Insecurity: Without Logistics, There Is No Security – Adekoya
By Olusegun HOSEA
There was a call from an expert concerning the insecurity ravaging the country, urging the Federal Government and state governments to intensify their efforts in ensuring that every nook and cranny of the nation is secured. This charge was made during a national television broadcast when the expert explained that the government should do everything humanly possible to ensure that the children taken captive by terrorists in Oyo State are released unharmed.
According to the analyst, the state of insecurity in some parts of Oyo State was not new to those who had the privilege of travelling across those areas, as most of the Baales and their subjects were not safe from the menace. He said the problem has persisted for more than five years without being addressed once and for all.
According to him, “There is nothing that has not happened or that would have happened that they have never seen before, except we are just deceiving ourselves.” He said this was very sad and that it had been sustained over the last three administrations in Nigeria. While speaking, he said that since 1999 up till this moment, the security architecture of the country has been failing and that there is nothing new in what is currently going on in the country.
He explained that he still maintained that the current administration would fail in terms of securing the people, just as its predecessors had failed. He described the appointment of the Special Adviser on Security by the current government as cosmetic because of their inability to get things done. He added that elections would come and go, while the attention of bandits would simply shift to other targets.
Adekoya spoke on the abduction of people in the South-West forests, saying the problem had already become magnified and that there was nothing new happening now, as insecurity had existed for more than six years. He explained that even in Lagos, people are kidnapped every day. He cited the example of a someone working in an organisation who was kidnapped, taken to another location, held at gunpoint, robbed by having his account details emptied, and then thrown out of his car while the kidnappers drove away. He said the problem must be addressed holistically.
Similarly, the security expert said that, with due respect to the government, many officials were very naïve when it came to security matters, relying on the cosmetic appointment of Special Advisers on Security and assuming that once a retired general had been appointed, everything was settled. According to him, this itself is part of the problem, as most appointees have personal interests and constituencies to protect.
He explained that many governors do not fully understand the security proposals presented to them, nor do they act promptly on them, as most of them do not have the time. He said that most of the Special Advisers appointed by governors do not have direct access to their principals, as their bosses are constantly being praised and shielded from reality.
He added that many advisers deceive governors by claiming that security issues are being exaggerated by political opponents. According to him, through his interactions with commissioners and other Special Advisers, he had often been told that, “You cannot tell the governor the truth, or else you will be sacked.” The expert said that from Sokoto to Ebonyi, many governors were far removed from what was happening on the ground and had little knowledge of the security emergencies confronting their states.
He cited a situation in Edo State where local vigilantes confided in him that they were owed six months’ salaries. However, the governor’s Special Adviser on Security argued with him on national television, insisting that they had been paid, which was not true. He said some vigilantes were even short-changed, as many of those carrying guns to defend their communities were not paid the correct amounts, with funds disappearing along the way.
This, he said, demonstrates how disconnected many governors are from security realities. According to him, security matters should not be left entirely in the hands of politicians, as they often have ways of convincing their principals that everything is under control when the opposite is the case.
He advocated for state policing, stating that by now the system should have been implemented due to the complexity and scale of the nation’s security challenges. He argued that security responsibilities should be transferred to governors at the sub-national level. He said that once this is done, states would be able to manage their security more effectively and would become responsible and accountable for security situations down to the local level.
Regarding the children still being held by kidnappers in Oyo State, the security expert said there were several options available to the government for securing their release. He noted that the Department of State Services (DSS) knows what to do better than many other security agencies and that the Police Intelligence Department also has the capacity to rescue the children.
He advised the authorities to focus on getting the children out safely, stressing that there should be no unnecessary bureaucracy when lives are hanging in the balance. He said the bigger issue beyond rescuing them was accountability, adding that “heads will roll, and those heads need to be on the chopping board.”
According to him, law enforcement agencies can perform effectively if they are provided with the necessary tools and logistics. He stressed that governors are not merely ceremonial Chief Security Officers of their states. He said that without logistics, there can be no security.
He further stated that unless sub-national governments are empowered as true Chief Security Officers at the state level, the nation’s security challenges would continue to worsen. He charged the President to arrest and prosecute any politicians found to be fuelling insecurity or making reckless statements capable of undermining the security of the state.
He maintained that since the President had been elected to lead the nation, decisive action must be taken against such individuals. According to him, the insecurity problem is not primarily a military issue but a political one that must be addressed comprehensively and holistically.
