Human freedom is inevitable and must be to the citizens or the resident in a country. Looking at what role, do governments play in determining human freedom? Frankly, human freedom exists but political governance influences its survival. Consider the plight of northern Nigeria residents that live in harmony and have only beeninterfered with the terrorist attack of Boko Haram. Boko Haram is a militant, terrorist and Islamist movement currently in Northern Nigeria (Osita, 2014). This group is for a terrorist group, has kidnapped, and killed several Nigerian citizens living in the northern part of the country. In response to these attacks and kidnappings, the Nigerian military has been deployed to calm down the insurgency and help rescue the kidnapped people.
It is in these activities that the Northern Nigeria residence have been harassed and violated by the Nigerian armed forces because they have been perceived to connect links with the terrorists (Thaddeus, 2013). The conclusion that has to be is whether these residences should continue living in war tone area where they have been innocent victims of attacks by government forces. Many reasonable minds do not agree with this since they do not view and see this as a problem. They argue that some of these residents have provided very crucial information that has led to the imprisonment of some of the terrorists (Osita, 2014). They further argue that some of the resident's especially young and elderly men have coerced with the terrorist by housing them and providing food for them in return for a huge reward. The rewards have been in monetary value and protection.
The question, whether we have freedom in Northern Nigeria, is a philosophical type of problem, which requires a rigorous analysis and thoughtful reflection. Do factors beyond their control influence their actions? When given the exact similar circumstances or conditions could the Nigerian government have chosen otherwise that it did? Is the government responsible for the choices we make and their results or should it be excused from taking responsibility?
It is evident that residents have suffered brutality and atrocities in the name of delivering freedom to the people of northern Nigeria. According to PBS website, the Nigerian army together with the government-sponsored militia has taken videos of eyewitnesses testifying about the predicaments they have faced. People were being lynched and beaten up, and there was an evidence of execution in the hands of a Nigerian military man. Some of the videos released show evidently the situation on the ground (Osita, 2014). Residents live of being harassed by the Nigerian army and the government-sponsored militia. School going children fear of being abducted and businesses in the area has come to a standstill.
Internal and external constraints have set this extreme condition. Some of the external constraints limits human include coercion or threats and incarceration. Several residents have been incarcerated and held in inhumane condition leading to death and contracting diseases. Due to threats from the government militias and army the residents have suffered brutality and many especially men have fled their homes (Thaddeus, 2013). Some of the internal constraints that have limited human freedom are within the individuals who are among the militias and the government army. Driven by anxiety and compulsion, they have taken the law in their hand to interrogate the residents in more forcefully to acquire sensitive information about Boko Haram terrorist groups. This has seen houses been burnt to ashes and rise in ant judicial killings in the Northern part of Nigeria.
In response to the theory of human freedom, this can be portrayed as hard determinism. This is because it views every event as well as human action is because of previous actions, which are in accordance with the universal causal laws rule the world. In this theory, human freedom is seen as an illusion. In this theory, it is evident that the terrorist attack has made the Nigerian army personnel to behave in a brutal manner. In this theory, human nature is seen to influence our action. There exists no possibility of free choice since our doings necessarily follow from our inborn society (Thaddeus, 2013). In addition, the environment affects an individual's behavior. This theory tries to prove that the limited freedom is because of the government armed forces harassment championed by the environmental surrounding of the officers.
Through their environment influences a personal behavior. In this theory, social dynamics and psychological effects also play a role in human freedom. Psychological forces affect an individual's behavior without his knowledge. In this view, the behavior results from psychological motivations usually repressed that form the fundamental structure of personality. Social dynamics also influence a person's character (Osita, 2014). These dynamics argues that the government-sponsored militia and the armed forces have been influenced by people around them. In contrast with deterministic theory, indeterminism argues that some events including actions of humans are not automatically by previous events in agreement with universal causal laws.