>> there's growing alarm over the amount of coronavirus cases in chile despite one of the leading vaccine rollout. a third of the population had its first vaccine. cases are rising by 5000 a day. we have more from santiago. >> certainly, the vaccination campaign has been a model. it is actually 33% of the population that's had at least two jabs at this point.

today, the president was celebrating the 5 million vaccinations and says the whole population in 90 days will be inoculated. the problem is you need 80% of inoculations for herd immunity to kick in. what we are seeing here is exactly the opposite. >> the surge in cases and deaths is showing no sign of slowing in brazil. 2800 deaths into four hours. the record for a single day. -- in 24 hours. the record for single day. the president has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus. . the severity of the virus. -- the president has repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus. 19 countries have suspended the use of the astrazeneca vaccine after reports of blood clots and recipients. a political person group puts

the number at 183 deaths in myanmar. protesters are defying restrictions together on the streets. protesters in yemen are angry about poor living conditions and unpaid salaries. they stormed the presidential palace. the you one's -- the u.n.'s special envoy to yemen want to be deterioration to the conflict. and gunmen on motorcycles have attacked a group of least 58 pe. they were attacked while returning from a livestock market near the border with mal i. the latest edition of "inside story" is next. >> another group of students has

been abducted in northern nigeria, while anger grows against the government. but what's behind this recent rise in kidnappings, and how challenging are they to president muhammadu buhari? this is "inside story." hello. welcome to the program. nigeria's school kidnappings have become a major security challenge for its government and security forces. at least 700 students have been abducted in northern states since december, and that figure is changing every day, with reports of more attacks and abductions. dozens of students managed to escape a raid on monday, while their three teachers were taken.

it happened in the northwestern kaduna state, and it's the first such attack on a primary school. armed gangs, locally known as bandits, are suspected. they usually seek lucrative ransom to release the victims, but the government denies paying any money. president muhammadu buhari is facing mounting criticism for the rise in violent crime. let's take a look at some of the attacks that happened in the past few months. many of the victims have since been released. more than 300 boys were abducted from a school in katsina state in december. in february, there were two mass abductions within 10 days that killed at least one student. and earlier this month, 39 students were reported missing after an attack on a college in the northwestern kaduna state. the number of kidnappings in nigeria has risen since boko haram's 2014 abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in chibok.

many of them are still missing. our correspondent has been following this story for months. he has this update from kaduna. >> banditry and kidnappings for ransom in northern nigeria has now become a big business. the biggest, of course, the fastest growing criminal enterprise in nigeria. right here is a school where five days ago, 39 students were kidnapped, although 180 have been rescued on day one after they were taken. we've gone through the school around the school and saw how these infiltrators or attackers launched into this school. now, the government of kaduna state says it's not negotiating with the criminals, and it insisted that the military option is the best option to deal with criminality in northern nigeria. meanwhile, parents here in the state, parents of students taken still missing from this institution, are still asking for the government to do whatever is necessary to bring their children back home. now, the problem of insecurity in northwestern nigeria, and

other parts of nigeria, as well, is because of a lack of proper funding of the security forces. they're understaffed, under-equipped, and of course, under-motivated, according to some security analysts. and also, another factor being outlined by certain individuals, certain security analysts in nigeria, is the issue of negotiating with criminals to release hostages. a lot of people feel that this is encouraging more and more people to go into the criminal activity, knowing full well that in the end, it's either a safe passage is negotiated for them, or they are paid ransom in huge amounts so that they can go back and launch more sophisticated attacks. for now, nigeria is dealing with so many problems, and this problem is really, really spreading fast across northwest nigeria, across the rest of the north, across central nigeria, and it's moving and taking roots in the south of the country, as well. ahmed idris, for "inside story." ♪ >> let's bring in our guests,

all of whom are joining us from nigeria. mike e., former director of nigeria state security service. second, a research fellow at the university of edinburgh center for african studies. also aniete iwang, researcher at human rights watch. a warm welcome to you all. mike, what is happening in kaduna? has it become the breeding ground for armed groups and bandits? >> well, so it seems. it's quite unfortunate that such incidents are taking place on a continuous series of attacks, especially on schools. and what one could ask is what is responsible for this surge in

the attacks of schools? you recall that the state government in the northwest of nigeria declared the intention earlier to negotiate with the bandits. and nigerians were also, because of the rising wave calling for the change of the leadership in the military in our security agencies, which was affected by government. and the federal government has come up with a position that they are no more ready to negotiate with bandits, which is a normal thing to do. so i think this has provoked the bandits to do a condemnable act against diversities. >> before we go into detail with that particular issue of settlements with the bandits in the northwestern parts of the country, we have seen a pattern being established in

northwestern nigeria, with all those bandits moving forward and attacking elementary and primary schools. the question is, normally, you should expect the police and the army to be deployed, launch preemptive attacks, gather intelligence, and prevent such incidents from happening, which doesn't seem to be the case here. >> absolutely. and i think it calls for a closer scrutiny of the security, the entire security architecture of the country. i think so far, the only appreciable tactic to them that the current administration has taken to stem the current tide of attacks and abductions of individuals at learning institutions in the north of nigeria has been to to to swap -- has been to swap and change security chiefs, which itself is a sign that the government has

just run out of ideas on how to deal with this. because so far, we've seen that the swapping or changing the security chiefs has done little if nothing at all to to stop this this surface speed of abductions. and so, i think the security architecture of the country has to be looked at quite studiously, i would say. >> and yet, here to put this into perspective, we're talking about the northwestern part of the country. millions of people now are affected in zamfara, kaduna, katsina, sokoto, and elsewhere. this is huge, and this requires a state initiative, which doesn't seem to be the case also here. >> absolutely. i think we often talk about the dynamics of the conflicts or the restiveness in these areas,

but we hardly really put a length at the human impact beyond the abductions of these children, which in essence are tragic and should be stopped. but i think it's the wider impact on society, you know, parents who would fear to send their children to school, state governments who have no choice but to shut down schools, and there needs to be a lot of attention paid on what this will do for education, for access to education in the northern part of the country, where the literacy rate is already very low. as you may know, nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children anywhere in the world, and about 70% of the 10.5 million students who are out of school in this country are in the north. so when we look at the immediate impact on families, we look at parents who are afraid for the safety and security of their children, parents who are afraid that they will never have their kids come back after they've been abducted.

we also look at this wider impact that is more telling for the socio-economic consequences for families and individuals living in that state, or in these states. >> mike, are we talking here just about bandits controlling those areas in the northwestern part of the country, or are we talking about different key players now stepping in? particularly groups affiliated with the islamic state in the greater sahara, the isgs, and al-qaeda, and some groups of boko haram itself. >> well, for now, there is no business. there's not been any established link between the boko haram or the isis with these bandits, but continuous attack on

schools, we kind of lead them, because boko haram if you recall says that western education is forbidden. so if you just oppose this, there could be a link that they are working together. and don't also forget that there was an attack in which boko haram claimed responsibility. eventually, the bandits denied that the boko haram was responsible for that attack, but i think their intention is just to create fear and panic by these bandits, to discredit the government and make the government unpopular, because i think if they have come on table to say, yes, this is what we want. i was arguing with somebody the other day that was saying that yes, this book needs to be talked to. -- this group needs to be talked to. they need to be negotiated with. and i say well, before you talk of negotiation, they must come to table and say, yes, this is exactly what we want. they have not been able to come to table to say yes, we have a problem that government needs to address.

all they are saying is that unemployment, that they need to be employed, but getting people employed cannot resort to attacking innocent citizens, especially children, who are future leaders. they are scaring people away from school, which is their intention. >> we need to get into the root causes of this particular problem now in the northwestern part of the country. a traditional fight between theh herders and the farmers. and armed men tookdvantage of the chaotic situation there, and the sense of impunity, which was prevailing, and gathered themselves and formed the bandits that we see operating on the ground now. what do you think should be done to tackle this particular problem? it looks on the surface as if this is something about bandits. doesn't seem to be the case. >> yes, thank you.

i think if i had the answer to this, this current crisis, i'd probably run for president, because it's just metastasized into something far greater than anyone could have anticipated a couple of years ago. i think that there's an intersection of issues. i think about five or so years ago, when it was just a singular conflict between the herders and the farmers, then it was a bit easier to address. there are a couple of other hypotheses that are being put out there at the moment, a couple of other narratives have been put out there at the moment also about the inclusion of people related or connected to artisanal mining taking place in the north western region of nigeria, and in other parts of nigeria that have become hubs

for abductions and clashes as well between between herders and "indigenes," and others, and residents indigenous to these on these parts of nigeria, and so, i think it's become a bit more complicated now than just, say, between herders and farmers. but of course, the issue, the topic of land scarcity, and of course the encouragement of the sahara on arable land in nigeria. and nigeria's middle belt region also definitely still remains the central topic in this narrative. >> okay. then comes illegal mining in that particular area.

the rush to take control of gold mines has resulted in people establishing themselves in some sort of a mafia operating on the ground, so powerful, so influential, that the government is basically doing nothing to stop them. so you put this together with the farmers and herders issue, with the bandits coming together, no one would be able to tackle this problem. >> i mean, you're absolutely right, it is an enormous problem. there are no immediate solutions that come to mind, but i think two things for me are very important, and we've seen the nigerian authorities fail on these two things -- the first of which is, you know, really ensuring accountability for attacks against citizens, whether it's by militias, or it's by these powerful bandit groups, or it is by, you know, people who run these artisanal

mining infrastructures, whatever the case. if there is a sense that when such attacks happen, whether it's kidnapping, or it's cattle rustling, or it's just pillared, -- pillages, that there are arrested, that people are prosecuted, that communities see that justice is being done, and more people are not forced to, you know, take up arms to protect themselves and in essence form their own militias and carry out other crimes. i think we would see some sort of headway in terms of deterrence. people will know that there are consequences for their actions, and they will not continue with the sort of impunity. i mean, we've had over five mass abductions since december. that is scary. these are numbers that we shouldn't just brush away. and it definitely is one that the authorities have a duty to tackle. and then of course, we also have a situation where there are these underlying causes that many of the other speakers have

spoken about. there's a lot of poverty in many of these communities, and there's a total lack of government presence in terms of provision of basic necessities and infrastructure. and this often puts citizens at odds with the government. there is a sense of hatred and bitterness even that pushes many individuals to the brink of committing these crimes and forming these groups that become so powerful that they threaten peace and security in these places. >> all right, mike, as a former director of nigeria's state security service, i would just like you to get us closer to the mindset of the security apparatus in your country. normally, when a nation faces such a challenge, the leader of the nation talks to the top generals and police officers and says this is an ultimate act of humiliation for our nation, and this must stop. therefore, zero tolerance. what is happening in your country is totally the opposite. local politicians, army police

officers offering bribes, incentives, vehicles, tracks, and amnesties for the bandits under one condition, stop those attacks. what happens the next day is more attacks and more abductions. >> yeah. i have always condemned this issue of compensation, so to speak, on negotiation with the bandits. >> who would you blame? >> if you continue -- well, for now, the state government should be blamed for that, because due to the initiative of negotiating with the bandits, now that the federal government has come up to say no more negotiation with the bandits under some of the state government, like canada -- like amnesty for instance, is the accounting recounting negotiating with bandits. i think that's responsible for the upside. so what we need to do in terms of security management is for our security agencies to go back to the drawing board and ensure

that the victims in captivity are released, and draw out an offensive against these bandits. because if you go to release these bandits, and they're releasing the victims who are already in captivity, you will have -- you're going to have a lot natural damage, and nobody wants to use the innocent lives. i believe that the people should be freed and their government goes back to the drawing board. >> for the time being, there's absolutely zero trust in the security forces in nigeria. we've seen that throughout the past few months, with the outcry against the corruption, against the clampdown on human rights activists across the nation. if the police establishment is widely seen as corrupt and inefficient, understaffed, doesn't have the resources to tackle this mammoth task, where should we reset the whole

operation, where should we start, from the local communities? >> i think in the in the short term, that might be the way, the route to take, and i think especially considering the current mood across the nation, with the general feeling being that president muhammadu buhari has given nigerians the silent treatment, the communities have taken it upon themselves to defend themselves, to protect themselves, to protect their life and property across the board. and i think this is something that's been going on for years, in all fairness to the current administration, in terms of the existence of local police and units, or whatever you wish to call them, in the north of nigeria, you have the local

vigilantes known as the hizbah, and years before, in the southwestern region, we had the opc in the southwestern region, the people's congress, and you have the bakassi boys, as well, in the east of the of the country, and we're seeing what we are seeing at the moment now, a resurgence of these local vigilantes, essentially. in the east, now you have the eastern security network for esn. and i think what we're going to see moving forward is an increase in the emergence of various vigilante groups to fill the gap, as the government's failed in terms of the protection of the lives and properties of nigerians. >> okay. this is a president, muhammadu buhari, who has a unique

opportunity to move forward, take the issue of reform, of security apparatus, put an end to instability and armed groupsa step further. -- and armed groups a step further. that didn't happen. what we've seen so far is a series of cosmetic solutions, placebos, no going deeper into the heart of the matter. should we blame him personally for this massive failure which is happening now in nigeria? >> i mean, it is happening under his leadership, so there's not a lot of places to pass the bulk to. it really lands on his his table. -- it really lands on his table. i think first and foremost, there needs to be an honest, honest discussion about the capacity of the nigerian military and the nigerian police and all of the other security agencies to be able to ensure peace and security across the country. and even beyond that, we need to understand what has been the causes of some of their failings.

-- what have been the causes of some of their failings. it is only by addressing a problem that you would ever find a solution, but i think that the constant narrative that president muhammadu buhari and those under him have tried to push, that the military, the police are at their best, and they are winning the war, whether it's against insurgents in the northeast, or they're at the top of their game in the northwest is false, and citizens can see through that, and it pushes a lack of trust in him and in his government. >> mike, if you look at your country, i wish you could talk to me from your own past experience as director of nigeria's state security service. borders with nija, which are porous, no control whatsoever, weapons being smuggled all the way, active groups operating on the ground affiliated with al-qaeda, with boko haram, with the islamic state, bandits

taking advantage of the situation, launching daring attacks at the heart of some of the states in the northwestern and the eastern part of the country. this is nigeria. one of the richest nations on earth. what's happening there? >> well, it's a porous border. actually, a major challenge, some of the major challenges we are facing in the country, because you can see people moving in illegal aliens, but there's little we can do about it, because we don't have the technological support to monitor this. and besides, you remember the ecowas protocol, which allows free movement of west africans or member states, and that's a very big challenge. and without looking decisively to check this influx of our aliens, it's going to be a major problem. but besides that, you know, in

international relations and all these conspiracy theories, there's no way the aliens can come into nigeria and operate in isolation with the lookouts. so we need to look at our security architecture, look at our intelligence, bring out the people who are actually not supposed to be in our country. >> thank you. yes, indeed, but you know, mike, at the end of the day, you are a rich nation, one of the biggest producers of oil in the african continent and all over the world. with that, those revenues from oil, you can buy some of the most sophisticated weaponries and also technological devices to monitor the border and to prevent such humiliating mass kidnappings from happening. thank you all very much indeed for your insight. i really appreciate your time. and thank you for watching.

you can see the program again anytime by visiting our website, aljazeera.com. for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook.com/ajinsidestory. you can also join the conversation on twitter. our handle is @ajinsidestory. from me and the entire team here, bye for now.

ruben martinez: los angeles, from the early 20th century all the way until today, is a city defined by immigrants arriving here in wave after wave. we're a city of immigrants. it's all coming in a human migration, a human journey, ultimately. that's how food gets around the world. we carry it with us in our stomachs and our bodies and in our culture. those kinds of journeys, those kinds of migrations, are very los angelino. so, stuff starts to shift culturally in all kinds of different ways. people start learning the language... but it's not just the immigrants that are changed. the immigrants are changing the natives. and you can literally track a people's history and t