EDITORIAL: Tinubu must save Nigeria’s security situation from further deterioration

By solacebase.com On Mar 31, 2024

Bola Tinubu , Nigeria, security , deterioration, Police, kidnapping — President Bola Tinubu

Nigeria is currently bedeviled with insecurity as the current spate of kidnapping across regions of the country deteriorates by the day. No region is spared; the entire Nigerian social space has suddenly become very unsafe, and this is taking a serious toll on economic activities in the country.

While the government appears overwhelmed by the security situation in the country and has failed in its primary assignment, which is ensuring the security of lives and property, the right to life and property in Nigeria is gradually becoming a failed reality, victims in the hands of the gruesome kidnappers whose actions and activities have become more frequent these days are forced to pay ransom if they are lucky not to be killed.

In February, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said crowdfunding to raise the ransom to secure the release of abducted persons “kills” the morale of its operatives. “Paying ransom is criminal in Nigeria, according to the provisions of our law. The problem we have in most cases is that families of victims don’t carry security operatives along,” Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson said.

“They get scared because kidnappers always work on their psyche and tell them that “don’t tell security agencies, don’t tell the police, if you do we are going to kill your relations” and they keep quiet.”

To address the security challenges, President Bola Tinubu recently summoned the Service Chiefs to a meeting earlier this year where they discussed the activities of the Constitutional Review Committee set up to carry out comprehensive police reform. Despite this, the tales of sadism and horrifying security spectacles in the seat of power speak volumes about the lot of Nigerians without even a modicum of security protection.

The contradiction between a federation, which the 1999 Constitution, as amended, says Nigeria is in Section 2 (2) and its imposition of a unitary or single policing on the country in Section 214, must be resolved now. Except this is reviewed, Tinubu will continue to be embarrassed.

SolaceBase recalls that the 2014 National Political Reform Conference had recommended devolving policing after its painstaking deliberations, meaning state police should be created across the 36 states of the federation, in addition to enabling community policing, the National Border Force, Coast Guards and placing the control of the unaccounted for, and often embezzled security votes under the State Security Council of each state.

While Nigerians applauded this approach, no administration has shown the political will to implement the recommendations of the report in spite of the stranglehold of insecurity on Nigerians. Though Buhari’s three-point agenda included tackling security challenges in the country, he never achieved this. Now, Tinubu has to change gears by picking up the report of that 2014 conference and implement its proposals.

In the United States of America, there are 18,000 police services, comprising those at the federal, state, district, community, and different organisational levels. However, they are all working with the common goal of keeping the society safer. Germany has 22 police forces, while there are 45 of them in the United Kingdom, which is not even a federation.

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Aside from having just a single police unit, the Nigeria Police Force as presently constituted is the most corrupt public institution in Nigeria with road blocks just for collecting bribes from motorists, and many who resist get killed. Even recruitment into the scheme has become a racket, making questionable characters or armed robbers find their ways into the police.

To tackle insecurity, Nigeria needs state policing with intelligence-driven, well-trained, equipped and officers. Tinubu should stop pretending and save the security situation in the country from further deterioration.