Princess Tonia Maijeh is publisher of Chase, an international quarterly crime-oriented and general interest magazine. She started out as a crime reporter after her training as a journalist at the London School of Journalism. Part of her approach at contributing to towards curbing crime in the society is through organising seminars and workshops, which she did recently.SECURITY is an important issue in national life that demands attention by the Federal Government. However, the Police and other security agencies saddled with the responsibility of maintaining law and order have been having daunting challenges in that respect.Working to offer suggestions in this direction towards a more secure society is Princess Tonia Maijeh, publisher of Chase, an international quarterly crime-oriented and general interest magazine. Part of her approach at contributing to this social engineering is through seminars and workshops.At an annual lecture titled, Major Issues in Crime and Criminal Administration held at the Police Officers Mess, Benin City recently, The princess said Nigeria has come of age and the time is now to fight crime with all strength and might.In contemporary societies, Maijeh stated, the issue of crime prevention and administration calls for collectivization. This means that fighting crime and administrating crime-related issues is and remains a tripartite approach from the security agents, host communities and individuals who are disposed to eradicating crime in our society.For her, Chase is expository information on crime fighting for operation and prevention agencies including the Police, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and related offences Commission (ICPC) to ensure the reduction of crime.Maijeh, who hails from Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State was trained as a journalist at the London School of Journalism. She is powered by a passion for investigative crime reporting which in turn draws its strength from her love of adventure.But though she does not cut the picture of an adventurous person, Maijeh is one hell of a risk -taker, especially when the scent of a sizzling crime story is thick in the air.For instance, while pursuing a post-graduate course at the London School of Journalism (LSJ) in the 1980s, Princess chanced upon a bank robbery operation in the British capital of London. But rather than join the general public to scamper for safety, she hid in a vantage position few metres from the bank to witness the action. She later filed a story out of the incident as part of her practical course work and it was syndicated to the Sun Newspaper of London. Her effort earned her the best LSJ crime reporter award from the newspaper.With Chase International Magazine, we chase crime in a beautiful way. This is reflected in our slogan, Pursuit of Elegance. We dont use guns to fight crime, ours is just to dig up dirt about criminals and publish them in a beautiful way. For me, this is a cause just like some were born to become priests. But the question I keep asking is why me This course has affected my home, but I cant give up, she declared.Princess who also majored in Criminology from the London School of Journalism (LSJ), started with The Guardian and the Vanguard Newspaper. In 1983, I freelanced with The Guardian and in 1984 I started work with the Vanguard. I was the first female crime reporter with the Vanguard and I worked as a public relations officer in companiesAfrica Independent Television (AIT), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), to be precise.So far, we have been trying to establish credibility through our various programmesChase Foundation Trust Fund and Chase Promotion. In Chase Foundation, the charity arm of the outfit, we reach out to the less-privileged. We assist people that have nobody to assist them in paying their school fees. While in Chase promotion, the marketing arm of Chase Communications founded in 1996 is to promote Nigerian music artistes. It has promoted the likes of Daddy Showkey, Daddy Fresh, Shina Peters, among other Nigeria music greats, she stated.Besides, as part of her contributions to the eradication of crime in the society, Princess, through her organization, holds seminars and workshops on crime detection and prevention for security agents, especially Police officers and members of the public. This she does by inviting security experts, including criminology lecturers from higher institutions in the country to deliver papers at such events.On how she has been coping with the challenges of an investigative news magazine, she retorted: It has not really been easy. Some of the stories take years to investigate and that requires adequate funding. Again, the risk factor is there, but our passion for crime reporting is what has actually been seeing us through.One of the ways to curb crime, she said, is the issuing of social security number like Switzerland does. When you are born in Switzerland today, you will be given a social security number. And with this number, money would be provided for you. They would use this money to develop you; build a house for you and many other things for you.But for us here, our government has made things bad. Our money is still in Switzerland which we are yet to collect. But the problem is that why cant we act like them There is oil coming out of Nigeria; we have oil and so many other things. Why cant we behave properly We dont have social security; we dont have anything here. But why dont we have that kind of system. You are born today, your name is Adebisi A. You are number one under this group and they would give what belong to you. Then why should they commit crimes They cant commit crimes because they have social security number. And they would even insure you.The system has been corrupted from the ground. What we are trying to do now is to ensure that we just package things and re-orient people. Crimes cannot stop because we are developing. And if the nation is not developing, there wont be crimes. We are just trying to reduce crime.What I am trying to say in effect is that the issue of National Insurance that, if you are born today, one should be issued with a number and if one die, that should be the end of that number. So, there should be a kind of quotaa kind of system. If you are number one today, you died as number one and that is the end of that number.Maijeh also said positive results can be achieved by joining hands in building a crime-free society by partnering with security stakeholders. All these associations have the inner problems of Nigeria. Security Stakeholders should enable to register with Nigeria In Trust (NIS) so as to be able to know the working class. They should register through their associations and the associations will now forward their paper to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) or the State Security. There is every need for us to partner with each other; we need to be together and to be having a kind of re-orientation everyday.Pointing out that nobody can fight crime all alone, she assured that the only thing that can reduce crime is unity of the people. If we are united, the issue of crime would be reduced. Our problems would be heard and unemployment would be taken care of.And the way I see Nigeria is that we are growing up. Since we are growing up and evolving, it is not possible for one to fight crime. And the Police cannot fight crime alone. All the security holders cannot fight crime alone. We should start fighting crime from our own home and in the office. The family can begin by knowing the problem; know where your children are going to; know where they are coming from; know the society they belong to; know what they are doing and caution them in everything.The system is the problem in Nigeria. We started very late; though, we are evolving, coming up and very soon, we are not going to be third world countries anymore but among like western world by the grace of God, Maijeh stated.On how they have been talking security through Chase, she said, they are out for the good of the society. We publicise every ill and evil of the society. We are never afraid of any security agents. We come out without favour; we owe nobody nothing and we report straight.Princess pointed out that their aim is just to ensure that they chase crime in a beautiful way without doing harm to people or kill. But she queried rhetorically: Why cant crime be arrested without much killingAccording to her, they sampled opinions on the whole of Africa that: if you arrest an armed robber, do you kill the armed robber instantly Some of opinions said they should be shot straight and for some, it was they shouldnt be shot. So, which way forward What do we do Why do we have crime There are so many questions concerning it, she further stated.In addition to the seminars and workshops, they also target crime reduction by bringing people together; knowing their problems and why they resort to crimes through our pastoral column. We have pastoral column that is used to counsel people so that they would not get involved in crimes, she stressed.Of the success of the programme, she said: My joy is that those we invited for this seminar turned out in quantity and quality. The Customs, Immigration, the Police, the Airforce were around but others do not come. The problem we have is that people dont always like to attend security seminar as if they would be arrested or have committed any crime.
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