Why Nigeria’s security challenge persists – Experts

Communication gap, leadership failure and lack of coordination among security agencies, among others, are factors responsible for heightened security challenges in the country, security analysts say. 

Former Nigerian army spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Sani Usman Kukasheka (retd), a security & intelligence expert, Kabiru Adamu and a London-based public commentator, Bar. Bulama Bukarti stated this while speaking on TrustTV’s Daily Politics program Thursday. 

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The programme, monitored by our reporter, was on the topic: ‘Nigeria’s Security Challenges and Way out’. 

Citing an exclusive report by this newspaper, one of the analysts said kidnapping has unfortunately become a lucrative business in Nigeria as the ugly industry value chain made close to a billion naira at a go as ransom paid to secure release of seven victims of Abuja-Kaduna bound train victims. 

They noted that Northern Nigeria had never experienced kidnapping of people for ransom prior to the emergence of President’s Muhammadu Buhari’s administration lamenting that it’s precipitated by the lackluster and lackadaisical attitude of the present leadership, noting that 2022 is the deadliest year in more than 10 years of banditry and other forms of security challenges bedeviling the country especially northwest. 

“From January to June, on a daily basis, at least 37 people are being killed which is equal to two 18-seater bus in Nigeria and 80 percent of this figure is happening in the North,’’ Bulama stated, citing statistics from Beacon Consulting, an Abuja-based security risk management and intelligence consulting firm. 

He added that criminals and terrorist groups are able to recruit members, secure funds, weapons and have access to logistics with the proceeds of the ransom paid to them while their weaponry and foods are flooding unhindered. 

In his submission, Dr. Adamu faulted the federal government’s border closure facilitated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) adding that the initiative failed to yield positive results as the weapons are still in circulation while migration of criminal elements into the country has not been checkmated.