Boko Haram members
Insecurity:
Boko Haram members
Insecurity: Time for Drastic Measures – By Afakirya A.
Gadzama
It would definitely be an understatement to say that the
National Security System and the Government have been overwhelmed
by the security challenges in the last couple of years. The
situation has reached a crisis proportion that demands declaration
of state of emergency on insecurity in the country. People
therefore would have every reason to complain to put it mildly.
As things are, the gains made in the counter terrorism operations
in the North East, efforts to contain the burgeoning state of
banditry in the North West, especially in Zamfara State and failure
to stop the spates of siege on highways and communities by
kidnappers and armed marauders are evidently being lost.
Equally unacceptable is the wanton killings by armed men and
failure to effectively nip in the bud intermittent flare ups of
ethno- communal clashes in parts of the country that have consumed
hundreds of lives. The Northern part of the country has come out
worst in all these as it has been turned literally into a huge
killing field.
To put the record straight, not only the people but the
President has had cause to lament the state of insecurity in the
country. Therefore, contrary to insinuations in some quarters, that
the President has been indifferent to the plight of the citizenry
on the avoidable loss of lives and displacement of hundreds of
thousands of people from their communities by armed criminals, the
issue has been a major concern to the Government. It is important
to point out that some insinuations currently being made are
without doubt mischievous and indeed a distraction. Anyone
conversant with the workings of the security system knows that the
President has done all that is required of a leader to deal with
the challenges. So also the National Assembly.
What has failed the nation is the inability of the security
system to translate these efforts into concrete actions. The
impression also needs to be corrected that not even the security
organizations can be totally blamed for the current state of
things. The truth is they just don’t have what it takes to deal
with the security threats. While the buck stops at the President’s
table, he is not an apex operative who should be held responsible
for the ineptitude of the system. Lest one is misunderstood, steps
should have been taken to arrest the current state of insecurity
much earlier.
Unfortunately, tendency not to act promptly to contain emerging
security threats is one of the major weaknesses in current security
practice in the country. The consolation however is that the
deteriorating security situation is surmountable and can be
arrested immediately. All that is required is decisive action on
all fronts.
As suggested earlier, the current state of insecurity in the
country deserves declaration of a state of emergency to tackle the
problems of killings in communities, the armed banditry in the
North West and the kidnappings all over the country. Well thought
out strategies to achieve the desired objectives must however be
worked out.
Among critical policies and operational measures that
immediately need to be deployed is massive shakeup in all the
security organizations considering the negative impact of the
activities of insider saboteurs, indiscipline and decline in
professionalism on security practice in the country. The current
security challenges cannot be successfully eliminated by a security
arrangement that is bedeviled with corruption, indiscipline and
brazen professional misconduct.
The over running of some military bases and communities by
insurgents in the North East, the mismanagement of the banditry
situation in the North West and even the failure of the Police and
the State Security Service to decisively deal with the kidnappings
and attacks on communities across the country in the last couple of
years could be attributed partly to corruption and insider
compromise within the security forces. This is the reason that the
current security challenges can only be helped by massive shakeup
in the entire security system to purge it of elements and
tendencies that undermine their performance.
Another important shortcoming that urgently needs to be remedied
is addressing the demands of the security organizations. It is
pertinent to note that almost all the security organizations in the
country are under-staffed, ill equipped and lack the capacity to
decisively deal with any serious security threat. Without holistic
enhancement of the capacity of the security forces, it will be fool
hardy to expect that the current security challenges will be
addressed.
As previously advised, the current security challenges can only
be degraded to a manageable level if the security forces are
equipped with appropriate platforms especially drones, helicopter
gunships and surveillance capabilities. It will certainly be sheer
deception to expect that the security forces as presently equipped
and constituted can effectively defeat some of the current security
threats. It will be futile to expect that any of the current
security challenges could be eliminated by relying on outdated
equipments and ideas. Fresh ideas and strategies are required.
In addition, addressing the fundamental conditions that
predispose people to drift into criminality must be honestly
embarked upon. The absence of good governance is the primary cause
of most of the current security challenges. As previously noted,
there is the direct link between the current security challenges
and the absence of good governance and failure by government in
delivering the dividends of democracy.
The challenge of ungoverned spaces in most parts of the country
also needs to be addressed. What has happened in parts of the North
Central, the North West and the North East geographical zones where
there is huge security vacuum is that criminal groups have simply
moved in to take possession of the ungoverned spaces. It is
instructive that some of the security forces have realized this
reality and are reconfiguring their deployments.
Closely associated with the failure of governance as a factor is
the decline in security service delivery. It is a known fact that
the effectiveness of security practice has in the last couple of
years declined primarily due to lack of capacity, leadership
ineptitude and investment in the security sector. Other impediments
are lack of public support and disruptions and distortions in
intelligence flow. The problem of lack of accountability is also
evident. But, the most critical corrective measure required is for
security operatives and organizations to be held responsible for
security failures. Simply put, it must be made clear that any
security organization under whose jurisdiction kidnappings,
religious crisis and attacks on communities take place must be
queried for dereliction of duty.
Not the least critical is community participation in fighting
the current security situation. It must be reiterated again that no
security operation will succeed without active community
involvement. The role of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Borno
State at the peak of the insurgency is an example that should be
emulated. Community involvement in the provision of intelligence is
indispensable in dealing with all the security challenges. So also
is investigating the socio economic interests in the security
challenges. The belief that there could be the complicity of some
vested interests out there masterminding some the security
challenges for subversive purposes deserves being looked into.
Finally, the intelligence community must keep an eye on
developments within the sub-region and beyond. Of particular
interest should be what really is the relationship and the nexus
between what is happening in Mali, Niger, Burkino Faso, Chad and
Cameroun with current developments in the country. Fortunately, the
President has done the ground work during the Summit in Chad. The
point again is reiterated that, the security forces have what it
takes to put a stop to the current drift in the security sector if
well equipped.
Mr. Afakirya A. Gadzama OFR, mni was former Director General
Department of State Security Services (DSS/SSS)