Many claims, counterclaims, allegations, counter-allegations, and conspiracy theories have been made in an attempt to figure out who the real power brokers are behind the South East insecurity threat. Nigeria is today beset by an unparalleled surge of overlapping security threats, including terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, and robbery, to name a few.
It is no surprise that Nigeria was classified as one of the world’s least peaceful countries in the Global Peace Index (GPI) report for 2021. Nigeria was ranked 146th least peaceful out of 163 countries and 33rd least peaceful out of 44 countries polled in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the GPI report released by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
Despite this, Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation appears to have become the new normal. It is strange that a quiet geopolitical zone (the South East) has suddenly become a conflict zone. This necessitates some serious thought. It would be a disservice and a misunderstanding to applaud or support the newly included structure as the South East joined the league of war-torn territories in the country.
The ongoing assassinations, arson, vandalism, and economic sabotage allegedly carried out by “unidentified killers” provide no benefits or values to the region’s common citizens. Such actions would put the common man’s interests in jeopardy. Unidentified killers’ actions have caused unquantifiable economic suffering for the people. The continual turmoil has had a significant impact on many people who rely on daily income in the region.
Unidentified killers have also taken the lives of countless innocent people. They have brought a slew of investments and businesses to a halt. There is no reason for the current upheaval. It is categorically anti-masses. The suggestion by some quarters that it is merely a stepping stone to the establishment of a Biafra Republic is a ruse. Unidentified killers’ hit-and-run strategy would only result in a continuous insurgency, not Biafra.
People-hating conspiracies frequently succeed by appealing to their emotions or playing to the gallery. The people of the southeast must learn from Boko Haram’s origins, notably their misleading tactics centred on the spread of Sharia Law. In the North, Sharia Law is a popular philosophy, just as Biafra is a popular cause in the South East. Some areas in the north will take decades to recover from Boko Haram’s devastation.
It is past time for the people of the Southeast to unite against mystery shooters before the entire region is engulfed in flames. The struggle for the Republic of Biafra is governed by a combination of international and domestic laws. Self-determination was recently confirmed as an inherent fundamental right recognised within Nigeria’s constitutional framework in a court judgement. Unidentified killers’ actions have devolved into barbarism, departing from the essential values of self-determination. Their agitation strategy will only result in greater suffering and misery, not the realisation of Biafra.
