On Sunday, a famous social media influencer Aprokodoctor took to his Twitter page after the “Owo Massacre” to say, “safety has become a luxury only the rich can afford.” He added, “As long as you can pay the mobile policemen to follow you around, you’re good to go.”
Aprokodoctor’s statement affirmed the number of comments and retweets he had gotten on his social media timeline. The statement means that the security issue in Nigeria is like a driver who has lost control of the steering wheels, leaving all in jeopardy. The death of some citizens doesn’t get to die down before another catastrophe gets to strike.
The family members and the abductees of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack earlier in March are still begging the Federal Government to come to their rescue. Then on Sunday, another calamity happened in Ondo state leaving children without parents and delivering some into the hands of death.
The Catholic diocese made a press release from the Ondo Directorate of Social Communication, stating how unknown shooters attacked the St Francis Catholic church in Owo, Ondo state.
Although the security agencies are out in the community looking for the perpetrators, the possibility of them being located is uncertain. As always, the people in the position of power sent out thoughts, words of condolences, and prayers to the victims’ families and not justice.
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Should the government still be relied on, or should the citizens go on to defend themselves? This question has long lingered in people’s minds, not knowing where else they should go.
Late Sage and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela once said, “Safety and security don’t just happen. They are the results of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizen in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”
Relying on what the government will do has done more damage than good in the past years till now. In present-day Nigeria, we still have Boko Haram, Bandits, “Unknown gunmen.” and many other uprising groups from different parts of the country.
Besides, putting the responsibility in the hands of the government has brought a decline to the Nigerian economy.
People are afraid to do their daily business and travel from one place to another. Moreover, many youths are now leaving the country searching for employment and security. These are abled bodies the government is supposed to invest in and give them all they need.
State Of Anarchy?
A journalist and analyst, Taiwo Popoola, says, “Citizens should defend themselves and leave the government out. Look at those that died in Ondo state. What has been done about it? Nothing. Let everyone start defending themselves.
“Everyone in the country is tired of the bloodshed and massacre and is looking for a way out. One of which is getting armed and defending themselves,” he added.
A concerned citizen said, “It’s getting to a point where everyone walking on the street would own a gun, and it would become a battle by that time. For it is either you kill me, or I kill you.”
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“The citizenry has to take security matters into their own hands. The government is not as concerned as they want us to believe. Of all the killings and vices going on, all we get is talk and more talk. Nothing concrete gets done, which is unfortunate,” said Cionne, a digital strategist communicator.
She added that “each public member must take the security matters as private. Always stay on guard, don’t move at night, be careful at other times of the day and ultimately, always ask for God’s protection.”
2023 General Elections in view
There is little to what the citizens’ self-defence can do. It can turn the state into a lawless society. So, it is crucial to vote for the right person during the coming election. The weapon of defense that is so strong and if all citizens have it and use it rightly can re-write all wrong is by getting their Permanent Voters Card (PVC).
To emphasize the importance of the PVC, Nigerian celebrity and musician Innocent Idibia (Tuface) and Folarin Falana (FalzDaBadGuy) will be holding a concert on 11 July at Tafawa Balewa Square. The entry ticket will be the PVC.