No fewer than 2,334 innocent Nigerians were killed by terrorists in 935 events in Nigeria in 2021.
This grim statistics according to the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC is worrisome.
CISLAC in collaboration with Transparency International Defence Security Program supported by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also decried the gradual collapse of the nation’s security, as terrorists now operate with reckless abandon, causing panic, maiming and killing more citizens.
The group disclosed this worrisome dimension to insecurity in the country at a recent forum, tagged, “Focus Group Discussion on the Barriers and Bridges to Security Sector Accountability in Nigeria,” held at the Amber residence, Ikeja, GRA, Lagos.
It expressed that the infiltration of the rank of the terrorists by the dreaded Islamic State West African Province, ISWAP, has added another worrisome dimension to insecurity in the country, as the group seeks to entrench Islamic Caliphate, especially in the Northern part of the country.
The Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, (Rafsajani) in his welcome address, said the Lake Chad region has suffered greatly in the hands of terrorists over the years.
His words,“For 12 years, communities in the Lake Chad basin had been raided, human population sacked and plunged into humanitarian crises; Nigeria’s military forces have unrelentingly wages wars against the insurgents, yet annihilated insurgency groups are re-energing, posing new threats and continuing old terrors.”
The Executive Director who was represented by a board member of CISLAC, Barrister Oke Adesina, said that ISWAP is said to be regrouping in their desire to tighten their grips on the region, adding that the terrorists were bent on establishing Islamic Caliphate in the area if not checked.
Noting that despite Federal Government’s pronouncement that some Nigerians were helping the terrorists, with no end in sight, it is gladdening that some Emirs now want them killed.
Barrister Adesina said Southern communities are now at the receiving end of the terrorists, pointing out that Lagos, for example, is now at the receiving end of the terrorists attacks, but must be nipped in the bud from escalating.
He called for better community buy-in/policing, enlightenment campaigns, better infrastructure, human capital development, saying that his group was working with international institutions to help address security challenges in the country.
Continuing, Adesina said CISLAC in collaboration with Transparency International-Defence and Security with the support from Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked collectively to institutionalise an accountable system that is vibrant, robust and effective.
“One of the expected deliverables for today would be to highlight gaps within the existing architecture, with clearer information to monitor track and report gaps within the protection framework, processes, practices and spending.”
