From Abdurrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
In recent years, Nigeria has been plagued by a multitude of recurring challenges, ranging from insecurity, terrorism and banditry to hardship, poverty and hunger. These issues have not only persisted but have also intensified, causing immense suffering and instability across the nation.
As a response to addressing these persistent problems, and to put an end to the security challenges and destruction that has became all too familiar in Nigeria, the Emir of Akko Emirate Council in Gombe State, Alhaji Umar Muhammad Atiku, has urged states affected by the cycle of violence across the country to break their respective states into smaller units for effective policing.
According to him, security challenges bedevilling the country require a more localised approach to be tackled. He suggested that breaking the affected areas into smaller units could potentially lead to improved security outcomes as it would enable more focused and coordinated efforts in addressing threats at the grassroots level.
The royal father, who stated this in an interview with Saturday Sun, further disclosed that a decentralized approach to security could foster greater community involvement and collaboration in crime prevention initiatives. He explained that traditional rulers and other local leaders as well as residents should be made to understand that they have a more direct stake in ensuring the safety and security of their respective areas, thereby leading to a more proactive and responsive security framework.
He said: “We have tried such initiative here in our Emirate and it is working for us. What we did was to break towns and villages within the emirate council into units and task each of the units to secure their area and ensure security day and night. We identified youths in those areas and enlisted the help of the police and other security agencies to give them a basic training to become local vigilante,” the Emir explained.
“The police and all our security agents cannot be everywhere to secure all towns and communities in our country, those on ground at the local communities must be made to take charge of security in their areas by being on alert and keeping watchful eyes on developments as they unfold.
“This can be achieved if the government, civil society, and all stakeholders come together and work towards lasting solutions,” he added.
While calling on governments at all levels to develop a more concrete efforts and effective policies to address the root causes of the security challenges in the country, the royal father equally tasked the governments to work on developing a sincere welfare system to take charge of providing support and opportunities for those affected by the security challenges as well as poverty and hardship.
“We need to work and prioritise disaster preparedness and response to prevent the devastating consequences rather than reacting to security breach. The act of waiting and reacting after criminals have struck should be a thing of the past,” he said.
In his words, as the country strives towards a safer and more secure future, it is imperative to consider all possibilities that could lead to positive outcomes in the realm of security and policing.