“Every segment of our
population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government, a
fair deal”[2]
“Most people want
security in this world, not liberty”[3]
“Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent about things that matter”[4]
With the
recent spate of bombings and killings in the Northern part of the country by
the sect- boko haram, barricading half part of the road or even a whole street
has become the order of the day in the Nation’s capital Abuja and some other
parts of the country as every street that has a church is blocked on Sundays
and every street that has a mosque is blocked on Fridays, and even when it is
not blocked, you find that there is still no movement as the worshippers lay
their mats on the main road, blocking the entire road till the end of the
Friday prayers.
Worse-still
is that all the streets that house police stations are a no go area because
they are completely cordoned off as they seem to be the main target of the
sect. The military and the state security service are not innocent of this as
the same thing is obtainable in their area.
In this
article we intend to raise four major concerns:
Right to
freedom of movement: the blocking of these roads, does it not constitute a
breach of the right to freedom of movement enshrined in Section 41 of the
Nigerian constitution? When a citizen of Nigeria cannot pass freely on a road
he is entitled to, thereby restricting his/her movement what is it called?
Some may
argue that it is for security of many other citizens and right to life comes
first before freedom of movement, while we agree that this is a valid point we
ask, does it make this right or lawful, does
the blockade actually prevent attacks? When a major road is blocked and there is
diversion, it leads to traffic jam which makes the people in the traffic prone
to attack. Besides, a suicide bomber who is ready to carry out his assignment,
a simple blocking of the road may not stop him as he would easily and readily
seek an alternative route.
Break down
of law and order: A situation whereby road safety officials will help a church
block a major road and encourage drivers to drive against traffic doesn’t make
it lawful rather a total break down of law and order is not far as few hours
later or the very next day you may be arrested by that same official for
obstructing traffic or more traffic offences if you drive on that same lane he
commanded you to be on. Also some churches have turned it to a right such that
anytime they have programs during the week, (not just on Sundays), they block
the road; people returning after a long day of work now have to face heavy
traffic which ordinarily should not be there. What if everyone decides his life
is in danger and block entrance to their street, where will people pass
through?
Managing the
situation: like stated above, blocking of major roads will not stop bombing, we
are at best delaying the evil day. Barricades may caution the effect of the
bombing but it is not a solution, it does not bring it to an end. People still
live in fear even with the barricades, what if the bombers decide not to bomb
churches or mosques again and then go to the open market and plant bombs , would
we barricade the markets too?
Destroying
tax payers road: some very heavy blocks are used to bar passers-by in the name
of security. Lets look at the long term effect, most of those barricades will
damage the road because when placed there for a very long time it will leave
pot-holes or worse still erosion. One major problem Nigeria has been trying to
tackle is bad roads, we cannot in the name of securing lives and property loose
the few good roads we have.
Based on the
concerns raised above, we submit that blocking of roads as good as it may look
right now is not the best idea as it will cause more harm than good in the
nearest future. When is it going to stop? The Federal Government of Nigeria
should put an end to this menace once and for all, they should find a lasting
solution to this boko haram issue as no amount of money is equal to a life
lost.
Also, the
security officials should come up with a better solution than blocking of
roads, there are bomb detectors that can detect bombs from afar, there are
several other ways to prevent bombing rather than restriction of movement and
damaging our roads. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
More importantly, everyone should be vigilant,
the government and the security officers can’t do it alone. you don’t need to
be a trained security officer to help, be a good citizen, love your neighbor,
embrace peace and eschew bitterness, avoid bad company, report any suspicious
persons or movement, believe in positive change, with one heart and might, we
can make Nigeria a better and safer place.
Long live
the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
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