collusion with some elements in the military that give them information and protect them because they are sympathetic to their cause. This gets credence when reports indicate that security operatives got credible intelligence of some imminent attacks, yet no one acts upon such intelligence. For example, the DSS raised 44 official reports signalling a possible attack on Kuje Correctional Facility, but still the security operatives could not forestall the attack.
Some conspiracy theories border on the belief that there is an unwritten agreement to allow these people to take over the government of Nigeria for whatever purpose. This conspiracy is gathering momentum, given that security operatives appear to know the hiding places of terrorists and bandits but seem to keep dealing with them lightly.

A combination of heightened insecurity with the free fall of the Nigerian economy is a recipe for greater disaster. Nigeria is facing an economic siege that is having devastating effects on its citizens. There seems to be hopelessness in the land, and nobody is optimistic about fixing insecurity and the economy. The government seems perplexed.
People cannot seem to understand why Nigeria’s professional Army cannot defeat this rag tag, untrained, criminal bunch running around killing and maiming people. It begs the question of why Nigeria, with all the resources it has dedicated to security in the past ten years, has not made any considerable progress in eradicating insecurity; instead, the menace keeps growing at an alarming rate.
In the last week, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has re-invigorated the ‘G7’ security operations to secure the territory, which involve collaboration and partnerships with states contiguous to the FCT area. The procedure includes taking the fight to the bandits and terrorists in their camps, primarily in these bordering states of the FCT. The extent to which this effort will allay the fears of residents of Abuja is yet to be seen. However, it is time to develop a more permanent solution to the insecurity problems of Abuja and Nigeria.
An essential aspect of an enduring resolution of the country’s menace of insecurity is to look at the socio-economic, religious, and political dimensions of the issues involved. This strategy will help us identify the root causes of insecurity and the steps needed to tackle this sustainably.
A combination of heightened insecurity with the free fall of the Nigerian economy is a recipe for greater disaster. Nigeria is facing an economic siege that is having devastating effects on its citizens. There seems to be hopelessness in the land, and nobody is optimistic about fixing insecurity and the economy. The government seems perplexed. Some in the Senate are already clamouring for an ompeachment of the president if he cannot deal with insecurity in the next six weeks. Whatever becomes of this ultimatum is yet to play out for now. However, I can boldly predict that it will go like similar ultimatums in the past, without any serious bite or consequence.
Every day new security threats dampen the hope of ordinary citizens. The capacity of the state to enforce law, order and security keeps shrinking. Electioneering campaigns will soon dominate our public space, and Nigerians will be fed with various promises on how each party or candidate will tackle insecurity and the economy.
It is time to analyse every solution proffered critically, and citizens must vote on the basis of their conscience and conviction about the candidate who will solve these problems. We cannot survive as a nation if things continue like this. All well-meaning Nigerians must wake up and “smell the coffee”, regardless of ethnic group, religion, or creed.
We must act now or never! We must avoid the pitfalls of Mali and Afghanistan, and never allow our country to fall into the hands of warlords like in Sudan. A stitch in time saves nine.
Dakuku Peterside is a policy and leadership expert.

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