January 4, 2021/CSL Research

In response to the growing insecurity in the state, the Katsina state governor, Aminu Masari,
has admonished the residents to arm and defend themselves against the incessant attacks by bandits. In defense of his action, he claimed that the state has a shortage of security personnel to combat the current spate of insecurity, leaving the residents no option but to defend themselves. We recall the governor has, on different occasions, implored the citizens on the need for self-defense. Some other Nigerian governors, including Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, have also, on various occasions, advised residents to defend themselves.

The country’s rising insecurity has created a compelling case for regions to take matters into their hands by forming regional security groups such as “Amotekun”, a local vigilante groupthe brainchild of the indigenous people of the South-West region. Many religious and other special groups continue to express their displeasure over the rising insecurity in the country. Despite replacing the four heads of the country’s armed forces in 2021 hoping to execute innovative military offensive strategies, the frequency of attacks suggests the battle against terrorists and bandits is far from over.

Amid the growing public worry that the present administration has lost the ability to tackle insecurity effectively, advising the residents to take up arms is not an effective solution to the problem and may only worsen an already unpleasant situation. To some extent, the Amotekun security outfit has been relatively successful in complementing the efforts of the conventional security agencies. The North-West geopolitical zone has been in the news for intermittent deadly attacks and kidnappings in recent times and we believe they can create a regional security group in the North-West region like the Amotekun rather than asking residents to protect themselves. Although the Northern region also established the “ShegeKa-Fasa” security outfit, yet the reports of relentless attacks suggest either strengthening the existing group or creating zonal groups to address the challenges specific to each geopolitical zone.

Restoring peace to the North-West region, and by extension to the North, generally has a far-reaching impact on the economy. We highlight that the consumer goods sector reckon the North can absorb about 50% of their products. Unfortunately, violence and instability continue to hold back sales in some of the troubled regions.