Security Expert advises govt on ways to curb insecurity,slam agitators of state police

By Glory U.C

The MD/CEO Executive Guards Ltd. Dr Udinen Usoroh,has proffered insightful strategies to the President Bola Tinubu led APC government on how to curb the unabated insecurity plaguing the country.

Dr.Usoroh,a renowned security expert with over three decades of security practice in Nigeria gave his advise in Jos,Plateau State,North-Central,Nigeria as a guest on Eagle Eye News24 flagship programme:Nigeria@Dawn.

According to the security expert,Nigeria is fond of reshuffling military chiefs at any point which also has its demerits.

“Our leaders do not care whether the security personel they are appointing from their tribe or region will affect the system.It doesn’t bother our leaders.We spend thousands of dollars or naira to train these top military chiefs but in just a swell because a new president comes on board he appoints new Security heads many other top security chiefs will be retired”.

Dr.Usoroh,further posited that the USA doesn’t retire over five Generals in a day unlike what is been done in Nigeria because it cost a nation a lot to train these military chiefs.

“You can never see the US government retire top military men the way we do here in Nigeria.Just about a week ago the US retired it’s Defense Chief and there was no noise making of pomp and pageantry like what is been done in Nigeria”.

He further proffered some insights to some of the problems causing insecurity:

“One problem is that of lack of progressive management of our security infrastructure which is a major problem.Why do I say so because the way we retire our security chiefs,one thing we must know is that security management is not like other sectors like health even at that most retired health practitioners are sometimes needed in the future.So when you retire these security chiefs prematurely you lose their experience and expertise”.

Secondly,because of the multiplicity of our tribes and religions in Nigeria,it plays so badly on the fight against insecurity in the country.

A good example was during the tenure of former president Good luck Jonathan,the terrorists group Boko Haram were seriously in operation and the president ordered the then Army Chief,General Azubuike Iherijirika to deal with them in the North East .The military were doing so well but sadly the Borno Council of Elders met that they were going to report the Chief of Army Staff to the International Criminal Court of Justice,all the noise was there that they want to eliminate the entire northern Nigeria.Whether by choice the tempo to quell insecurity then went down.We started hearing of bombings in Lagos,Abuja,so the multiplicity of our tribes is another problem.

Let me add this other problem,when something happens to a particular group or section of the country,you will notice that the other part will be unconcerned,unperturbed. In fact they are not bothered, like I said earlier because of the multiplicity of our tribes and religions we don’t see it as a national problem.Lets take for instance the issue of banditry or terrorism in Plateau State,North-Central,Nigeria,during the tenure of ex-governor Joshua Dariye,there was a state of emergency being declared by ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo.And people felt it was just a central zone issue before it started moving to other parts of the state.In a nutshell we don’t see the problem of insecurity in Nigeria as a general issue and this trend must change.

I recall then about 8 years ago I was asked to comment on the rise of insecurity in a national TV on terrorism in Niger State,I did say that it wasn’t a religious issue both a splinter,break away Boko Haram group that was causing mayhem.So what do we have today in Niger State,we see a situation where terrorists will kill over 26 military men in just a day.

Again,in a country where you have so much army of unemployed youths whose parents can’t fend for them any actions will attract them to criminality and banditry.And except for Boko Haram,it’s likely the people they recruit for this act of terrorism is basically for economic reasons.So there are so many reasons we could give as causes of insecurity in the country.Let nobody be deceived the issue of economy is a factor to this problem .Somebody may say that in the US is there no criminality ?Yes there is, but when you are caught you don’t have any excuse because the environment is engaging for people even when you don’t have a job the government takes care of you.Nonetheless these problems are surmountable.

Responding to the question of state police as a solution to curb insecurity in Nigeria,he said that a good example to show that it will fail is the states electoral commission that is directly under the supervision of the state governors.

In his words:”Those who are clamoring for state police are only dubious.Just look at our states in Nigeria where we have state electoral commission you notice that the governor’s have not conducted any Local Government Council elections.What they do is to just to hand picked Chairmen.

People who are agitating for state police are not being fair but dubious.Just take a look at all our states in Nigeria that are having State Independent Electoral Commission,we know very well that no state governor have conducted any elections.When they nominated you ,you have won. In some states where they know the opposition is very strong they sponsor some people to cause problem and then they go to court ,this will result in the court disqualifying the party from fielding any candidates.You will see governor’s sacking elected LGC Chairmen they met on ground. .

The same thing may happen if states are allowed to own there police,so I have my fears .Who will police the state police?We are having problem with even our federal police with a hell of accusations where some police officers have compromised ,do you want to add salt to injury by talking of state police.

Let’s talk about the big one.How will they finance it?For instance you take a state like my state Akwa Ibom and you want to properly secure a local government with about 17 to 20 wards with over 100 villages in other to have a full compliments of state policing.So you recruit let’s say 5,000 armed police officers.How much will you pay them? .Now when you give some persons an AK-47 gun, then how much will be there salaries ?Let’s say you pay them 50,000 when they know with guns in there hands they can be given about 5 million Naira to help a politician eliminate his enemies .What do you think will happen?

Usoroh,further advised agitators of state police on the dangers of not been able to pay the police officers.

“It should be noted that you can,’t have the luxury of owing this gun carrying men like they do to civil servants.If it happens that these police men are not paid for some months,don’t you think that there would be inter state banditry.

So for me,people have suggested different things like increase taxation to fund it.The question is,which tax hike?Which state or businesses is striving when people can’t travel freely any longer to carry out there businesses.

Well, those who are clamoring for state policing option in Nigeria,I don’t envy them because they don’t know the implications .Apart from the misuse that will accompany it .Some may posit that there would be constitutional provision,Which constitutional provision?What has happened to the State Independent Electoral Commissions,mention any state where local government council elections are conducted properly.

I know that in other climes like the US,they have various forms of policing like local council,county,state,federal and most times they are not dressed like uniform police men.Not to talk of private securities even cities like New York have there own policing system.

How many times have you seen our federal police on check points with high-tech communication gadgets?People who are clamoring for State Police don’t know what they are talking about.Its when people want to siphon monies they look for an ‘elephant’ project “.

The trained professional security expert passionately insisted that those calling for State Police lack understanding.

Arguing that in Nigeria our government protects the individual and not the system,saying that whenever there is a new president,he sacks the Inspector-General of Police and bring in his own appointee.

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