ReliefWeb

In some communities of Southern Kaduna, residents live in perpetual fear. Some people have witnessed the recurrent violence and survived it. Hundreds of others have died during the attacks, some maimed, lost loved ones and livelihoods altogether. Raids have become a pattern of existence and gruesome deaths nearly normalised. The persistent anguish in the area have elicited protests by half-clothed women, others have taken to social media to pour their disdain. Government and some other stakeholders in the state have shared diverse views about the root causes of the killings. Millions of public funds have been spent on security, consistently. Despite all these, the massacres have not ceased. At the moment, the state government, amongst other things it is doing to forestall violence, intends to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras with control points to monitor areas prone to attacks.

The idea of technology is to record happenings within the coverage area. However, it will require formidable and committed efforts of security operatives to act upon discoveries made from the coverage. This boils down to the commitment of security engagements in the region. Technology is poised to boast human efforts, but it is one step away from becoming underused if human efforts are lacking. In investing in technology to tackle insecurity, government must also invest in building the technical capacity of security personnel to employ digital tools in its operations. The introduction of technology should come with conscious efforts at triggering a behavioural change amongst security operatives. A shift from how things are being done to how things should be done going forward. Therefore, adequate capacity training, sensitisation of security operatives should precede the instalment of CCTVs. Government must prioritise those that would monitor the machines and ensure that they are fully deployed for the purposes targeted.

The people must also take ownership of these technologies. For sustainability, the government (including security agencies) should ensure the cooperation of people where such technologies would be installed. It is necessary to sensitise them on the importance of protecting such public investment and how it is geared towards securitising the area for their safety. The people must be aware of the role technology will play in improving responses of security operatives to attacks.

Government should move to be more proactive than reactionary. The inefficiency of security agencies worsens when local conflicts and criminality skyrocket. A government that is more reactionary to these issues struggles with containing the concomitant effects of the violence, which includes improving security, investing in technology, etc. The real deal remains to understand the root cause of the conflict and move to address the drivers responsible for the upsurge. Government need to be more purposeful and proactive with the crisis in some communities in Kaduna State. Reactionary efforts may fleetingly curb the flow of violence but it will not address the underlying factors that have continued to trigger attacks and reprisals.

Government must commission research that will focus on the causes, rather than the symptoms of conflict in the area. The study will inform dialogues between conflicting parties, local actors, decision-makers, representatives of civil society groups, thereby creating the environment for peacebuilding and conflict resolution. There is a world of recommendations by conflict experts towards ending the Kaduna crisis. For instance, in Kaduna: Unlearning Violence, it argued that the escalation of conflicts in Kaduna State is a strong indication that extant violence mitigation strategies have not succeeded. Proactive governments over the world focus more on preventing conflicts than reacting to irreversible deaths and losses.