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From John Adams, Minna
Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello has suggested that if the current war against insurgency and armed bandits across the country must be won, there is an urgent need for the review of the country’s intelligence gathering.
The governor said that a lack of proper intelligence gathering is partly responsible for the inability of our security agencies to foil some of these attacks and track down these criminal elements that are making lives miserable for Nigerians.
The governor gave the suggestion during a discussion panel at the 2nd Umaru Shinkafi Intelligence and Security Summit, organised by the Umaru Shinkafi Legacy Foundation, held in Abuja.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mary Noel Berje, quoted the Governor as also calling for proper training of the local vigilante group of Nigeria to complement the efforts of the security agencies in the country.
Speaking further at the summit with the theme “Socio-economic Implications of kidnapping and banditry in Nigeria”, Governor Sani Bello gave a glooming picture of how his state has suffered a great deal from insecurity since the inception of his administration, saying that the government has tried every approach to address the situation but to no avail.
He explained how his government tried a reconciliatory approach with the leaders of the bandits but did not scale through as it was discovered that the perpetrators are mere criminals, who are not ready to change their criminal behaviours owing to its lucrative nature.
It was at that point he said his government took a decision not to pay ransom to the criminals, pointing out that the criminals have grown into a very formidable network with handy informants.
According to the governor, ‘when we have tip-off and troops are deployed, the bandits get wind of their movement and relocate.’
While making a case for State Police in the country, Governor Bello said, the time has come because Nigeria’s population has increased tremendously, pointing out that ‘we can’t continue to avoid the issue of state police forever, even if it is not now certainly, sometimes to come because Nigeria’s population has gone beyond 200 million.’
In the meantime, the governor said that the local vigilantes which he insisted must be people with good character, should be properly trained in other to complement the efforts of the security agencies in fighting Insecurity.
He noted that traditional rulers and religious leaders have a great role to play in the current security challenges in the country, being the closest to the people.
‘In tackling kidnapping and banditry, the role of traditional rulers and religious leaders in our society cannot be over-emphasised. Traditional rulers and religious leaders should be supported to effectively check their domains and subjects. Also, our religious leader have immense influence over worshippers”, he added.
While commending the foundation for sustaining the legacies of Alhaji Umaru Ali Shinkafi, Governor Sani Bello described Shinkafi as a sterling Police officer, astute lawyer and professional security expert, whose footprints still radiate in our contemporary security situations today.
Present at the event were Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State, Waziri Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
