RECENTLY, the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin said the security situation in the country was not as bad as being portrayed outside the country. Explaining the purported exaggeration of the security situation, the CDS averred that 'out of the 36 states in the country, it is only in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and part of Bauchi that security is threatened but the other 32 states are calm'. He was in Lagos to inaugurate the joint maritime security training centre at Ojo.WHAT the CDS would want to make Nigerians believe is that Kogi, Gombe Niger, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto,Taraba, to mention but a few, are 'calm' and security there is not threatened. We would have excused this goof if it was made by a novice. We are, however, disappointed that such a statement emanated from a high-profile professional of the status of the Chief of Defence Staff. By the statement, Air Chief Marshal Petinrin has given a very defective interpretation of the current security challenges in the country.THE security problem in the country is not restricted to the Boko Haram insurgency. We have serious problems of sophisticated armed robberies, particularly in the banks, serial cases of kidnapping, vandalism of energy and power infrastructure and assassinations to mention but a few. These are not restricted to any of the six geopolitical zones in the country. Even the reports of foreign media on the security situation in the country have focused exclusively on Boko Haram to the neglect of other crimes plaguing the country. We can, therefore, not support any allegation of exaggeration of the nation's security problems outside the country.THE security of the citizen is the foundation of the security of the state from internal subversion and external aggression. For far too long, internal security policy has not been based on this fundamental truth. The result has been that the citizens, especially in Nigerian cities and urban areas, live in mortal fear of criminals who strike at will, in homes and on the streets, in broad daylight and in the dead of the night. Many citizens have had to turn what would be pleasurable homes into fortresses, all in an effort to keep off robbers. The more fortified the buildings, the more daring and desperate the robbers become. IN the face of all this, the citizen, whose home is being attacked, is helpless. And their neighbours, who are themselves just as vulnerable, are too scared to offer any help. The police, poorly equipped, poorly motivated and thinly dispersed have not been able to check the menace of the robbers who are often armed with superior weapons. This is the situation that internal security policy must be designed to address, the basic problem being how to secure the person and property of the citizen. For without such security, the goal of internal security will prove illusory. The possibility of arrest and prosecution is one of the more effective deterrents against crime. The greater this possibility, the greater its deterrent value. Therefore, the logical point of ensuring the security of the person is an effective organisation, training and equipment of the security agencies to fight crime and criminals.IN the determination to guarantee the citizen an atmosphere of safety and security, the police needs to be re-organised and modernised. The police reform report should not be allowed to gather dust like its predecessor reports. The police officers and men should be motivated and their self-esteem enhanced, so that they can discharge their duties with greater commitment, efficiency and public respect. We do not support the agitations for state police. Rather, within the existing framework, the police force will have to be expanded and strengthened, so that it can be deployed more effectively. It is imperative to have better funding of the police, better pay for their men and women, better welfare for their families, better training facilities and operational equipment, greater discipline, professionalism and integrity in the conduct of policemen.NEW strategies should be evolved for the prevention of crime and apprehension of criminals. It is common knowledge that at present, only a few of the neighbourhoods are effectively patrolled. At best, visiting patrol teams merely drive through the neighbourhoods, on visits that are few far between, and ineffective in fighting crime. With the expansion and strengthening of the police, highly mobile patrol teams armed with reliable communication equipment should increasingly be stationed in the neighbourhood long enough for them to know the areas and be known by residents. Formation of community and neighbourhoods associations, under which members of the community and the police meet regularly and discuss security issues, should be greatly encouraged. Since violent crime is, in part, a product of social and economic conditions, we urge the government to ensure that public policy is directed at improving these conditions. ABOVE all, internal security is predicated on good and responsive governance, one that enjoys the confidence and support of the broad masses of the people. Government business should be conducted at all times in a manner that can win and retain this support. Specifically, the Federal Government should show more serious concern on the issue of crushing poverty, the provocative rates of unemployment, hunger and hopelessness. The youth today think that government does not care about them and their future. This is dangerous. More dangerous is the belief of several young people that violence or armed struggle is the only language the government understands. The government needs to convene Nigerian experts to strategise on the current precarious internal security in the country.
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