By: Awoko Emmanuel.

In recent times, one of the greatest threats that face Africa, and specifically Nigeria as a whole is insecurity. However, many measures have been taken to cure this fast and adamant challenge, yet, it still seems futile, and day after day, properties are being lost, societies are being claimed, lives are being taken, and promises are being crumbled. At one point, some countries preferred military rule to democracy, while also in another context, some countries preferred democracy to the military.

Furthermore, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, the concept of insecurity is defined as a feeling of lacking confidence and not being sure of your abilities or of whether people like you. Also in the denotative meaning, it is said to be the quality of not being safe or strong. This is to say insecurity boils down to what is threatening the security of human beings. Everywhere feels unsafe, and the major topics on radios, newspapers, and televisions now center around kidnapping, robbery, ritualism, bomb-blast, and many more unhealthy problems.

The core of all these threats is not only limited to the main society of the well-to-do but also a major threat to paupers, students, and even residents in villages. For example, the main victims of kidnapping nowadays are poor people, and the cause of this is the heavy ransoms required. Once it is unable to be raised, some parts of their bodies can be amputated or individuals who are victims can be subjected to merciless torture for long weeks and months.

Also, the freedom of students to travel from far distances between campus and their parents’ residence has become a threat. On this note, parents are scared and likewise, students are also scared. A conversation with a colleague posits the high increase of insecurity in the state where he came from. For this reason, he has been staying back in school for nearly 1 session and half a semester to enhance his safety.

Further, in a country where everyone claims to believe in one God, even though there are many atheists whose number still seems minimal, insecurity is still a topic of worry. Therefore, it has become so evident that there has been an increase in the destruction of lives and properties without even putting any human feelings into consideration, and that many perpetrators of evil do not take into consideration the fact that everyone on earth was created by the same Being. Looking from the angle of the existing war between Israel and Palestine, a large number of human lives have gone into it, and it is very disheartening that the war has not reached a resolution that can enhance peace. Therefore, the inhabitants of that space live and wake in fear of insecurity at every given moment.

On the part of Nigeria, insecurity has grown to a devastating state. Everyone also feels insecure, though some strategic locations are more affected than others. For instance, for years upon years, the northern side of Nigeria has witnessed a heightened number of bomb blasts to the extent that almost everyone who resides there is now familiar with it. However, in a recent tragic event that happened in Bodija, Ibadan, nearly everyone who heard about the vibration and sound, or even those who heard on news or social media feels unsafe even though the contemplation of how, why, and where seems uncertain at first. Later on, the cause was known, but to date, the fear of insecurity still grips everyone because what will happen next to everyone cannot be predicted.

Oftentimes, we are only used to insecurity in the outside world leaving behind a state of insecurity among students. Agreed that waywardness of all sorts is not a major topic at the University of Ibadan, however, at times, the clamouring of students losing their property such as; clothes, phones, laptops, and many more is also a disturbing problem of insecurity. This challenge has led so many poor and average students into trauma whenever their properties are being stolen. For example, bags and phones that were stolen last semester after an exam at the Faculty’s LLT have caused damage to some students’ mental health and it, therefore, in turn, affects their ability to cope during exams. Not only that, but recently, the Queen Elizabeth Hall was robbed and in the process, laptops and phones were stolen. This is to say, insecurity is everywhere.

In conclusion, it is high time the government and appropriate bodies rose to the occasion to counter the problem of insecurity that is being faced by students and citizens. In doing this, a strict disciplinary and monitoring committee can be set up to look into it, and as well proffer solutions to the malignant problem that is claiming the lives and property of many people.