While Nigerians were yet to get over the Kaduna train attack and the kidnap of passengers, who were held for months by gunmen but finally released few months ago, another attack occurred again at the Chief Tom Ikimi train station at Okehen, Igueben in Edo State during last weekend. Information garnered indicates that the gunmen came in their numbers and invaded the train station shooting sporadically. About 30 passengers who were waiting to board the train to Warri were reported to have been kidnapped while many others sustained various degrees of injuries resulting from gunshots. There was no single armed security personnel at the train station. So, the gunmen had a free day. About four persons were reported to have been rescued, including two kids.
This latest attack on a train facility in Nigeria brings to fore the consistent failure of government at all levels to protect their citizens. Section 14(2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that the “Security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government” In fulfillment of this constitutional duty, the Constitution and the Police Act, 2020 established the Nigerian Police to provide grassroot security for the people. Amongst the departments in the Nigerian Police is the Railway Police Department headed by a substantive Commissioner of Police. It was, therefore, expected that all train stations in Nigeria would be adequately manned by armed policemen. This has never been the case.
Yours sincerely has had cause to travel on the Warri-Itakpe train route. I noticed that apart from the Ujevwu (Warri) and Itakpe train stations, many of the other train stations along that route lack the presence of armed policemen. At the Agbarho train station, it is the local vigilante that provides security. At the Agbor train station, there is a special arrangement between the Nigerian Army and the state government to provide security only for vehicles leaving the train station in the evening. So, there is usually a long convoy of vehicles with the soldier vehicle at the front leading all the vehicles into Agbor town. After the soldiers leave the station, the Agbor train station is left with no security.
How long more do we continue like this, exposing train passengers to the risk of being kidnapped by gunmen, whom some alleged to be herdsmen? Is it not obvious that the present centralized policing system has completely failed? Now, local hunters are involved in the rescue of the abducted train passengers. Why the unjustified delay in creating state police? Why are the states and local communities not empowered to create their own form of policing system and adequately armed to protect their people? The gunmen have free access to weapons, while not do same for law-abiding citizens?
It is a fact that Nigeria is grossly under-policed, with many of the Policemen deployed to protect VIPs and other persons (like wives and relations of VIPs) and institutions while the ordinary Nigerians are left to their fate. It is only in Nigeria that a federal minister or governor would have 30 armed security personnel attached to him. Just few days ago, it was reported that the wife of the Director General of the Sate Security Service had a traffic incident at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano that led to the deployment of quite a number of DSS personnel for her personal protection, which created a scene at the airport. Of course, this is Nigeria, where every public official is oga.
State police is the solution to the current security challenges that Nigeria is facing. However, it was a huge surprise that the National Assembly excluded state police from the items to be included in the now aborted constitutional amendment process; inspite of the insistence of state governors that state police should be included. The world now recognizes security to be everyone’s business. The government must make security all-inclusive to avoid Nigerians taking actions personally to protect themselves and, therefore, lose trust in the government. That would be bad for everyone.
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