“Two wrongs don’t make a right, but they make a good excuse”

“Every segment of our population, and every individual, has a right to expect from his government, a fair deal”

“Most people want security in this world, not liberty”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter”

With the recent spate of bombings and killings in the Northern part of the country by the sect- boko haram, barricading half part of the road or even a whole street has become the order of the day in the Nation’s capital Abuja and some other parts of the country as every street that has a church is blocked on Sundays and every street that has a mosque is blocked on Fridays, and even when it is not blocked, you find that there is still no movement as the worshippers lay their mats on the main road, blocking the entire road till the end of the Friday prayers.

Worse-still is that all the streets that house police stations are a no go area because they are completely cordoned off as they seem to be the main target of the sect. The military and the state security service are not innocent of this as the same thing is obtainable in their area.

In this article we intend to raise four major concerns:

Right to freedom of movement: the blocking of these roads, does it not constitute a breach of the right to freedom of movement enshrined in Section 41 of the Nigerian constitution? When a citizen of Nigeria cannot pass freely on a road he is entitled to, thereby restricting his/her movement what is it called?

Some may argue that it is for security of many other citizens and right to life comes first before freedom of movement, while we agree that this is a valid point we ask, does it make this right or lawful, does the blockade actually prevent attacks? When a major road is blocked and there is diversion, it leads to traffic jam which makes the people in the traffic prone to attack. Besides, a suicide bomber who is ready to carry out his assignment, a simple blocking of the road may not stop him as he would easily and readily seek an alternative route.

Break down of law and order: A situation whereby road safety officials will help a church block a major road and encourage drivers to drive against traffic doesn’t make it lawful rather a total break down of law and order is not far as few hours later or the very next day you may be arrested by that same official for obstructing traffic or more traffic offences if you drive on that same lane he commanded you to be on. Also some churches have turned it to a right such that anytime they have programs during the week, (not just on Sundays), they block the road; people returning after a long day of work now have to face heavy traffic which ordinarily should not be there. What if everyone decides his life is in danger and block entrance to their street, where will people pass through?

Managing the situation: like stated above, blocking of major roads will not stop bombing, we are at best delaying the evil day. Barricades may caution the effect of the bombing but it is not a solution, it does not bring it to an end. People still live in fear even with the barricades, what if the bombers decide not to bomb churches or mosques again and then go to the open market and plant bombs , would we barricade the markets too?

Destroying tax payers road: some very heavy blocks are used to bar passers-by in the name of security. Lets look at the long term effect, most of those barricades will damage the road because when placed there for a very long time it will leave pot-holes or worse still erosion. One major problem Nigeria has been trying to tackle is bad roads, we cannot in the name of securing lives and property loose the few good roads we have.

Based on the concerns raised above, we submit that blocking of roads as good as it may look right now is not the best idea as it will cause more harm than good in the nearest future. When is it going to stop? The Federal Government of Nigeria should put an end to this menace once and for all, they should find a lasting solution to this boko haram issue as no amount of money is equal to a life lost.

Also, the security officials should come up with a better solution than blocking of roads, there are bomb detectors that can detect bombs from afar, there are several other ways to prevent bombing rather than restriction of movement and damaging our roads. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

More importantly, everyone should be vigilant, the government and the security officers can’t do it alone. you don’t need to be a trained security officer to help, be a good citizen, love your neighbor, embrace peace and eschew bitterness, avoid bad company, report any suspicious persons or movement, believe in positive change, with one heart and might, we can make Nigeria a better and safer place.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

www.mersimlawquest..com

Nice article.