By George Onmonya Daniel
Nigeria should worry about any crisis in North Africa, Sudan especially. Nigeria and Sudan have had a close relationship, especially Northern Nigeria Muslims. Over the years Northern Nigeria Muslim relationship with Sudan has been that of brotherhood, even before Nigeria’s Independence. That relationship continues.Â
Northern Nigerian state governments in recent times have given thousands of scholarships to students to go and study in Sudan over the years. On 12 May, 2018, Sudan Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Ibrahim Bushra, told Daily Trust that, “One might say the relationship between Nigeria and Sudan is a long standing and deeply-rooted history. As a matter of fact, it is a unique relationship as the two countries do not share border. Yet, blood relations, as evidenced by the millions of Sudanese people of Nigerian origin, convey the strong social and cultural bonds between the two countries. In the past, pilgrims from Nigeria seeking to perform the hajj would trek all the way to Hijaz, crossing through Sudan. Many of those making their way back from the holy trip would settle and intermarry with the locals, given the long distance. That is how we now have approximately over five million Sudanese of Nigerian origin in the Sudan.”
As this war rages, depending on how long, if it turn into a full fledged civil war, some of the refugees crossing into Chad would definitely fine their ways into Nigeria. It is not unlikely. But that is not the problem, Nigeria is already at crisis with arms, some of these arms from Libya after the fall of Mamman Ghadafi. This is the time the Nigerian government need to tighten its border with Chad republic to curtail arm proliferation into the country. They are actors in Nigeria, ISWAP and other terrorist organisations, who would take advantage of the situation to get arms from the warring zone into Nigeria.
Nigeria has become one of the biggest arms and ammunitions market that arms smugglers have targetted recently, importanting all sorts of dangerous arms and ammunitions into the country. Nowadays even common people have been arrested over smuggling arms into Nigeria because of the demand by sinister organisations, from Boko Haram to ISWAP, bandits to kidnappers and all sorts of seccessionist groups.
When Sudan looks distant from Nigeria, when the problem gets to Chad, it is already getting to Nigeria. The Nigerian government should keep an eye on Sudan if they are not already doing so.
