Insecurity: Foundation advocates state police, recruitment of more security operatives

Michael Olumide

The Companion Foundation, Alimosho Zone, Lagos, has joined other civil society groups and concerned Nigerians in calling for the creation of state police and the recruitment of more security operatives to address the growing insecurity across the country.

The call was made during the foundation’s 13th Ramadan Lecture held on Sunday at the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo campus.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture had the theme: “Insecurity: Islamic and Contemporary Panacea.”

The programme, organised to promote the Ramadan values of charity, compassion and care for the needy, attracted Muslim faithful, students, scholars and other stakeholders.

Delivering the lecture, the Guest Lecturer, Dr. MAS’UD Abimbola-Alabi, said that economic insecurity often arises when people remain idle and are not productively engaged.

Abimbola-Alabi, a lecturer in the General Studies Department of the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, Ikorodu, attributed the nation’s security challenges partly to the increasing number of unemployed youths who become easy tools in the hands of unscrupulous elements to perpetrate crime.

He advised Nigerians to avoid flamboyant lifestyles, support the less privileged and empower individuals to become productively engaged in order to reduce the temptation of criminal activities.

According to him, the establishment of state police has become necessary to effectively address the rising security challenges confronting the country.

“Security is local. Therefore, it has become imperative to recruit more operatives who are conversant with the terrain of their communities and deploy them there to help tackle insecurity.

“The current system of posting operatives to unfamiliar environments to provide security services is no longer effective.

“The Federal Government should initiate measures toward the creation of state police. There is no better time to do this than now, so that peace, which sustains development, can prevail,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, Dr. Kola Lawal-Abbas, Dean, Faculty of Environmental Studies, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, emphasised the need for citizens to maximise the use of available security facilities in homes and business premises.

He noted that insecurity often escalates due to mistrust between government and citizens, adding that improved cooperation between both parties would help strengthen national security.

Lawal-Abbas also encouraged the adoption of technology-driven self-security measures and urged parents to closely monitor the activities and behaviour of their children while in school.

He advised parents to investigate suspicious behaviours and guide their children properly to prevent them from joining criminal groups.

In his remarks, the Lagos District Amir of The Companion, Alhaji Olayiwola Baruwa, encouraged participants to join the organisation, noting that it remained committed to contributing to national development.

According to him, the organisation operates on four cardinal pillars: spiritual development, education and scholarship promotion, public advocacy, and economic empowerment aimed at poverty alleviation.

Earlier, the Coordinator of the Alimosho Zone, Alhaji Kamor Ogunfowora, said Nigeria had experienced unprecedented levels of insecurity in recent years across different parts of the federation.

He explained that the security challenges had evolved from the insurgency of Boko Haram to other forms of violent conflicts including farmer-herder clashes, banditry, terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, senseless killings and separatist agitations.

Ogunfowora stressed that security should be seen as the responsibility of every citizen.

“We must cultivate the habit of volunteering useful information to the armed forces and other security agencies to help secure our communities.

“The government should also recruit more personnel into the security agencies. The creation of state police in every state of the federation has also become imperative,” he said.