By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Stakeholders have attributed the current security challenges in the
country to Nigeria’s porous land borders. They, therefore, for the umpteenth time, recommended community policing as panacea to the seemingly intractable insecurity challenges in some parts of the
country.
The stakeholders said this in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, at a workshop on insecurity in Nigeria organised by Oodua Progressives
Care-Initiative (OPCI).
The theme of the workshop is “the roles of media, individuals, non governmental organisations and communities in containing security challenges facing our nation.”
In his lecture, a renowned human rights activist, and former national converner of Action Aid Council of Nigeria, Comrade Taiwo Otitolaye, lamented that government’s and politicians’ infiltration of ethnic
militias had exacerbated the insecurity situation in the country, saying “community policing is the most essential to maintaining
peace and tranquility in Nigeria. It is the best thing.”
According to him, Nigeria’s security and policing system is archaic as it is still based on the colonial method of ensuring security. He said: “Nigeria’s security laws and policies need to be reformed. Nigeria’s security personnel are still repressive and oppressive.”
Earlier, National President, OPCI Maruf Abdulsalam had urged the
Federal Government to in stem the tide of insecurity in the
country, lamenting that the country’s land borders are “too porous to the extent that a foreigner comes in and goes out as he wishes. One of my
friends told me recently that unguarded routes from Cameroon to Nigeria are more that 200 where foreigners take advantage of no law
enforcement agents on sight.”
He also linked the country’s insecurity to proliferation of
unregistered orgainsations and outlawed militias or groups.
Comrade Abdulsalam added that his organisation had been in the
vanguard of the establishment of complementary security structures.
He said: “Over the years, we have been advocating structural
repositioning of our dear country; we have been calling for a
full-blown federalism in which states will be truly states; we have
been calling for the enactment of enabling law that will facilitate
the establishment of complementary security structures both at the state and community levels to augument existing statutory security structures.”
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