Executive Director, African Heritage Institute (AfriHeritage) , Prof. Ufo Okeke-Uzodike, has decried high rate of banditry and other criminalities in the country, warning that if not curbed, the trend will draw the country backwards in years to come.
He spoke while briefing newsmen on the forthcoming event of the institute, the 2021 Big Ideas Podium, (a gathering of Think tanks) , holding on 29th April, 2021, at the AfriHeritage, Independence layout, Enugu.
The Executive Director regretted that “Over the past two or three years, Nigeria has fallen deeper into problems associated with conflict and peace”.
He observed that ” although we have a state of non-conflict in the Niger Delta region, we do not have peace there.
” In the North East of our country , the Boko Haram menance has continued despite previous claims that they have been defeated .
“Although the Herdsmen -farmers conflict no longer hugs national headlines, no one can deny that the issue has elapsed. In fact, it appears to have become more serious when you consider that several states across the country have remained tense battle grounds”
According to him, “Between 2012 and 2020, insecurity has caused over 70,000 deaths and millions in human displacements in Nigeria. There is also the growling financial and material costs and the ³huge psychological impact on victims and their families. ”
Professor Okeke Uzodike lamented that ,”National security appears to be severely compromised despite the proliferation of security agencies. He explained that Nigerian governments have chosen over the years to create new politicized security agencies rather than strenghtening existing ones with shipment, appropriate training and intelligence capacity and oversight.
” Pitiably equipped and weak-and undermined by poor political leadership, the net effect has been that Nigerian security agencies are often ineffective in arresting serious national security challenges”
This situation , he said, also explains why banditry has plagued parts of our country to the extent that human insecurity has been increasingly normalised .
Professor Okeke -Uzodike said that theme of the Big Ideas Podium is “Trends and Dynamics of Armed Banditry: Making Sense of the Problem”.
The event is being organised by Afriheritage in collaboration with the institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
