Generalised insecurity in Nigeria sent yet another ominous signal the day before yesterday in his country home in Jos, Plateau State, (not Yola as incorrectly reported earlier on) when activist Peace Researcher, Dr. Chris Kwaja was attacked in his house by 2 am. Intervention can confirm that they did not harm him but made away with his phones, computer and other valuables.
Why the Modibbo Adama University don was made the object of an armed robbery attack remains unclear because, although activist and visible, he is certainly not a rich guy as for any robbers to risk their lives. He is also not involved in politics in the partisan sense. The puzzle is thick.
Some impressive initiatives so far but so much still to be done
The spaces of insecurity in Nigeria now is such that as impressive as some of the responses from the Police, in particular, absolutely no one is safe, be it in the house, on the road, in schools, on the farms and in the offices. A crisis of ancient professional doctrines and colonial policing orientation; lack of financial resources and high degree of corruption at all levels have laid bare the Nigerian security establishment. The sort of extraordinarily bold and transformative reforms required are beyond the conceptual or cognitive radius of the definitive actors, leaving the country in a situation it hardly understands if the loudest framing of the crisis from the loudest quarters are anything to go by.
Paradoxically, Dr. Kwaja is part of the Nigerian intellectual crew on this realm. Much of these areas of concern have been the subject of his research. What fireworks might his nasty, personal experience now occasion?. Will it push him to work with others towards threat analysis more specific to the Nigerian situation where the stateness of the state is a key part of generalised insecurity? Of recent, conflict and security researchers and practitioners have been bandying about concepts and practices such as community policing, self-help militia, new national security plan and so on that have little or no more than temporary success chances without ever securing any communities or the nation.
