Insecurity And Terrorism In Nigeria: People’s Safety, No Longer Guaranteed –Agberen

By Daniel Dafe

Comr.(Amb.) Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, National Coordinator, “No Justice, No Peace Initiative,” has said that “the high rate of insecurity in Nigeria has reached a stage where people’s safety is no longer guaranteed.”

He said this in a statement made available to media houses on Wednesday.

He said: “The increasing insecurity situation is now in a state where kidnapping has become the norm, and destruction of lives and property has become a daily reoccurrence, affecting all efforts to achieve sustainable development in Nigeria.

“This daily reoccurrence of insecurity in various forms such as kidnapping, armed robbery and banditry, among others, is now witnessed at people’s homes, schools, churches, business places, marketplaces, the police stations, and these are, as a result from the failure of previous administrations in Nigeria to address challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequitable distribution of wealth among ethnic nationalities are major causes of insecurity in the country.”

He continued: “Kidnapping, terrorism and banditry now looks more like a business enterprise. The bandits seem to be making millions of Naira from monies collected as ransoms, and the Nigeria government is also benefiting; maybe from security allocations and that’s why these challenges keeps reoccurring, and if the standards of governance isn’t raised, where the Federal and State Government of Nigeria becomes responsible and accountable to the people, the war against insecurity can never be won and I fear for what may befall our dear nation if these issues keeps lingering.”

ALSO READ: President Tinubu Mourns Former NDDC Executive Director, Cairo Ojougboh

According to him, “amidst these widespread challenges, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and relevant national stakeholders, need to take progressive steps by ensuring appropriate mechanisms are in place to address early warning signs of terrorism, kidnapping, extremism as well as identifying and preventing future cases.”

He said further: “No doubts, the Nigerian government has made several efforts to curb the rising insecurity rate by changing/charging the security service chiefs’, equipping them with more sophisticated arms and other security weapons in time past and even now. Despite these efforts by the Nigerian government, insecurity still thrives in Nigeria; as key issues are left untouched. Good governance is the only panacea for insecurity challenges, therefore, resolving insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria does not require additional funds or aid; all that is needed is a reformation of its systems, structures, and values.

“Almost certainly, information technology will play a critical role in strengthening Nigeria’s National security against potential future attacks. Specifically, information technology will help enable the nation to identify potential threats, share information more readily, provide mechanisms to protect the Nation, and develop response capabilities but by providing good governance that tackles the challenges of poverty, inequality and other concerns of the people, we would have succeeded in addressing some of the root causes of insecurity, and worries to complete rest.”