Nigerians are not secure and it's a reality we are often reminded of

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, a band of heavily armed bandits attacked Owode Police Station in the town’s centre, killing policemen and some complainants.

From there, they launched a series of attacks on a total of 5 commercial banks, looting millions of naira. In their wake, they left a trail of blood and, at last count, estimated to be at 41 casualties at the time of writing this.

Among those killed include customers going about their business at the banks, bystanders and a pregnant police-woman.

According to eye-witnesses, the band was made up of a minimum of 15 robbers who came in different vehicles into the town at around 4:45 pm, positioned themselves at strategic points for the period of the operation and made their escape through Igosun, a neighbouring community.

Nigerians have poured their pain at the savagery of the armed robbers and the heartless, sporadic shooting of innocent civilians in a town that is more popular for its Polytechnic than anything else.

Senate President Bukola Saraki has reacted to the robbery by saying, as we all expected, that the perpetrators will be brought to book.

But it’s a bit too late, isn’t it?

Power is Nigeria's most important currency

There is one simple fact that we are ignoring.

The extent of these attacks was only possible by way of the brute force, strength in numbers and weaponry that the robbers had at their disposal.

It’s sad to admit this but in 2018, Nigerians are at the mercy of any one person or 15 people with a gun or two in their possession.

A friend of mine often says, “Nigeria is a show of power”.

Either by design or the implications of time and culture, Nigerians are always given to exerting power, in whichever form, and force in any situation where it seems slightly likely that it may be useful.

It reflects in how we treat our subordinates, the shouting matches we indulge in when we observe that someone else wants the same spot as us, the manner in which we shove and push to get from Point A to B and flex muscles or wealth when someone looks at us the wrong way.

In some ways, this is a human problem, which begs the question, why is it so bad in Nigeria?

There’s nothing to check you if you wish to flex your muscles.

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The Offa massacre was possible because of the inherent lack of security infrastructure and the ineptitude of security personnel at all levels in Nigeria.

One need only consider the fact that the robbers could have attracted less attention if they had simply robbed the banks.

But instead, they went on a gun-toting rampage, simply because there was nothing to dissuade them from doing so.

We can sugarcoat it all we want but the brutal truth is that there’s very little to discourage anyone from using power however they wish within the borders of our country.

While we have myriad security agencies, Nigerians have learned that with the right variety of manoeuvring and planning, one can wriggle out of the reach of the supposedly-long arms of justice.

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For robbers like the ones in Offa, for instance, a few transfers to the right account could assure their safety.

Their show of force at the police station was the singular infraction they had with any security agency until the robbery ended.

One should also note that, according to residents of the town, the robbers were largely unhindered. This was despite reports that Offa is a haven for officers of the much-maligned Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Police who have shown themselves to be more disposed to accosting “suspected internet fraudsters” than actual robbers.

Where were the Policemen?

That is a reality the residents of Offa understand, even as they continue to deal with bodies of their loved ones and hope that those on the brink do not give up.

Offa is not an isolated case.

While they may there on paper, security personnel and infrastructure are often missing when the safety of life and property is threatened.

This attitude explains the defiance with which Boko Haram operates in the North East, and armed militants have repeatedly attacked the oil-rich South-South.

We saw it more recently in Dapchi, where 114 girls were abducted, without any armed hindrance, in a near copycat attack that reminded the world of the Chibok incident where over 200 girls were abducted from a school in the same region.

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That the security of life and persons is not guaranteed is a truth that we seem to have come to terms with, too easily.

It is why, while the gory photos of the bodies of innocent civilians from Offa continue to circulate on social media, we are acting surprised that robbers are killing people, not asking why robbers can kill 41 people in a Nigerian town that has security agencies on standby.

For all he knows, Senate President Bukola Saraki cannot assure anyone that the robbers will be brought to book.

What he can do is ensure that those who neglected their duties while a gang robbed 5 banks in one day get what they deserve.

Not many residents in Offa will have slept well last night; an entire town of 100,000 people still lives in fear.

You may be as far from them as can be but the events of are a stark reminder that power in whatever form is the single most important currency in Nigeria.

That, in a country where billions of dollars are set aside at regular intervals for security, every Nigerian still lives at the mercy of anyone with a gun.

Nobody deserves to live like this.