By Nehru Odeh

We live in very dangerous times.  People are more at risk of dying from criminal attacks now than from corvid-19. And it is more so since the outbreak of conoravirus. Virtually the whole globe has been on lockdown. But right here in Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has just extended the lockdown for another two weeks. Many see this as another extension of the climate of fear and death.  By this extension, how dangerous is it to live in Nigeria. Yes, while it is good to stay at  home in order to stay safe, the question is how safe are we in Nigeria, when you can easily be killed in the comfort of your home? Hunger roams the streets with panache, poking fun at us at home and giving criminals excuses to inflict harm on people

But the worst fear is the threat which criminals and armed robbers pose to our lives. Criminals have virtually taken over the stage and they attack people living in Lagos and Ogun states, right there in their homes, as they are stay safe, with reckless abandon. How safe? Life is already dangerous but living has been made more dangerous and worthless as a result of these attacks.

Many people- including me – living in those states hardly sleep at all.  We are attacked daily by hoodlums and armed robbers who, cashing in on this lockdown, perpetuate terror and instill fear in the minds of people.  As I write this article in the dead of night, sleep has been evasive, and it is not going to come till the break of dawn.  That is if dawn ever comes. But will dawn even come?  I can hear sounds of gunshots everywhere, and people are burning tyres, the only way residents and vigilante groups can scare away hoodlums. But how long are we going to live in this climate of fear, facing the ever constant risk of dying any moment from gunshot and machete wounds.

Both the federal and state governments need to take urgent action to put a stop to this anarchy, this lawlessness, this chaos. This is not the time to pay lip service to securing the lives and property of Nigerians. Just yesterday the Commissioners of police in Lagos and Ogun States played down the terror in their states and denied that robbers and criminals are attacking people there.

 What does it take to secure lives and property of Nigerians? What is the life of a Nigerian worth? Tupenny? This ,of course, is the hash and grim reality here. We are not just living dangerously here, we are no longer safe as each second passes by. We are no longer staying safe because that is already being called into question. How safe are you at home when you can be easily attacked and killed like a chicken?

Many reasons have been adduced for these criminal and armed robbery attacks. Some say most of the youths perpetuating this orgy of violence are those that have been denied their sources of livelihood as a result of the lockdown. Most of them are touts and lotto betters who depend on the money they make on a daily basis to survive. But whatever the reason is, the reality is that nobody is safe. Those hoodlums are only cashing in on the lockdown to perpetuate their insidious and evil intents and inclinations. How long are going to live in this state of anomie? How long are we going to put our lives on the line?

While the palliative measures governments have put in place to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians is a step in the right direction, that is not enough. This is because the way those relief materials are being distributed to the poor and vulnerable in society is suspect. How do you define who the poor and vulnerable is, in a country where majority are living below the poverty line? What criteria do you use? Who are the poor and vulnerable in a society in which almost everybody is poor and vulnerable, except the few rich?  Some have also said the distribution of those relief material have been politicized as politicians now use to favour their party loyalists.

Still, the truth is, the distribution of relief materials cannot stem the tide of violence that is staring us in the face. Our lives need to be secured. We need to be assured of our safety. We need to be sleeping with our two eyes closed. Many people living in Lagos and Ogun States cannot remember when they slept last at night since the lockdown started.  How long are going to live lie on edge? How long are we going to be treated and killed like animals?

Now people have taken it as a duty to protect themselves since they feel that the state security apparatuses have failed them. This is a very dangerous trend and it portends grave dangers not only to the communities but also to the country in general. When people now take it upon themselves to protect their neighborhoods and communities from criminal attacks because of the failure of governance,  that is a short cut to anarchy and a war of all against all. We need to stem this tide. We need to really feel safe and secure as we stay at home. We need to be assured that some hoodlums won’t come and snuff life out of us as we stay safe at home. This is the only thing we are asking for, or else we all die. But is that too much?

-Nehru Odeh, journalist with TheNEWS, is the author of The Patience Of An Embattled Storyteller