FUO Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Research, Vol. 8 March, Special Edition 2020 POLITICAL THUGGERY AND INSECURITY IN RIVERS STATE: COUNSELLING INTERVENTION KINIKA CLIFFORD CHUKWUEMEKA Department of Social Science Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic Rumuola, Port Harcourt EJIKE STANFORD OHAHURU Department of Social Science Captain Elechi Amadi Polytechnic Rumuola, Port Harcourt ABSTRACT Over six years ago of self-rules, having gained political independence in 1960 the nation went into a civil war which claimed many life and properties worth Billions of Naira. Ever since then, political instability and insecurity have been the bane of Nigeria society. In recent time Rivers State had experienced insecurity and political thuggery which is executed by cultists aimed at killing, assassination, arm robbery, loss of life and properties, kidnapping and abduction, raping, intimidation of innocent citizens and arson. This paper attributed these ugly situations as the upshot of political instability. All most, or if not all, political office holders or aspirants has chain of political advantages. This paper has reviewed the origin, theoretical frame work, the major causes and thuggery activities on the security and safety of Rivers State since Government seemed to have compromised and become incapacitated in her bid to address the situation. This paper has recommendation for several counseling interventions. Hopefully, if the recommendations are given due attention and implemented judiciously, the incessant cases of political thuggery will be drastically reduced in Rivers State, this will enhance experience of socio-economic political security. Keywords: Insecurity, Thuggery and Politics INTRODUCTION Apparently, Nigerian politics is characterized by thuggery. It is beyond doubt that Nigerian politics is not free of violence. In fact, contemporary events, across the nation have clearly declared that Nigerian politics has been pigeonholed by political thugs. Militants. Fulani Herdsmen and Boko Haram activities are synonymous with thuggery. Currently in Nigeria, thuggery has been elevated to a fashionable but regrettable status within the Nigeria polity. The number of thugs a politician can keep serves as a determining factor for his electoral machinery. The more thugs a politician has, the more relevant he becomes in the society, closer to his political success and hijack of political power. Thuggery has become a means to an end in Nigerian politics. It is a means of sustaining power and life, an asset that brings money for thugs for life sustenance while it brings and sustains power for their barons. It is an indispensable instrument in the hands of hungry power seekers. Kinika C. C. & Ejike S. O. Political Godfather is the name for barons / political leaders who use these thugs for their selfish reasons. Godfathers are themselves the ruling elite or potential ruling elite, their activities have been institutionalized to the point of subverting the constitution for parochialism and aggrandizement. According to Gboyega (2004), Political godfathers are by design placed above the laws of the land including the constitution. They and their thugs can carry arms without hindrances. They are entitled to Police escorts and are immune to the crime of abduction, harassment and maiming. Adeyemi and Adeyerni (2003) express concern over the situation of politics in Nigeria, when they observed that: ‘During the ward congress of the PDP, an ultra-party affair, many politicians went to the congress venue armed with assault, rifles and acid containers for possible use on opponents’. In Rivers State, several thug and cult groups exist which cause problems such as killing, arson, election rigging and other electoral offences. The fear of intimidation has forcefully restricted people’s movement in all parts of the state. The insecurity caused by thugs and cult groups is a negative signal for any meaningful development. Many investors have deserted the area. The government and her agencies seem to be silent. Patterns of Insecurity Since the 2009 Presidential Amnesty program went into effect, 2015 has represented the most violent year in Rivers State. As outlined in the above right graph, 2015 had the highest number of reported fatalities in the past six years. Violence perpetrated by suspected cultists makes up a significant proportion of those incidents. Nexus between Rivers Politics and Cultism Political tensions in 2015 were sharply elevated in Rivers State in the run-up to the March federal election, the April gubernatorial elections, and the May local elections. Based on Peace Map analysis of Nigeria Watch data, political tensions far exceeded ethnic/communal tensions during the period. As noted in the publications cited above and consistent with recent Peace Map and IPDU research findings, cult violence tends to escalate during the election cycle. This is typically because many cult groups depend on the patronage of politicians, who either employ them as informal security or use them to intimidate, attack or kill their opponents. Due to the political underpinnings of cult violence, many cult groups are either community-based or built around certain charismatic individuals who serve as rallying points for members. In addition to community-based groups and those built around certain individuals or groups of individuals (including ex-militant leaders), there are also what is known as ‘feeder groups’. These are associations that may have direct or indirect affiliations with the more prominent groups in the state. Furthermore, many of the hotbeds of cult violence are located in centers of political activities such as the state capital (Port Harcourt) and other local government headquarters. The emergence of known ex-agitators and cult leaders in the current Rivers State House of Assembly suggests a further linkage between the struggle for political power and cult violence in the state. Gang violence and cult clashes have also been observed in connection to oil bunkering and illegal refining activities. There were multiple reported incidents of clashes between rival cult groups over issues such as access to illegal bunkering camps, royalties from oil businesses, and job opportunities provided by oil companies in Ikwerre, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Port Harcourt and Okrika LGAs. Communities in LGAs such as Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Akuku-Toru, Asari-Toru, Degema, Eleme FUO Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Research, Vol. 8 March, Special Edition 2020 and Port Harcourt have been witnessing increasing cult and gang related violence. Against this background the objective of this paper is to examine political thuggery and insecurity in Rivers state. Specifically, the paper intends to x-ray the origin of thuggery, theoretical framework, causes and effect of thuggery, recent thuggery activities in Rivers state and suggests the roles of counsellors in addressing this menace. The Origin of Thuggery The word thug or thuggery was carved out from a Hindu word ‘THAG/THAGI’ which refers to a murderer, a swindler, as assassin, cut throat, violent criminal, ruffian. ‘Thugs are members of a religious sect in India who, in honour of ‘Kali’, the Hindu goddess of destruction, strangled and plundered their victims. The thugs considered their victims as pious rites, performing them in accordance with a set ritual. Its membership was usually hereditary and opened to both Muslims and Hindus’ (Encarta Dictionary). A criminal with an intimidating, unseemly appearance and mannerism, who treats others violently and roughly, especially for hire. Historically, one of a band of assassins formerly active in northern India who worshipped Kali and offered their victims to her. Thuggery is the violent criminal acts that are associated with thugs and / or the fashion, manner of speaking and demeanor associated with them (wikitionary). It is suggested that the sect known as the thugs came into existence at about the 13th century. Infer from the above, a thug is someone whose behaviour is violent. He /She can kill and destroy fellow humans without any feeling of remorse. He /She concern, is to achieve a set target by eliminating every obstacle, whether human or object to satisfy his desire or of his/her master. In Nigeria one cannot state categorically when political thuggery started. Since 1960, Nigeria gained her political independence no regime can claim to be free from political thuggery but its intensity is increasing each day, Rivers State being among the leading states. Theoretical Framework of Thuggery Instinct Theory This theory by Freud is grouped into two categories: - Life Instinct and death instincts. Life Instincts serve the purpose of survival of the individual, it is oriented towards development and growth. Death Instincts, Freud proposed that people have an unconscious wish to die. One of the components of the death instincts is the aggressive drive. The aggressive drive compels an individual to destroy, conquer and kill. The character deficit of an individual could be linked to the Oral and Anal Stages of psychosexual development. Persons fixated at these levels are prone to hostility, cruelty, destructiveness, aggressiveness, envious, sadistic and they view other people as objects to exploit and be oppressed. They equally have holes or slits (problem) in the formation of superego - behaviour which children are punished form the conscience while behaviour for which children have been praised form the ego-ideal. As suggested by the theory, aggressive instincts can be channeled to school