Journal of Empirical Economics Vol. 3, No. 4, 2014, 232-238

Combating Insecurity in Nigeria: An Integrated Conflict Management Approach Jebbin Maclean Felix1, Tubo Pearce Okumoko 2 Abstract The paper examines combating Insecurity in Nigeria: “An Integrated Conflict Management Approach’’. It conceptualizes insecurity as the worthlessness of life and property because of its unsafe or unprotected nature which creates panic in the lives of the people. The paper stresses that today no single issue has dominated the Nigerian scene more than insecurity of life and property. The anxiety and concern for it can only be compared with the anxiety and concern that gripped the international community in the immediate PostSecond World War years over the possibility of a nuclear holocaust. The above has been buttressed by the litany of kidnaps and killings in Nigeria. The various causes of this insecurity were pointed out and the imperativeness of the Integrated Conflict Management Approach to quelling was emphasized. The paper concludes by stressing that the immediate and remote causes of this ugly monster (insecurity) should be addressed via integrated conflict management approach in order to quell the insecure situation in the country, Keywords: Insecurity, Kidnappings, Killings and Integrated Conflict Management Approach. 1. Introduction Today no other single issue has dominated the Nigerian scene more than insecurity of life and property. The anxiety and concern for insecurity today is because no one knows who will be the next victim and it can only be compared with anxiety and concern that gripped the international community in the immediate PostSecond World War years over the possibility of a nuclear holocaust. Tell Magazine of 21st February 2011 in describing the insecurity situation in Nigeria in its cover page tagged it thus; ‘Nigeria where life is worthless’. What a horrible description of a country that has played the big brother role in peace keeping in other African Countries yet her citizens cannot sleep with their eyes closed. Anything less than what Tell Magazine captured of the Nigeria situation judging by the trend of events in the country will be an understatement of the reality on ground and a great disservice to humanity. Nigeria has been entangled in a firebox of insecurity leading to unprecedented deaths of innocent citizens. This situation has assumed a formidable dimension forcing the country’s political and economic managers and indeed the entire nation; to feel remorse for the death of their loved ones (Onifide, Imhonopi and Urim, 2013). In Nigeria, a man’s life is as worth as that of a fowl. We are gradually falling into the Hobbessian state but God forbid. The onslaught in Nigeria can be likened to that in Bethlehem of Judea under the leadership of King Herod, which the gospel of Saint Matthew captured thus: A voice was heard in Ramah Lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children. Refusing to be comforted, because they are no more (Matthew 2:18). Lamentation and weeping rent the air in Nigeria as families carried the corpses of their loved ones to their early grave because of the insecurity wild wind that engulfs the country. Nigeria is steadily sliding into a

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Department of Economics, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Rivers State Department of Economics Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island Bayelsa State

© 2014Research Academy of Social Sciences http://www.rassweb.com

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Journal of Empirical Economics state of lawlessness and hopelessness (Innocent & Onyishi 2011). To guide this study, the following thought provoking questions are put forward:(i) What is insecurity (ii) What are the causes of insecurity (iii) What else is to be done? The rest of the paper is divided into seven sections, immediately after the introduction is the conceptual clarification in section two, section three dwells on theoretical framework and section four x-rays the causes of insecurity in Nigeria, section five examines the litany of kidnaps in Nigeria. Section six dwells on the integrated conflict management approach to combating insecurity, while section seven draws the conclusion. 2. Conceptual Clarification Insecurity has been defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2007) as an object or situation not safe or not protected. Insecurity is a state of not knowing, a lack of control and the inability to take defensive action against forces that portend harm or danger (Achumba, Ighomereho and Akpor-Robaro, 2013). But for Onifade, Imhonopi and Urim (2013) ‘Insecurity is a situation where human and national security of a state is compromised by internal or external forces or interest exacerbated by the former’s weak and poor economic, military and/or human resource development conditions’. For Beland (2005), insecurity is ‘the state of fear or anxiety stemming from a concrete or alleged lack of protection’. But in this paper we define insecurity as the worthlessness of life and property because of its unsafe or unprotected nature which creates panic in the lives of the people. Integrated Conflict Management System or Approach is based on the use of the problem-solving techniques to completely address the phenomenon of adversarial relationship within the globe/country at three levels comprising conflict prevention and peace promoting, conflict control and abetment; and conflict resolution (Imobighe, 2003 and 2006). The reason behind adopting this three levels conflict management circle is to ensure that efforts at conflict management consciously strive to eliminate the conditions that gave rise to an environment of conflict discord within the country. It also ensures that if conflict still occurs, it is productively managed to prevent it from degenerating into open violence or to minimize the level of violence (Imobighe, 2006). At the Conflict Prevention Level, sound behavioural code, confidence building, encouragement of true democracy and inter-state or inter-group genuine cooperation and integration are imperative in minimising incidents of conflict. An addendum to the above is the need to build a strong and formidable global coalition against the reckless resort to armed hostilities. According to Imobighe (2006) the focus of such coalition should be to embark on aggressive and systematic campaign on the need to demilitarise the international system by diverting resources away from military purposes to the elimination of all forms of human miseries on earth. To do this, we need the services of religious and other well meaning civil society groups to propagate these noble ideas. The next is Peace-Keeping and other Peace-Support Measures, this directly falls at the level of Conflict Control and Abetment. According to Imobighe, what is needed at this level is the prompt injection of more resources into UN Peace-Keeping and Peace-Support Operations and there should be conscious efforts at minimising the number of conflicts by ensuring that effective action is taken at the level of conflict prevention and peace promotion. Finally, at the Conflict Resolution Level, there should be corps of mediators to form negotiating team or act as facilitators in conflict situations.

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J. M. Felix & T. P. Okumoko 3. Theoretical Framework There are several theories explaining the causes of insecurity but in this paper, we shall consider only three. Social Conflict Theory, Neo-Malthusianism Theory and Armed Robbery Theory. Social Conflict Theory Proponent of this theory provides theoretical explanation for stern competition among social classes, state actors and non-state actors in their attempts to jealously guide their selfish aggrandisement. This class struggle leads to acquisition of weapons and ammunitions for self and class preservation, hence leading to social conflicts and insecurity. Marx and Engel (1848) aptly put it thus:The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Freeman and Slave, patrician and Plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in revolutionary re-constitution of society at large, or in the common rain of the contending classes (Adebakin and Raimi, 2013, p.12). The stern and unabated struggle for control of political power and economic resources between rich and the poor, ruling party and opposition parties, joint taskforce and militia, majority ethnic groups and minority groups etcetera led credence to the existence of social conflict in human society. Another version of the Social Conflicts Theory have it that social structures (such as political institution, legal institution, economic organs, traditional institution etcetera are created in every society through conflict between groups with conflicting ideological strands and diverse means of control over state resources. Individual resources are influenced by these structures or institutions and by the unequal distribution of power and resources in the society (Adebakin & Raimi, 2012). The central theme in both versions of the theory is that insecurity is motivated by struggle among rival social classes or groups in their struggle for group economic interest and political power control. In a nutshell, the exploitation of one class by a dominant class or group result in armed struggle which breed in security. Neo-Malthusianism Theory Malthusianism theory is propounded by Thomas Malthus; it dwells on the relationship between population growth and food production. He stressed that population grows in geometric progression and food production in arithmetic progression. He warned that if population is not controled, the end result will be famine, pestilence, war et cetera. However, the theory was modified as Neo-Malthusianism theory to fit into the model of insecurity often caused by conflict among state actors and non-state actors over ownership and control of natural resources. The central argument of the Neo-Malthusians theory is that the available natural resources relative to human beings are limited on ‘Spaceship Earth’ (Adebakin and Raimi, 2012; Gladitsch and Theissen 2006). They contended that increasing population growth means more mouth to feed and these more mouth to feed help in depleting the available resources. The end result is scarcity of these resources which trigger off cut-throat competition among diverse actors, which definitely leads to social conflict that threatens national security. The escalation of these threats among the diverse actors continues as their existence is threatened, the end product is insecurity. The Armed Robbery Theory This theory postulates that the high incidence of armed robbery in the country is the root cause of insecurity in the country. It also contends that in Nigeria, politics is a do or die affair and elections are perceived as zero-sum contest. This zero-sum contest results in militarization of politics, which enthrone violence as an electoral tool and the enforcement of a culture of violence in the country. Today’s armed groups are better armed with sophisticated armament and combat ready than those of the past because of the nature of our politics.

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Journal of Empirical Economics `The theory concludes by contending that the zero-sum contest nature of our politics with the wide spread armed groups provided an easy marriage between politics and violence, hence enthroning insecurity in Nigeria. 4. Causes of Insecurity in Nigeria In this section we will x-ray some of the causes of insecurity in the country. Some Scholars have tried to trace the root causes of insecurity in the country. Okowa(2005), in his inaugural lecture aptly capture the cause of insecurity thus: The contemporary crisis of violence, killing and destruction are inevitable, given the character of the governing class and the method by which the power to govern was acquired. When power is acquired through the back door, violence, killings and destruction become the norm pp.9 According to Okowa (2005), the above is in line with the statement of Jesus Christ in the Bible, which states as follow’I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other ways, is a thief and a robber...... the thief comes, only to steal and kill and destroy; (St John’s Gospel, chapter 10: verses 1-10). The corollary of the above is that, when politicians rig themselves into power, they will steal, kill and destroy, according to the logic of this Christian Scripture. By the same logic, politicians who rig themselves into power are thieves and robbers by intent and will ultimately manifest these characteristics hence the political insecurity in Nigeria. Other scholars argued that in Nigeria where human misery has attained unbearable levels due to corruption and bad governance, insecurity will be the order of the day (Felix and Wilson, 2011, Okowa, 2005). This is true because when people are denied freedom of expression, association or assembly, as well as a free choice as to who governs them; most of the means they resort to in their struggle for freedom are usually those generally referred to as acts of terror hence the insecurity situation in the country. A country driven by systemic corruption, oppression and systemic injustice can only move in a negative direction, for corruption, oppression and injustice are socially alienating forces. Those alienated may not seat back and watch but, may likely strike back, the end result is the insecurity that has engulfed the country. Ethno- Religious Conflicts has been identified as one of the main causes of insecurity in Nigeria (Onifade, Imhonopi and Urum, 2013, Ibrahim and Igbuzor, 2011, Salawu, 2010, Igbuzor, 2011). EthnoReligious Conflicts exist when the social relation between one ethnic or religious group and another group in a multi-ethnic and multi- religious society is characterised by lack of cordiality, mutual suspicion and fear, and a tendency towards violent confrontations to settle disputes. If these conflicts are not quelled in time it will degenerate into insecurity. These conflicts have degenerated and the end results are large scale killings and violence among ethno- religious groups in the country (Adagba, Ugwu and Eme, 2012). The case at hand is the dreaded and faceless Boko Haran saga a religious sect in the country that has been a thorn in the flesh of the country. 5. The Litany of Kidnaps and Killings in Nigeria To buttress the assertion made earlier that no other single issue has dominated the Nigerian scene more than insecurity of life and property, the following litany of kidnaps and Killing as captured by Tell magazine of 21st February 2011 is put forward: September 9, 1999, Sunday was killed by gunmen which mistook him for his elder brother, Ugwu, a member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, December, 2000, Lai Balogun, a Frontline politician and renounced architect was murdered, December 18, 2001- Monday N. Tambari, a member of Rivers State House of Assembly was assassinated, December 19, 2001- Odunayo Olagbaju,a member of Osun State House of Assembly was murdered, December 23, 2001- Bola Ige, Minister of Justice and Attorney –General of the Federation was assassinated in his Ibadan residence Oyo State, December 28, 235

J. M. Felix & T. P. Okumoko 2001- Dan Kemebigha Counsel to Odi Youths in Bayelsa State was murdered. January 7, 2002-Ade Awonusi, Confidential Secretary to Muhammed Uwais, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria was assassinated August 13, 2002 – Janet Olapade, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader in Odigho Local Government Area of Ondo State was assassinated, November 2002-Dele Arojo, PDP Governorship Aspirant in Ogun State was murdered, December 2002- Isyaku Mohammed, a United Nigeria Peoples Party Chieftain was murdered. February 8, 2003- Ogbonnaya Uche, Chieftain of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) in Imo State was murdered, February 22, 2003- Theodore Aghatu, the Principal Secretary to Marshal Harry, the SouthVice Chairman of the PDP, before he defected to ANPP was assassinated, March 20, 2003- Rasaki Ibrahim , a Supporter of Mohammed Lawal, the former Governor of Kwara State, was assassinated ,March 21, 2003Anthony Nwodo, Secretary of ANPP, Ezza North Local Government Area, Ebonyi State was assassinated, March 27, 2003- Yemi Oni Alliance for Democracy{AD} Stalwart in Ekiti State was assassinated. April19,2003- Onyewchi Iwuchukwu, ANPP Stalwart in Ikeduru in Imo State was murdered, April 20, 2003- Tony Dimegwu, ANPP Imo State House of Assembly member was murdered, Mary 3, 2003- joyce Fatai, Former Nsarawa State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development was murdered, Jnue 20, 2003- Ajibola Olanipekun, a Lawyer and PDP member in Ibadan Oyo State was murdered. October 2003, - Chimere Ikoku, PDP Chieftain and former Vice Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka was murdered, December 12, 2003- John Agbatutu, PDP, Delta Central Senatorial District Aspirant was murdered. January 6, 2004 - Aminasoari Dikibo, South- South National Vice Chairman of PDP was assassinated, March 3, 2004- Andrew Agowa, a member of the PDP’s Board of Trustees and Joseph Ngama, a Police Sergeant in the convoy of George Akume, Governor of Benue State were Killed, March 4, 2004- Luke Shinagha, a Chairmanship Candidate in Bassa Local Government Area of Kogi State was assassinated, March 7, 2004-Philip Olorunipa a Kogi State Electoral Commissioner was murdered. February 5, 2005Sunday Atte, Leader of the Legislative Council in Yagbo East of the area of Kogi State was murdered, May 15, 2005- Alabi Olajoku, a Political Associate of Rauf Aregbesola the then Governorship Candidate in Osun State and now Governor of the State was assassinated, June 3, 2005- Late Olaniyam, a close Associate of Late Lamidi of Ibadan was assassinated, July 27, 2005- Jesse Arukwu a Governorship of the defunct Advance Congress of Democrats was murdered. July 3, 2006- Funsho Williams a Governorship Aspirant of PDP in Lagos State was assassinated, August 14, 2006- Ayo Daramola, a Governorship Aspirant of PDP in Ekiti State was assassinated, September 19, 2006- Mohammed Imam Chairman of ANPP in Bornu State was assassinated, October 5, 2006 Omololu Falobi, a former Editor of the Punch Newspaper and Executive Director of Journalists Against AIDS (JAAIDS) was assassinated in his car on his way back home in Alakuko, Lagos State. January 27, 2007- Ego Cordelia Uzoezie, the then Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs alongside her son Kenechukuw were Kidnapped at Nsughe on her way from Orizu College of Education Awka, Anambra State, where she had been a Lecturer. The kidnappers demanded fifty million Naira ransom, January 27, 2007- Pius Oghuawa, a businessman from Nnewi in Anambra State was kidnapped and twenty million Naira was demanded as ransom, April 30, 2007 - Cecilia Omehia a seventy year-old mother of Celestine Omehia Ex-Governor of Rivers State was kidnapped, May 1, 2007- six expatriate Staff of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State were kidnapped. June 26, 2007Michael Stewart, son of a Female Member of Rivers State House of Assembly was Kidnapped, July 5, 2007Margret Hil; a three year-old British girl in Rivers State was Kidnapped, July 2007- Samuel Amadi a son of Chief Francis Amadi an Iriebe Community Leader in Rivers State was Kidnapped, August 25, 2007- Hansel Seiborugu, a seventy year-old mother of Werinipre Seibaragu Ex-Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly was kidnapped. September 8, 2007- About Eleven members of PDP in Ese- Odo in Ondo State, were Kidnapped, September 2007- David Ward, a Briton and Worker with Hydro-Dive Limited of Rivers State was kidnapped, October, 29 2007- Jeffy Kilomonibo, a Eighty-two year-old father of Ebioudu Kilomonibo, a member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly was kidnapped. October29, 2007- Joseph Edem, a Ten-year-old at his School in Calabar, Cross River State was kidnapped, January 8, 2008- A fifteen year-old son of Ogochukwu Onyire, Secretary of PDP Rivers State, was kidnapped, February 7, 2008- Sienye Briggs, wife of Chief Lulu Briggs, the Executive Vice Chairman of Moni Pulo was kidnapped, March 23, 236

Journal of Empirical Economics 2008- Stevenson Odemwingie, Lucky Martins, and two staff of Mamatan Oil Company in Okrika, Rivers State was kidnapped, March 29, 2008 five staff of Express Oil Awoye in Ondo State were kidnapped. April 2008-Sarah Nwakaudu, a Seventy year old woman from Umuahia in Abia State was kidnapped. January 6, 2009- Effiong Nelson from Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly Speaker was kidnapped, February 1, 2009 – Abule Adiele former Attorney General of Rivers State was kidnapped. April 15, 2009Julie Mulligan, a Canadian and Member of Rotary International in Kaduna State was kidnapped. August 16, 2009 - Pete Edochie, a movie star was kidnapped in Onitsha Anambra State. August 2009- Nkem Owoh a popular actor and comedian, popularly known as Osuofia was kidnapped along Enugu –Port Harcourt Expressway, September 20, 2009- Bayo Ohu Assistant News Editor, The Guardian News Paper was assassinated at his Egbedu residence Lagos State, October 28 2009- Simon Soludo, seventy eight year old father of Chukwuma Soludo the then governor of Central Bank of Nigeria was kidnapped, December 2009Chijioke Iheaku, a forty year old lawyer was kidnapped and later murdered. January 2010 –Eze Samuel Ohiri a Traditional Ruler of Orido in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State was murdered by kidnappers, March 4, 2010- Ademola Adegbile, Chairman of the PDP Atiba Local Government Area in Oyo State was murdered , May 26, 2010- Sunday Njoku, the traditional ruler of Umebulu Community in Rivers State was kidnapped in church. January 1, 2011- Akpan Akpudo a Medial Doctor and Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Aspirant was murdered near St-Luke`s General Hospital at Anua Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, January 1, 2011- Lukman Adeshina two brothers were shot dead by a Police Corporal at police check point after their refusal to give twenty naira bribe at Ikirun –Oshogbo road Osun State, January 29, 2011- Mudu Fannami Gubio a Governorship Candidate and Goni sheriff, a brother to Borno State Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff were shot dead by unknown gunmen alongside five other people on their way home after performing Jumat services at the Palace of the Shehu of Borno. The list is unending but for the constraint of space we decide to end it here and did not include the Boko Haram victims. The above litany of killings and kidnappings buttressed the fact that Nigeria is a country where life is worthless as tagged by Tell Magazine of February 21, 2011. 6. Integrated Conflict Management Approach To Combating Insecurity In Nigeria This approach is tripartite in nature, Conflict Prevention and Peace Promotion, Conflict Control and Abatement, and Conflict Resolution (Imobighe, 2006). These three levels are mutually complementary and strive to ensure that conditions that create conflict are eliminated. At the Conflict Prevention Level, the right moral and values should be inculcated in the people through education and sound religious teachings. Our democracy should be as transparent as possible, and the people should be given the free hand to choose who will governor them. Corruption and injustice should be thrown overboard to give room to fairness and all forms of oppressions should be eliminated. At the level of Conflict Control and Abatement, more resources should be injected through peace keeping activities by engaging the services of foreign security experts to control the conflict. At the level of Conflict Resolution Level which is the final step, intensive negotiation should be embarked upon between the aggrieved parties and the mediators should try to be as neutral as possible. These teams of mediators should be made up of people with integrity, sound mind and devotees of peace. If these three levels of conflict management are religiously followed the once deluded peace in our country will return and insecurity will be a thing of the past. 7. Conclusion In Nigeria, human misery has attained unbearable levels due to corruption, oppression, bad governance, religious indifferences and injustice. A country driven by these negative attributes can only move in negative direction because of these social alienating tendencies. Those alienated will definitely strive back, hence the insecurity situation experience in the country over a decade now. To quell this Insecurity situation the immediate and remote, causes (social alienating forces) which give rise to it should be addressed by adopting the Integrated Conflict Management Approach wholistically. 237

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