How FG can end challenges of insecurity

Halilu Hassan 

I was not happy while it rained on Wednesday April 13 in parts of Zaria and Kaduna respectively because I started thinking of those abducted by bandits.

I kept wondering what condition they would be in. It totally changed my mood. My prayers are with them. May the Almighty Allah set them free in sound health from the hands of those wicked monsters.

I actually got tired of the worsening insecurity situation lately because it’s annoying and frustrating. To think that our country which prides itself as the giant of Africa; a country that once took troops to far away Liberia and Sierra Leone to liberate their citizens against the nefarious activities of rebels cannot protect and defend its own territory calls for concern. Where did we get it wrong?

We got it wrong in many aspects, to mention a few: 

Lack of political will to tackle this menace by those in power is one reason; another reason is corruption, as some of those at the helm of affairs probably still see the worsening insecurity situation as an avenue to enrich themselves.

Faulty recruitment process which has seen the ruling elites hijack recruitment process of all security agencies for their kids, wards or candidates, many of whom are unqualified is another reason. This has, over the years, denied those with the zeal, qualification and interest in the job opportunity to be employed.

Some security agencies still practice the cash for jobs deal. Faulty recruitment process is a major problem in most security agencies. Merit is jettisoned for nepotism during such recruitment. 

Hijack of 2/3 of the security men by ruling elites, organisations and highly placed private citizens as personal guards, vehicular escort duty or at their homes, thereby leaving 1/3 of the security personnel to guard millions of Nigerians which is grossly inadequate is not the cause. Note that, the best hands are selected to guard these elites, leaving the average ones to take care of citizens.

People now apply to be recruited into these security agencies to make money instead of the main aim which is to protect and defend the nation. To buttress this, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike in a widely circulated video accused some security agents of getting involved in illegal crude oil bunkering activities.

Also, job seekers flood recruitment centres of many security agencies due to lack of other job options; they apply for security jobs they aren’t really interested in. That’s the reason they don’t put in their best. 

We are also lagging behind with current trends in security. It’s sad that the locations of criminals aren’t known in this present digital age. These criminals make calls freely and demand for ransom without being tracked. This makes me wonder why Nigerians were stressed to link sim cards with NIN. I initially thought it would lead to tracking of bad elements. It’s also sad that these criminal elements receive items such as motorcycles as ransoms.

On the part of the government, we are yet to see people get punished for crime. These criminals are not identified; their families are unknown; their movements are unknown; their leaders are unknown and their sponsors are unknown. I hope we aren’t dealing with evil spirits we see in Nollywood movies? 

The process of concluding cases that have to do with criminals are slow in courts. I also observe that some criminals win cases against the government in courts. This makes me wonder if the government actually goes for good lawyers to represent them in courts.

The government needs a wholistic reform of all its arms and agencies. Cases are over delayed in courts and no reason is given. If the government can amend laws to conclude election related cases before swearing in, I see no reason the same shouldn’t apply to other cases. 

It is obvious that the government needs foreign help. There should be no shame in seeking for foreign assistance as suggested. It was reported last year that American troops came to Nigeria on a successful rescue mission of one of its citizens. There’s no shame if we find out how they did that and also seek help from them or other friendly and stronger nations.

Such help may not necessarily be in form of deployment of military but deployment of technology.

The judiciary should also play its role towards tackling this menace. Speedy trials should be granted for all these cases.

Massive recruitment into the security agencies should also be embarked upon. In doing this, the government must ensure thorough and strict screening to ensure that: the process is not hijacked by elites or job racketeers; the process is not infiltrated by criminal elements or those that belong to notorious religious sects as they may end up being spies. 

The training process after recruitment should be rigorous and focus should be placed on ICT, intelligence gathering and other modern security trends during training. We need to diversify from conventional combat training. Modern security goes with intelligence and use of technology. 

Remuneration should be enhanced to discourage personnel from taking bribes, seeking other illegal means of making money and acting as spies or buffer for criminals. 

Finally, citizens should also see security as a collective responsibility. The first step towards ensuring security is for every parent to be responsible for their kids. We must cater for our kids and give them proper upbringing.

Halilu Hassan writes from Kaduna