THE RECENT attack by bandits on Lingyado village in Zamfara State, in which about 19 people were killed, is yet another pointer to the security challenge the country is facing. It is indeed sad that such an attack could be carried out without as much as a whimper of resistance from security agencies. Even more disheartening is the regularity of such deadly and apparently unprovoked onslaughts on innocent souls in many parts of the country.The latest incident is one of several reports of mindless killings in a number of communities, especially in states bordering the republics of Chad and Niger, with estimated 480 illegal outlets along the 4,500-kilometre border stretch. Of the lot, officially-manned posts are put at 12. The situation may be daunting for security agencies but it should not overwhelm the government, which has a grave responsibility to protect lives and property of Nigerians. Besides, there should be an adequate and appropriate official response to the alleged intensified arms inflow through the porous entry points.The effrontery of alien bandits and other criminal elements to brazenly attack innocent, defenceless and law-abiding citizens with impunity must be checked. The abrupt termination of 19 lives in a single bizarre circumstance is a dangerous development. The security lapse is unacceptable.According to news report, the attack on Lingyado was masterminded by suspected pastoralists who mobilised more than 100 men to hack down unsuspecting villagers in bed at dawn or in the dead of night. This is most cruel. The assailants have always adopted the same pattern in their nefarious activities, roaming freely between compounds and settlements under the cover of darkness. It makes little sense when security personnel are deployed only after such attacks.The merchants of death have always gone away with their despicable act, and this is a comment on intelligence gathering by operatives. How long will a maniacal environment continue to make orphans of children like Zamfara's Malam Saadu, or widows/widowers of spouses' Women and children are most hit during such moments of depravity exhibited by the assailants who often leave no clue on attack motives.The seeming helplessness of government and its agents on security to comprehensively deal with insurgents is confounding. All security agencies ' the Immigration Service, Police, State Security Service (SSS) and the Army intelligence - have great roles to play in the undeclared war on the nation's collective security. Joint patrols and intelligence should be intensified, and the Federal Government should ensure that the agencies receive fuller backing in adequate resources and manpower to succeed. Personnel training and re-training are important.Zamfara State Governor, Abdul'aziz Yari's request for military presence and police patrol helicopters to assist in tracing the gunmen on motorcycles, their preferred means of getaway, is instructive. Yari has also provided a lead that the Fulani herdsmen-assailants reportedly stormed the community from Niger Republic, Mali and Central Africa Republic. It should not be discountenanced. Likewise, his tip that more sinister attacks are being planned against villages in Maru, Tsafe and Maradun council areas should be treated with dispatch.The authorities should investigate Yari's concern that his government provided all requests by security agencies'without negotiation,' but with little results. Who has been receiving what from the state but failed to deploy or use the resources purposefully' Attacks like the October 2 deadly onslaught on Lingyado are a setback for any administration.Hoodlums should not be given breathing space in the society, nor allowed to seize the initiative from law enforcement agencies. Escalation of banditry, whether in Zamfara or in Plateau State, is a pointer to anarchy, which government should oppose. Security agencies also have a duty to control flow of arms and ammunition around and into the country. Too many weapons are unlawfully in circulation, some of them arising from the arming of private security guards and political thugs by politicians before and during elections. Equally worrisome is the influx of the arms from crises zones in many North African countries, the most current being Libya.No country can do without effective border control. Government needs to increase security presence to monitor porous borders. Allegations of corruption against some officials at the control posts or by some security agents who intercept hoodlums but succumb to gratification must be investigated and treated appropriately. Where the clashes arise from friction between farmers and cattle rearers, the pastoralists can be settled in ranches, as both sides are contributing meaningfully to the economy. Besides that, communities and villagers should help security agencies and the government by providing useful information on illegal movements.Government should also seek to adopt solutions from other countries that have had the same challenges, especially in the ECOWAS sub-region. The Nigeria/Niger Joint Commission (NNJC) initiative of a joint border patrol is a step in the right direction. Security co-operation in the sub-region is practicable. President Goodluck Jonathan should live up to his assurance that the security challenges were a passing phase.
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