The Murder Of Sylvanus Namang

On Sunday, February 18, 2024, Nigerians woke up to the horrific news of the brutal murder of Mr. Sylvanus Namang, the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Plateau State.

According to reports, the one-time General Manager of the Plateau Publishing Corporation, publishers of The Nigeria Standard Group of Newspapers, was killed in cold blood by unknown persons the previous day in Pankshin, 90 kilometres south of Jos, the Plateau State capital.

That heinous act once again brings to the fore in a very bloody manner the country’s continuous slide into lawlessness. Mr. Namang, a veteran journalist of great repute and consummate politician, was a gentleman to the core. It is ironical that such a man of peace should die under such cruel circumstances; in the hands of criminals for whom human lives have become very cheap.

But Mr. Namang’s terrible end is just one out of countless such other cases all over the country as criminal gangs operate with ruthless impunity. Mr. Namang’s death also highlights the general state of insecurity that pervades the entire country. From banditry, herdsmen’s attacks on indigenous communities to Islamist insurgency, kidnapping for ransom, etc, there does not appear to be any safe place for ordinary citizens.

Add these to the current economic hardships confronting Nigerians and life becomes a living hell. And the repercussions on the overall development of the country are dire.

Unfortunately, the security forces appear to have been overwhelmed by this wave of criminality sweeping across the country. Mr. Namang could not have departed this world in such a gruesome way had Nigeria’s security apparatus risen up to the challenge of confronting head-on the hydra-headed security challenges that have continued to plague the country for such a long time. Before Namang was killed, there had been an upsurge in kidnappings in the general Pankshin area which the authorities concerned appear to have been unable to successfully curb or minimize.

Perhaps the huge investments made in the security sector at both the national and sub-national levels appear to be yielding very little results because they are not quite enough. But even so, the army, police, civil defence and other security forces need to be more proactive and patriotic in carrying out their duties.

In this wise, the use of modern technology should be given top priority. All over the world, security has become highly reliant on cutting-edge technology. Any country that does not take advantage of this does so at its own peril. Security experts say that insecurity appears to be gaining ground in Nigeria because, either by commission or omission, the country’s security agencies have failed to apply even the most rudimentary modern technology in the fight against the myriads of security challenges bedeviling the country.

More than ever before, the need for state police has before very imperative. It is very obvious that these violent crimes continue to thrive because the governments at the sub-national levels do not control any of the levers of the nation’s security network. The Federal Government is far removed from these levels of society to fully appreciate the intricacies of the security challenges imbedded therein. The onus is now on the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu to set the machinery in motion for the creation of state police in Nigeria.

For the country to avoid future repeats of the Namang killing, the security forces and governments at all levels must do a deep rethink about their current approach to fighting insecurity in the country. That way, citizens will be saved the heartache and pain that come from the loss of loved ones, especially through such brutal means.

We unequivocally call on the security agencies to thoroughly investigate this and many other killings so as to bring the perpetrators to book. This will bring closure and relief to bereaved families and victims of such dastardly acts.

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