• Experts Seek Security Sector Reform
• ‘Decentralization of Police, Restructuring of Armed Forces, Retirement of Redundant Senior Officials to Restore Sanity’
• ‘We Must Create Jobs, Avoid Citizens From Poverty’
• Amachree Canvasses Keep Safety From Politics
• Said Independent Police, Equal Justice, Rule of Law Will Improve the Situation
• Devolution of Power, True Federalism Key to Life Security —Edom
With the general election a few weeks away and incidents of kidnappings, mindless killings and other forms of insecurity at a national fever pitch, stakeholders have challenged the leading Presidential candidates on how they can deal with insecurity decisively if they come to power.
He stressed that whoever becomes the next president must have a clear agenda on how to address the multi-dimensional and widespread insecurity in the country, if Nigeria is to grow economically.
This attitude, for most commentators, is against the backdrop of the fact that the current government seems to have no idea how to end insecurity.
In recent times, aside from kidnappings, cattle rustling, farmers/herdsmen clashes, attacks and retaliatory attacks on neighboring communities by robbers have spread. This is despite the fact that various intelligence and security agencies are equipped to intercept information or gather intelligence with the aim of using it to prevent attacks by bandits/terrorists/enemies.
Unfortunately, ‘unknown gunmen’ and ‘bandits’ have repeatedly launched attacks on public facilities and the lives of innocent people, causing death and destruction.
Many families will not forget in a hurry the turmoil they experienced last year. There is fear everywhere, including Abuja, the seat of power, so life becomes insecure, short and violent.
Today, Nigerians are worried. Walking on the roads and railways has become dangerous, as it has become a hunting ground for kidnappers and robbers. Farmers abandoned their farms for fear of bandits, who destroyed them or kidnapped them for ransom.
Security agents are often overwhelmed and over-stretched. In some cases, law enforcement agents died during the attack.
According to the former Director, Department of State Security (DSS), Dennis Amachree, “If you look at all the threats to our national security, they can all be condensed into issues of ethnicity, religious ideology and criminality. To take care of this, the security agencies must be strengthened and given a level of independence to unite the country.
Amachree noted that whoever wins the next presidential election must understand that they cannot have a safe and peaceful country without independent and balkan police and security agencies. He said law enforcement agencies should be allowed to enforce the law, and equal justice under the rule of law.
“Security agencies must follow the National Security Strategy that is being reviewed to safeguard Nigeria’s national security interests. Keeping security out of politics is key and the new government must think seriously about reforming the security sector for a new Nigeria,” Amachree added.
A former military officer and chief executive of King David Security, David Akhimien noted that the new government must use other security measures from this government, which has not proven to be effective enough; new concept, departure from the norm.
A senior spy police officer, Emmanuel Edom, while weighing in, said that if the country finally in 2023 has a serious man as President, the first step to overcome the hydra-led security challenge must be the gradual devolution of power. center, through true federalism where everyone and parts of the so-called federation are brought together and given a sense of belonging.
He also suggested increasing police funding. “Decentralize the Nigerian police by having a state police system, even local ones. Reorganize the Armed Forces (especially the military), and retire or dispose of excess senior officers so that Nigeria has a fighting force and get rid of terrorist elements and sympathizers of terror groups, who have infiltrated the Military ( especially the army), he said. .
Edom emphasized that Nigeria should build strong institutions and not strong people, because they got it in the United States (US). He said that the new government should create jobs and a friendly business environment, in order to lift citizens out of poverty, which drastically reduces the recruitment of terrorist cells for poor and vulnerable citizens.
Analyzing the problems involved in attacks and kidnappings by bandits, and suggesting practical solutions for security, Tanwa Ashiru, chief executive of Bulwark Intelligence told The Guardian that the lack of action by consumers of intelligence products is the main challenge to be faced. solved.
“This is a well-known phenomenon and can, often not, be an explanation for why almost nothing is done to prevent these attacks. The intelligence is often distributed to the necessary government stakeholders, but sufficient action is often not taken.
“I often advise that intelligence agencies should go out of their way to portray intelligence and threats that cannot be acted upon with more certainty. In addition, intelligence agencies should always provide action plans that can be implemented to reduce immediate and long-term risks.
“I know that we continue to raise the issue of poor collaboration between security agencies, but the country has finally reached a level where this lack of sufficient collaboration directly affects the safety and security of citizens’ lives. The enemy has grown to such a degree that the response of the government’s security forces requires deliberate coordination. Many internal security efforts are carried out mainly in the military. But joining the military increases collateral damage and often exacerbates the problem. Some criminals often trace the initial reason for joining the criminal group to violence from the military or other law enforcement, which affects their lives.
“Police need to raise their role in internal security. They should have good relations with local communities and gain their trust, work with them to destroy criminals in their midst. But this is also lacking. Border security also plays a big role to stop the transnational flow of fighters and weapons that have brought us to this point. Defence, intelligence and various law enforcement agencies must eliminate differences and better collaborate for Nigeria to see results,” he added.
The President of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said, “What the government needs to do is to conduct an appointment process that complies with existing global best practices, embodying pure principles, competence and federal character in terms. so that the people who lead the different national security institutions are not people of the same affiliation in terms of ethnicity and religion, but the most critical factor is to avoid nepotistic measures in choosing the heads of security institutions.
Christopher Oji, another security expert, observed that for the level of insecurity confronting Nigeria has continued for this long, the government must be directly or indirectly involved.
He recalled: “The former Military Head of State, General Sani Abacha said that when there is insecurity for more than a week, you must know that the government has a hand. With this position, I must correct that the current government has a hand in the security situation in Nigeria. The new government is not have to pay lip service or play politics with the security situation.Let the new administration deal with security with all available resources.
“We are in the watershed of our existence. If crime continues, investors will flee eventually. Again, the Head of the Department should not be appointed because of his religious or ethnic background. He should be appointed because of his competence and lineage.
“The government must work with traditional leaders, youth and religion. They are the grassroots who must know who is coming to their community. Landlords should not give houses and land to others without the right profile or traditional leaders and youth should report to the police .
“There should be serious air patrols by the Immigration service in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force. Our hostels should be guarded seriously. Again, the new administration should do something drastic about unemployment. As the saying goes, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Once the youths have work, they will not be tools for criminal elements. The foreign herdsmen must be expelled and prevented from entering the country. Finally, the bush owners must be held accountable for the atrocities committed in the bush.
Regarding the way to fight kidnapping, Ashiru thinks that there is a government to ban the payment of ransom. But more than that, he argued that the government should have an alternative ready for the people.
“There must be a hotline that family members can call if their loved ones are kidnapped. They must receive negotiation support from the government. The security forces must be trained and ready to carry out surprise attacks and rescue operations against the kidnappers, without endangering the lives of the victims.
“Nigeria is dealing with insurgency and in order to fight it effectively, the government security forces need the people, the local communities to support them. But this is difficult because the local communities have experienced the wrath of the same security forces and they don’t trust them.
“So the government must know how to gain the confidence of Nigerians to support them in the fight against insurgency and other attacks.
“Another important area is the lack of security and law enforcement in many parts of Nigeria. Today there are many communities where when they are attacked, no one responds or stops the criminals. This is one of the important aspects that need to be resolved, together with more intelligence gathering good and collaboration of security forces.