OPINION: Insecurity and us: Escape strategies
By Reuben AMAO
Editors Note: Reuben Amao is a traditional ruler, the Alaaje of AajeOlogo Land Ogbomoso Oyo state. His full designation is His Royal Highness Reuben Adesina Amao Osunbiyi Amao I JP, fsi, dss dir retd. The views in this commentary are his own.
The plaque of insecurity enveloping Nigeria has continued to fester persistently raising unbearable concerns. Kidnapping (or abduction) has particularly assumed a frightening dimension just as banditry, herdsmen killing and such dastardly crimes are upon us. They can all be categorized as acts of terrorism.Terrorism has no conscience and spares nobody. It does not have political affiliation, neither is it a Christian, Muslim nor a Traditional worshiper. Terror has no tribe and does not speak Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Fulani or any language, it only speaks violence. It is a monster that has penchant for sucking blood. Hence security must be taken as a “serious business” by ALL. Terrorists in Nigeria include unknown gunmen, kidnappers, abductors, armed bandits, herdsmen, armed robbers and all kinds of human beings that take drugs etc to create fear and extort lawful citizens.
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The escalation of violence in the country sadly comes with huge collateral damage such as, according to a report by the BusinessDay, loss in GDP estimated at 11% recently, same way it had cost the nation projects worth N12 trillion as a result of abandonment according to data from TownTalk solutions. Similarly, the global peace index for 2021 compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace ranked Nigeria 146th out of 163 countries with a score of 2.712, while among sub-Saharan African countries the country was ranked 39th out of 44 countries examined in the region. Human capital development continues to suffer hitches as in some places schools are closed especially in the north to avoid unabated cases of kidnapping, influx of migrants into relatively safe places like Abuja and Lagos and other places in the south leading to population explosion amid inadequate social amenities, wasteful government revenue allocation as a result of increase in budget on security – data from BudgitIT shows that in 2020 the federal government allocated N1.78 trillion to security which is approximately an 83.7% increase from the N969 billion allocated for the same in 2015.
Also, experts have asserted that aside the above, insecurity provokes scaling down of investments, increasing unemployment, dwindling government revenues among others. Specifically, as of 2020, over $40.6 billion worth of foreign investments were diverted from the Nigerian economy as a result of insecurity according to the global terrorism index, a situation that had implications for job creation and economic prosperity as purchasing power declined. More than 100 million Nigerians are believed to be living in extreme poverty. Hyperinflation is flattening lives out of the people with high cost of foodstuffs, a development largely linked with the widespread disincentive to farming as a result of insecurity which saw farms being abandoned by farmers in droves. To travel presently is a problem as people are filled with fear of falling victims of abduction. Evil days are upon us but I believe we will overcome.
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As a security expert, I am confident we will surmount the problem. We have seen a renewed vigour on the part of the government but the threat still remains and we are still living with heightened tension. All my working years I was in the security sector and the valuable experience I gained as a pioneer participant and later Directing Staff at the Institute of Security (now National Institute for Security) in Bwari Abuja, as Director of State Security Service (Department of State Service, DSS), in different states and at a time coordinating some states as Zonal Director of sea and airports and who as Directing Staff imparted knowledge of nitty-gritties of security complexities to thousands of security agents within and beyond the shores of Nigeria, and as a Coordinating Staff (despite being retired) on security behind the scenes and openly on the day of Iwuye Ceremony of Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, the Soun of Ogbomosoland, sequel to an intel that some disgruntled elements were out to cause ruckus and provoke embarrassing scenes, a threat we were able to neutralize and thus able to maintain peace and ensure safe entrance of the monarch, along with all security agencies on ground, I know what I am saying, and I know with a little more efforts we will get on top of the situation, we only need to persevere and cooperate more with the government. Furthermore, we need to take some measures such as re-orientating our people on security mode of operations, clarifying the roles of different security agencies such as the military, police, DSS, NDLEA, civil defense, customs, immigration and various paramilitary organizations.There is an urgent need to reassess our focus so we can rightly take security as a serious business it is.
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Ogbomoso has also become a hotbed of security breaches in various forms such as abductions, herdsmen killings, farm destruction and so on, this is despicable and horrendous when we have an auspicious 25-year developmental plan of Oba Ghandi Olaoye unfolding before us, the last thing we should allow to jeopardize this inspiring hope is security issue. Ogbomoso is at the threshold of becoming a vibrant smart city as per the vision of Oba Ghandi through innovativeness, and so, it behooves on us to improve on the security network of the community and beyond. As founder of a widowhood/orphanage foundation in a rural area – Aaje Ologo – and as traditional ruler of the community I am concerned untamed insecurity crises will lead to increase in the number of widows, widowers and orphans. Already herders continue to threaten our people though we are combating the menace but there is need to nip it in the bud and focus on initiating developmental efforts instead of being perpetually distracted by the problem.
As I round up the part one of this piece I feel the need to highlight the roles of some of the security agencies extant in Nigeria with a view to imparting our people with knowledge so they will be able to differentiate these agencies. In the part two I will give tips, strategies to avoid falling victims of kidnapping/abduction and other security challenges. (1) Military – the military whether on land, air, sea/water, are responsible for the protection of territorial integrity of Nigeria. (2) Police – protection of life and property, arrest, investigation (interrogation) and prosecution (courts) etc. Deals with purely criminal offences e.g. murder, stealing, armed robbery, among others. Police exist all over the world and prosecute on behalf of the Commissioner of Police of a State for the Inspector General of Police. Lawyers serve as watching brief and defend citizens from falsely being harassed etc. (3) DSS/SSS – provision of secured atmosphere, prevention of intimidation, fear, harassment, embarrassment and attack to enable law abiding citizens, groups or individuals go about their lawful duties; protection of very important personalities (VIPs); vetting; intelligence analysis, information gathering to protect citizens, enforcement of law and order etc. (4) National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) – investigate and enforce prohibition of drugs of all kinds that can trigger bad behaviour. (5) Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) – protection of governments/citizens equipment e.g.masts, buildings, oil pipelines (bunkering) etc.(6) Custom Services – revenue collection and security observation to prevent smuggling of arms or ammunition into the country etc. (7) – Immigration – monitoring of foreigners, passports issuance to eligible Nigerian citizens home and abroad (exit/entry). (8) General – VGN, Peace Corps, Amotekun, OPC, Hunter Association, volunteers all in uniforms etc. The foregoing constitutes the pillars of security architecture in Nigeria.Some of them have special units to counter banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and so on. A more effective synergy among these agencies will definitely serve as a panacea to surmounting the security challenges assailing Nigeria. The hard fact is that problems that confront us are meant to be fixed. (to be continued).
