Abdulsami Abubakar launches four-part book on insurgency

Former Head of State, retired Gen. Abdulsami Abubakar unveiled a four-part book on crimes and insurgencies in Nigeria and other parts of the world on Wednesday in Abuja.

The series were written by Alhaji Iliyasu Buhari Maijega.

One of the series is entitled: Preventing Crimes, Insurgencies and Desperate Migrations.

The series covered developing nations, Africa, Latin America and other nations of the world.

Commending the effort of the author, Abubakar said the presentation of the series was timely considering the security challenges bedevilling Nigeria.

He noted that insurgency and other violent crimes had been confronting Nigeria in the last 10 years, adding that the violent threats had spread all over the country over time.

He said the book threw light into the root causes of insurgency, stressing that it would help security agencies and the government to find lasting solution to insecurity in Nigeria and around the world.

Abubakar urged Nigerians and all stakeholders to read through the series with a view to understanding issues around insurgency and proffer solutions.

“I believe this book has thrown light into the root causes of insurgencies and I believe that it will help our security agencies and the government in tackling these challenges,” he said.

The author, Maijega said the abduction of Chibok School Girls and banditry in Northwest Nigeria inspired him to embark on research to unravel the root causes of insurgency and banditry.

Maijega said he saw the need to search for the causes of such events and other issues like the IPOB, Niger Delta agitation, and other issues around the world.

He said that he found similarities in the causes of insurgencies across the world which led him to go beyond Nigeria and Africa into Latin America, Asia and Europe.

He stressed that many had thought that Europe, for instance, had no problem but in his research, he came to understand that every nation had its own problems.

“For instance, we knew the Soviet Union was one country, but ethnic issues split it into 16 countries.

“Yugoslavia was one country but ethnicity split it into six countries. So that means it is not only Nigeria that is having ethnic problems making each ethnic group wanting to have its own nation,” he said.

Maijega noted that poverty, weak or lack of leadership were responsible for most insurgencies, adding that getting to the source or root cause of insecurity would help to solve the problem.

According to him, without knowing the cause of a disease or an ailment one cannot cure it.

“Nigeria’s population was only 45 million in 1960, but it is more than 220 million today, which means it has multiplied five times with multiplication of structures.

“You will need maybe at least five times the number of schools; you will need five times number of farms; you will need five times the number of homes and a lot of things,” he explained.

The author urged government to always adopt dialogue in finding solution to security challenges.

Reviewing the book, Dr Hamza Muhammed of the Department of English and Literary Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the book highlighted ways to prevent social disorder and prevent crimes.

In the review read by the former Chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors, Abuja, Mr Patrick Oguejiofor, Muhammed said it highlighted the impact of COVID-19, problems in businesses, health, education, travels, and international relations.

He said the book also covered global climate change, contemporary programmes like early childhood education, human empowerment, nomads, fishermen, artisans, widows, orphans, and welfare policies.

Muhammed added that the series also highlighted the activities of cattle rustlers, bandits, kidnappers, insurgents and militants and the social impact on the citizenry.