Unmanned borders evidence you’ve failed in security, Afenifere tells Buhari

By Chukwudi Nweje

Pan–Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, said the recent statement of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, that out of the about 364 approved international border points in Nigeria, only 124 were manned by security agencies, leaving the remaining 137 border areas in the North East and North West unmanned, was a testament that the government has yet to take necessary steps to secure the country.

In a statement yesterday, signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the organisation, Jare Ajayi, the group rated the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration as a failure in terms of securing the country.

The organisation noted that the failure of the government to secure all the international border points properly was responsible for widespread criminality and violent crimes in those parts of the country.

He said: “President Buhari expressed some concerns on the rising insecurity during this year’s Democracy Day, on June 12, and said that his government was working hard to contain and address the challenges. B

“ut, taking that declaration and the Chief of Staff’s revelation together, one finds it difficult not to wonder what the administration has been doing in the past seven years, if this is the period that the government said it is working hard to contain and address security challenges in the country.

“As we all know, the administration has less than one year to wind up.

“What have the security agencies been doing about the vast unmanned borders, and what has the government been doing for insecurity to keep rising as its years in the saddle increase? Intelligence suggests that violent actors are using some of these normal border points to move freely from countries into Nigeria to cause mayhem.”   

The organisation added that President Buhari’s recent promise that he would ensure that the 2023 general election is safe and secure for all Nigerians might not come to fruition, if the situation at the porous borders is not addressed.

“The government has more to do if this promise is to be fulfilled. Nigerians are very worried about the country’s security situation and the chances of the president’s promise to end insecurity soon coming to fruition. The reality on ground does not give the people reasons to be so assured as much as they would want to be so optimistic,” he added.