New Telegraph

Insecurity: Exploring fresh options

In the space of 30 days, the perilous state of insecurity across the land was further driven home. Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, an advance party of the Presidential convoy and some Presidential Guard soldiers were all attacked by terrorists. At the Kuje Correctional Centre a number of high profile inmates were released while a number of soldiers were killed in the ambush on the Presidential Guards. New Telegraph notes with displeasure that the referred security breaches have and would continue to have farreaching implications on the populace.

The attack on the advance party of the Presidential convoy is a pointer to the fact that the life of every Nigerian is at risk with the security agencies incapable of eclipsing the menace. The rising level of insecurity has sent Nigeria into an atmosphere of uncertainty.

Such conditions have limited the human and vehicular movement considered inevitable the flourishing of business activities which would usually involve local and foreign investors. Relevant security agencies have frequently re-assured Nigerians of their safety asking them to go about their lawful obligations as they are on top of the situation. But such reassurances are empty to say the least.

If they were on top of the situation, as claimed, why are terrorists still operating freely? Why hasn’t much progress has also not been made in the investigation, arrest and prosecution of their financiers? Why the perceived haste in the reintegration of the terrorists into the society as repentant members of Book Haram? What criteria qualified them to be labelled as repentant members of the terror group? It is on record that the terrorists are no longer shy about their acts of criminality.

They put their targets in the public domain well ahead of the date of the attacks. Such loudness ought to have been treated by the relevant security agencies as intelligence where they are fully alive to their constitutional responsibilities. But the security agencies are in the habit of not doing enough in the face of danger from the terrorists. We note with displeasure that the response time is usually slow.

The submission of the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria (MEN), Dr. Samuel Uche shortly after his release by his abductors some two months ago, spoke volumes and still speaks volumes with regard to the slow response time of security operatives and the received discordant tunes in the fight against insecurity. New Telegraph is of the view the referred disposition would not help in dislodging the invading terrorists but would instead embolden them to take on their targets. Mere verbal reassurance would do little or nothing to make any city the nogo area in respect of terrorists attack. We recall with sadness that some Nigerian cities have unfortunately been attacked with hardly any resistance from security outfits thereby bringing them on their knees. New Telegraph calls for a thorough investigation into all those who are involved directly or indirectly in the fight against insecurity.

The investigation should be carried out by knowledgeable bodies and should extend to the political and security classes of the country. Anyone found to have a hand in either sponsoring or perpetrating terrorism should be apprehended and prosecuted. The clamour for the establishment of police commands by the states should no longer be swept under the carpet. Individual states who wish to setup their own police command should be allowed to do so. We recall that the 1960 Independence Constitution provided for the setting-up of Police Commands by the existing regions to help ensure improved security of lives and property across the country.

There is an urgent need to go back to such an era as the Federallycontrolled security agencies seem to be exhibiting intriguing contradictions. The fear that the state police commands would be abused by political gladiators, as being speculated with regard to the federally controlled security agencies could be decisively dealt with the promulgation of a law that each state command be professionally run by a commission or agency.

The domination of some persons from one part of the country should be discouraged. Balance and equity in the recruitment of Nigerians from different states into our security agencies would help tackle the perceived conspiracy arising from the perceived domination by one particular part of the country. Such setting is needed to flush out the terrorists from the forests while effectively and efficiently manning the boarders to prevent the infiltration by illegal aliens before, during and after elections. By implementing all the measures with the requisite vigour, insecurity, which is a human creation, would be history in Nigeria. This is as sure as fate.

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