“The first duty of Government is the protection of life, not its destruction. Abandon that, and you have abandoned all”.
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It goes without saying that the insecurity issues in the country have grown beyond a worrisome state, where no one can consider he/herself one hundred per cent safe even in the comfort of a home. A day hardly goes by without reading on the news of the abduction, maiming and killing of Nigerians across the borders of the country, particularly in the northern region.
Nigerians were still mourning the loss of the eighteen-year-old seminarian and late Mrs Ataga when a village in Kaduna was attacked setting a whole family ablaze. Then the Boko Haram attack before the arrival of the president to Borno State, and shortly after his departure from the state.
The level of insecurity has led to the creation of regional outfits like the Amotekun in the south-west, and Shege ka fasa in the north. I am sure the south-east is also working on its regional vigilante group to combat the threat to life and properties in the region.
The National Assembly only recently asked the president to sack his service chiefs and replace them with fresh brains, tactics and ideas, to see if the insecurity in the country can be tackled. However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Yusuf Buratai in an interview said that removing the leadership of the military is not the problem, but that “we have entered a challenging period of the insurgency that everybody must put hands together to ensure that we work and get the job done… it is not the responsibility of the military alone, it is a totality of national efforts as it is a national war and conflict”
This is where community policing comes to play, in the real sense of the matter, the police and other relevant security agencies are majorly responsible for the protection of lives and properties, while the military is responsible for protecting the borders and sovereignty of the country, unless in current situations where the insecurity level has overwhelmed the Nigerian police force.
For one reason or the other, the creation of state police has been condemned by political stakeholders, even the peace corp that had national framework was refused to be assented by the President, and yet, we are slowly getting to a point where communities have to devise means to protect themselves, resorting to self-help since the government security agencies have failed to protect their lives and properties.
Resorting to self-help can be both beneficial and harmful to the unity of the country. It can be helpful to the sovereignty of the country if there is a universal framework outlining its duties and functions and can be holistically adhered to; it would, however, be detrimental to the unity of the country if the Nigerian syndrome of attaching bias and sentiments come into play.
The issue of security is not one to be taken lightly, and while the Government seem to have successful reports of how it has overcome the menace of insecurity, the masses are yet to feel safe for their lives and properties. As one said, “you don’t even need to leave the house for your life to be in danger, even while sleeping with one eye closed, your life is still not safe, and it’s sad”.
To my mind, resorting to community policing might just be the best answer to the high level of insurgency in the country, let every state be responsible for the protection of lives and properties within its territory. Nigeria is too large a country to run efficiently under one Nigerian police force with headquarters in Abuja. Let every state command be the headquarters for that state.
Instead of replicating the duties and functions of the Nigerian Police by creating regional outfits, why not channel the resources and manpower to a state police with well-defined framework and structures for the protection of lives and properties within its territory?
Our prayers go out to the departed, may their gentle soul find eternal peace.
Godspeed!
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