(VIDEO) BANDITRY, NIGERIA'S INDELIBLE PLAGUE: WEEKLY SECURITY DASHBOARD FOR THE PERIOD SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 TO SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
Banditry may continue to reign supreme as Nigeria's indelible plague for as long as the country continues to live in denial of baptizing them with the appropriate name and dealing with the situation accordingly.
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"What is in a name anyway, that which we call a rose would smell as sweet"? (Shakespeare.)
Why should a "made-in-Aba" bag with the same physical attributes sell for less than $1, and a "Hermes Paris" bag of the same design sell for as much as $100,000 for one piece of a bag? What is in their names?
The name given to activities, products, or even individuals attracts the way such is treated. If not, why is a VIP given more reverence than mentally disabled individuals? Why are government officials treated with deference to their civilian counterparts?
Terrorism is a criminal act intended or calculated to provoke a state of terror in the general public, a group of persons or particular persons for political purposes" and that such acts "are in any circumstances unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other nature that may be invoked to justify them.
On the other hand, (Armed) Banditry is similar to armed robbery activities, which involve an aggravated form of theft using a lethal weapon to perpetrate violence or the threat of violence (intimidation) against a victim.
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Whereas armed robbers (as seen in repented bandits) can be pardoned and be allowed to saunter freely back into society, terrorists remain an eternal source of terror and threat through their tenets, presence, and activities in society.
The human cost of terror among the citizens occurs in virtually every corner of the globe. However, the Nigerian family has continued to suffer an exacerbated increase in tragic human loss due to violent acts of insurgency. This is because Intel experts have established through various media publications that insecurity directly correlates with the unabated increase in the death rate.
Terrorism indeed has a very real and direct impact on human rights, with devastating consequences for the enjoyment of victims' right to life, liberty, and physical integrity. In addition to these individual costs, terrorism can destabilize Governments, undermine civil society, jeopardize peace and security, and threaten social and economic development. All of these also have a real impact on the enjoyment of human rights.
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The security of the individual is a basic human right, and the protection of individuals is a fundamental obligation of the government. States, therefore, should ensure the human rights of their nationals and others by taking positive measures to protect them against the threat of terrorist acts and bringing the perpetrators of such acts to justice.
In recent years, however, Nigeria seems to live in denial of the impact of the consequences of the activities of banditry and insurgency, unwilling to prosecute the masterminds and expose their source of finances, a measure, which have more often than not pose a serious challenge to human rights, thereby leading to unprecedented death rate among the masses.
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According to Isaiah 26:10 in the Christian’s Holy Book, the Bible, “Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness, even in the land of the uprightness, they perversely continue doing evil”, blind to the magnanimity of their reintegration and forgiveness. Otherwise, what other better explanation suffice to be given for the arrest of Abdullahi Mai-Rafi, the repentant bandit nabbed in Katsina State for robbery?
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As deaths continue to skyrocket daily due to direct and indirect consequences of the dastard acts of insurgency and insecurity within the nation, will the government and masses continue to pamper and showcase filial love to the masterminds of these gruesome premature deaths and trauma or baptize them with the appropriate name and rid Nigeria of this indelible plague?
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