The federal government then sent the army to restore order, which halted the violence, and then the death count began: 288 people were massacred during the unrest, and the bodies of 150 of the victims have been found in wells and sewage pits.Almost half of the 150 million inhabitants of this country are Muslim, and they generally live in the northern regions, struggling with extreme poverty. Jos lies at the point where the Muslim North and the Christian South meet. Deadly riots, exacerbated by old rooted disagreements over farmland, have been going on since 2001 in this area between the two communities, and approximately 60 people are killed every day.
Following independence in 1960, parties dominated by Muslims won elections but Christian-supported political formations rejected the results because of alleged irregularities. Finally, a military coup took place to ensure public order. Meanwhile, the southeast regions seceded under the name of the Republic of Biafra, sparking a bloody civil war. Niger and Cameroon also contributed to this chaotic atmosphere, but finally the central government crushed the rebellion in 1970, at the cost of 1 million dead.
Lurching from one military coup to another, Nigeria held several elections in 1979, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1998 and 2003 in order to return to civilian rule, but after each election, another coup took place on the grounds of political instability. In this country, where antagonistic ethnic and religious identities live together and where the majority of the population is very poor despite rich petroleum resources, in other words, where every condition for a civil war exists, domestic violence erupts without the need to implement complicated provocative plans. What is important is that although military coups were done in order to stop the violence, they only caused more violence and suffering. This increased violence called other generals to duty, and the vicious circle went on and on, while millions lost their lives without being noticed by the international community.
After having reviewed all these facts, it becomes harder to understand how elsewhere, in countries where civil war is not very plausible and the risk of war is minimal, coup simulations, such as those we heard of recently, can be conducted. Maybe the objective of these military coup attempts and simulations is to instill the fear that a military coup could create without having to actually overthrow the government. In this context, social disintegration is assured, even in the absence of a real coup. It appears that these simulations also intend to teach the people who their domestic enemies are, what these enemies’ connections with foreign countries are and thus what countries are our enemies.
A glance at Nigerian history may provide us far more information than hour-long coup simulations. It’s sad to see that those who organize these kinds of simulations do not bother to think thoroughly about just how much harm their actions, which, according to them, aim to “save the country,” may bring to the country. However, contemplating about the outcomes of such actions is the politicians’ responsibility, too. Civilian institutions and politicians must abandon the mentality of using the military to perform their political maneuvers. If not, everyone will be on the losing side.
