….As Frank Mba Says Police Not Overwhelmed By Insecurity

Ruth Olofin, the Acting Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation has urged the government to immediately work out measures to address activities of non-state armed groups, while maintaining that the government is “trying because what we are facing is that there is an erosion of security threats facing Nigeria.”

This is even as the Nigeria Police Force’s spokesman, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) has insisted that the Force is not overwhelmed despite the magnitude of security challenges in the country.

Both spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a roundtable discussion on internal security management organised by CLEEN Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO).

According to Olofin, “When government deploys its strategies to face terrorism or terrorists, it also has the separatist groups to tackle and that could be overwhelming,” Olofin said.

“Government should declare non-state armed groups as what they truly are as long as they are disrupting the peace and security of the country”, she said.

Explaining the reason for the event, Ruth Olofin who appreciated the Ford Foundation for supporting the implementation of the timely security intervention, said the timing of the “roundtable discussion is unique, and it speaks volume of the concerns of Nigerians towards having a safe, peaceful, and progressive society.

“The conceptualization of this Roundtable discussion on Internal Security Management in Nigeria was borne out of the need to have duty bearers discuss their operational roles, perspectives and challenges in curtailing the rising insecurity situation in the wake of existential threats and the increasing crisis of internal security in the country.

“The primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and properties within the State and in response to this definite mandate, government creates institutions saddled with the responsibility to maintain peace and order within the country.

“In Nigeria, you have the Nigeria Police, and other key paramilitary agencies in the country are all working towards fulfilling the mandate of the government.

“The Nigeria Police Force for instance is the lead agency in internal security, yet, contemporary security challenges have become increasingly sophisticated both in typology and scale thus, requiring a review of current strategies of operations and legal frameworks for security agencies”, Olofin said in her welcome address.

She added that “it is our expectations that at the end of this roundtable, we will witness an intensification of collaborative mechanisms through intelligence led policing, greater accountability for offenders within the ambit of the law and improved citizen security as a cardinal responsibility of the state.

“Finally, as we countdown to the November 6th gubernatorial elections in Anambra state, it is our earnest hope that the elections will be conducted in a safe and peaceful atmosphere and that the security of lives and properties of the voters and all election stakeholders including security officials will be guaranteed pre, during and post the elections”, Olofin concluded.

While speaking, the police spokesman, Frank Mba insisted that the Force is not in anyway overwhelmed by insecurity, saying that the police are only challenged by the nature of security challenges in the country.

“In all these issues of insecurity, the good news is that we all know the fact that great leaders are churned out in times of crises, challenges and difficulties,” he said.

Mba added that “the security challenges in the country are huge, but they are certainly not insurmountable and so the police are not overwhelmed.

“Men and women of the Nigeria Police Force have the capacity, the will, the passion, the commitment and the zeal to deliver on their mandates to upturn insecurity and protect lives and properties of Nigerians.”

Mba then appealed to parents and other members of the society to mentor children and youths appropriately, adding that it would contribute to making the work of the police easier.

“There is a call to parents and to those in charge of socialisation processes, like community leaders, religious and traditional rulers, the media and school authorities to contribute in mentoring the young ones appropriately,” the police spokesman said.

“Also, political leaders should tackle factors that drive crimes such as unemployment, poverty, economic and political exclusion.

“If they deal with these issues, it will be easier for the police, working with the military and other law-enforcement agencies, to actually deal with the challenges of insecurity”, Mba said.

Delivering the keynote address titled, “Contemporary Security Challenges & Internal Security Management in Nigeria, the Chairman/Board of Trustees CLEEN Foundation, Prof. Etannibi Alemika who is a Professor of Criminology at the University of Jos, recalled how security challenges that started locally escalate, adding that law enforcement agencies cannot solve problems created by politicians.

Professor Alemika noted that comprehensive sector-wide reform is required in the country to establish democratic security governance that will produce and sustain legitimate, responsive, effective and accountable security agencies for the country.

“Therefore, internal security management should be pursued through multi-sectoral platforms consisting of economic and socio-political policies aimed at guaranteeing citizens’ freedom from violence (conflict, crime, terrorism and repression); fear (engendered by lack of military, economic, social and political governance capacity by the state) and want (poverty, deprivations, discrimination, etc.).

“To achieve these, there is need to maintain strong, equipped, motivated, responsive, professional, effective, efficient and accountable public service and security agencies under democratic oversight”, he said.

On his part, the Chairman of the Occasion, Gen Saleh Maina (Rtd), appealed to participants to brainstorm on the security challenges and find lasting solutions to the problems rather than engaging in blame games.

Expressing hope that the roundtable will strengthen collaboration among security agencies in Nigeria, he appealed to the government to pay attention advisory from sincere organisations like CLEEN Foundation, hoping that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime will bequeath a secure country to it’s successor in 2023.

The participants at the roundtable discussion on internal security management were made up of security stakeholders, including representatives of the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs, the Nigerian Police Force, National Correctional Service, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, amongst others.