WHENEVER we hear of tragedy, calamity, or misfortune, our first instinct is to distance ourselves — “It is not my portion.” We forget that whatever can befall any human being can befall us. No man is an island.
Humanity demands that we bear one another’s burdens and provide comfort in times of difficulty. Our drift toward callousness only accelerates self-destruction. The gravest self-deception is to believe that those who kidnap, kill, and maim in distant places will never arrive at our doorstep.
We are aware that thousands of children — many orphaned — remain in IDP camps without protection, care, or education. Yet, those who killed their parents and displaced their communities are being rehabilitated. Our silence continues.
It is unfortunate that some people went about their normal business when NUT and civil society groups called for protest over the abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State. The protest was meant to pressure government into acting fast.
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It was a peaceful protest — just a call to sensitise the world and wake government up to its responsibility. Yet most people stayed away. At a time like this, all Nigerians, especially in Yoruba land, should come out. Kidnapping, killings, and the takeover of communities by criminals must end.
Our current nonchalance has deep roots. When the insurgency began in Borno State, many dismissed it because of distance — the North-East felt far removed from the South-West and South. As killings, maiming, and kidnappings spread across the North-West, North-East, and North-Central, a dangerous illusion took hold: that the violence would never reach us.
In the South-East, all killings were attributed to IPOB without evidence, despite the illogicality of a self-determination movement slaughtering its own people. Banditry and other criminal acts were similarly blamed on IPOB without proper investigation and proof.
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Nowhere in the modern world has Martin Niemöller’s (1892–1984) admonition found truer expression than in Nigeria. He warned:
First, they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.
His statement remains a stark warning against apathy. Failing to stand for marginalised, traumatised, and victimised groups ensures that when our turn comes, no one will stand for us.
Our silence began early. We failed to protest the Chibok abductions. We even laughed at First Lady Patience Jonathan when she cried on television. We were unmoved by Dapchi. When the kidnappings reached Maga in Kebbi, we still retreated into silence. Several NYSC corps members have been kidnapped and killed before orientation without national outrage. Deborah’s murder in Sokoto also met with public quiet.
The government cannot claim to be overwhelmed. Criminals cannot be more powerful than the state, if the state is not culpable in the criminality. There can be no acceptable justification for the government’s failure to protect Nigerians. In a well-ordered society, a government lacking the capacity to secure its citizens ought to resign.
We are aware that thousands of children — many orphaned — remain in IDP camps without protection, care, or education. Yet, those who killed their parents and displaced their communities are being rehabilitated. Our silence continues.
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It has now dawned on us that no region is insulated from these criminals. We must all come together — citizens and government — to fight this menace. Those who thought some regions were safe have been proven wrong. If we had united at the start — people, government, Muslims, and Christians — this issue would have been defeated by now.
Instead, it was politicised, ethnicised, and given a religious coloration. Today, both Christians and Muslims are being killed and kidnapped. Even the ruling elite are not exempt. The former Defence spokesperson and his wife are still in captivity. The younger sister of the immediate past Minister for Power, Adelabu, and her twins were just rescued in Ibadan.
Yes, it is the duty of government to protect us. But when government sleeps, protest wakes it up. If we can’t carry arms to defend ourselves, then the least we can do is protest. We must also stay alert. As Churchill said; “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” Ignoring calls to protest against insecurity means we’ve agreed to be ceremonial animals — waiting quietly for our turn to be slaughtered.
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We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by government agents and hirelings. Figures like Wike, Ayo Fayose, and Sunday Igboho issue irrational statements deliberately designed to divert the attention of the suffering masses from the core issue.
Wike and Fayose are former governors who ought to understand the proper response to security challenges. Blaming President Tinubu or Governor Makinde is not the solution. What is required is the right and prompt response from the Federal Government, which bears constitutional responsibility for protecting Nigerians.
On October 26, 2020, an American named Walton was abducted from his home in southern Niger by armed men and smuggled across the border into Nigeria. Through intelligence and surveillance, U.S. forces executed a precision operation to rescue him. Six of the seven kidnappers were killed in a brief firefight. Walton was recovered unharmed, and no U.S. personnel sustained injuries. That is how a responsible government operates. No noise. America did not deploy attack dogs to question Walton about what he was doing in Niger.
The strength, honour and greatness of a nation are directly linked to the value it places on her citizens. Nations that protect, educate, and respect their citizens end up stronger — not just militarily, but economically and morally. Nations that treat people like disposable items eventually weaken from the inside, no matter how much power they project. Insecurity isn’t just a security failure, it’s a measure of how much value government places on Nigerians.
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The government cannot claim to be overwhelmed. Criminals cannot be more powerful than the state, if the state is not culpable in the criminality. There can be no acceptable justification for the government’s failure to protect Nigerians. In a well-ordered society, a government lacking the capacity to secure its citizens ought to resign.
Meanwhile, with schoolchildren and their teachers still in captivity, the First Lady has been preoccupied with campaigning for 2027 and distributing vehicles. A conscientious First Lady would have been on ground in Oyo State, leading protests as a mark of solidarity with the traumatised families.
Were the masses to truly grasp the government’s indifference to their lives and well-being, no external prompting would be required for them to take to the streets in protest.
Comrade Amechi is a Lagos-based trade union activist and pro-democracy advocate.
