THE high level of insecurity which intensified in the past few weeks, no doubt, constitutes a real threat to the unity and corporate existence of this country. It is lamentable, however, that the security organisations have failed to tackle the challenges, even as they have become the target of terrorists who have never hidden their disdain for the intelligence and law enforcement community.By seizing the initiative, criminal elements have debased social values, leaving the authorities seemingly clueless. But promises are not enough. The citizens demand a respite from this state of fear and insecurity.The coordinated assaults from the Boko Haram sect in the northern part of the country, besides making life miserable for Nigerians, is a danger to the country. A multi-dimensional approach to tackle their threat must be urgently launched by the government.The January 20 Kano mayhem, although targeted at security agencies, was not discriminatory. It claimed about 200 lives ' the highest toll in a single incident since the bombings started in the north-eastern states of Borno and Yobe. Similar terror had been unleashed in Niger, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa states and it is still spreading. Abuja, the nation's capital has not been spared.The outrage of the international community which has also been affected by the deadly hits is understandable. Without jeopardizing national interests, the government should consider collaborating with all groups willing to engage in the anti-terror efforts. The current official attitude of seeming helplessness does not inspire confidence in the people. The government must muster the political will to take hard decisions, while working hard to deliver good governance and ensure justice and fair play to all.A systemic decay in the police structure is clearly discernible, even before the emergence of the current threat. The police force urgently requires a solid, creative structure to deal with matters of insecurity. Intelligence gathering has suffered neglect, capacity building, and orientation in the force are suspect; while motivation of operations personnel is almost non-existent.At its current crossroads, Nigeria has gone beyond the present structure of the police. Not much can be said in favour of other security agencies, either. A complete overhaul of the security agencies should be undertaken. If President Jonathan's appointment of Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Dikko Abubakar is the beginning of the cleaning process, the move should be consolidated.So much went wrong, landing the government and its agencies in the present quagmire. Mistakes have been made from past official approach to issues. There is a culture of alienation of the people: government is doing nothing to properly understand the people, or restore their lost confidence on government's capability.There is a yawning gap in the long years of neglect and failure to consciously and deliberately build effective and operational capacities in the police force to combat or prevent crime.Strategies adopted in confronting the prevailing threats have not worked as they ought to. A limited understanding of the scope of problem is all too clear. Utterances of key government functionaries and security chiefs give them out as helpless, at best, just as some of the pronouncements could aggravate the situation. The authorities can do with more strategic thinking.In constructing a strategic agenda to tackle general security problems, the president should try wider consultations through leveraging political and cultural establishments. He does not seem to be reaching out enough for advice. It is not too late for him to quietly seek credible elders and leaders of thought who understand the problems on the ground; and deploy them appropriately. In the immediate past, such a strategy produced positive results.President Jonathan has a duty to restore security and maintain the country's unity. He should borrow a leaf from the strategy his predecessor, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, used to deal with the Niger Delta insurgency. He should seek out competent persons, and if necessary, set up new security structures to deal with the current terrorist attacks.He should also exercise caution in dealing with foreign interests, to avoid being drawn into a terror orbit far greater than our present predicament. He should deal with the Boko Haram attacks as peculiar problems deserving of appropriate home grown remedy, without courting the physical presence of foreigners.
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