Every country worth its salt is defined by an uncompromising ability to clearly mark its boundaries; secure its borders and keep at bay, those who would come into the country illegally especially for nefarious purposes.
In these perilous times of terrorism, even with migration becoming a burning issue, countries that take issues bordering on their security most seriously keep an unblinking eye on their borders. They do everything within the bounds of possibilities to ensure that only those they permit can come into their country. And almost every time, those they permit are those who have been thoroughly vetted.
Since 2009 when terrorism seriously became an issue in Nigeria, it has been common to hear those who analyze Nigeria’s nightmare say that many of those who sweep through rural areas cutting communities asunder are not Nigerians. This is always stated to suggest that foreign fighters, criminals, mercenaries or whatever else they may be called have somehow found their ways into Nigeria and are actively involved in carrying out terrorist activities against Nigerians.
But discerning Nigerians have always argued that whether those tormenting Nigerians are Nigerians or foreign criminals imported from elsewhere, it is not like they disappeared from where they are and appeared here. If in Igbo folklore, “it is the rat at home that tells the rat in the bush where the fish at home is kept”; then it makes sense that those who come from elsewhere to terrorize Nigerians work with those who have made terrorism their work at home.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor was recently at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos where he delivered a lecture on ‘ security, defence and development in Nigeria.’
While making the startling revelation that of the 261 borders in the north-east and north-west regions of the country, about 137 were unguarded. General Irabor disclosed that the porous borders were accounted for the easy access of terrorists from neighbouring countries into Nigeria.
Particularly, the Chief of Defence Staff mentioned Borno,Yobe, Sokoto,Zamfara and Katsina states that are neighbor to countries such as Niger Republic and Chad as a prime source of the criminals who continue to infiltrate those states to cause havoc.
Nigeria is said to have about 364 approved borders with 261 of them located in the north-east and north-west regions of the country.
With only 124 of the 261 guarded, 137 are now left unguarded.
There is no doubt, an inseparable link between the shocking porousness of Nigeria’s borders in the north-east and northwest regions of the country with the rampaging terrorism convulsing Nigeria from those regions.
It makes perverse sense that if the door to a house for example is left opened and there is no one there to check movement in and out of the house, all manner of vermin will find their ways into the house and build their nests.
And as it is with vermin, once the house is found to be convenient with only minimum disturbance, they bring others in and sooner than later, they turn it into their space.
This has pretty much become the case with Nigeria with terrorists pouring into the country, ravaging communities and even threatening the country’s seat of power and authorities.
A country unable to secure its borders is a country which is itself insecure. There is no doubt that more has to be done to change what is an unsettling narrative.
The image of terrorists pouring into the country over porous borders to torment Nigerians is a haunting one indeed.
Kene Obiezu writes from Abuja
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