Anyone who has been reading the news in the last few weeks will no doubt notice the resurgence of violent crimes. It is as if kidnappers have chosen to go on a rampage at the same time in different parts of the country.
This week alone, there were at least three reported cases of violent kidnappings in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory, with several families abducted. Kidnappers abducted 10 people from Sagwari Estate Layout at Dutse in Bwari Area Council on January 7, 2024. The abductors demanded N700 million per person and killed two of their victims to show their seriousness. One of those killed Nabeeha, a 21-year-old final-year university student. The police announced their release on January 21 without any mention of the ransom paid.
In the South-West part of Nigeria, kidnappers killed two prominent monarchs in a failed abduction bid on January 29. The heinous attack, which took place in the Oke-Ako area of Ikole Local Government Area of the state, left several other victims with life-threatening injuries.
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The same day, criminals attacked a school bus conveying pupils of Apostolic Faith Nursery/Primary School, in Emure-Ekiti, and abducted an unspecified number of pupils. The school children have not been found up till now. A day earlier, a commercial driver was killed by armed bandits in the Ayebode area of the state. Akin Rotimi, the House of Representatives member for the area, wept intermittently while moving a motion on the floor of the house on the urgent need to address the rising tide of insecurity in his state.
Rotimi may have wept for the state of insecurity in his state, but his action echoed the general mood in the country about the resurgence of insecurity. Criminals, bandits and terrorists are kidnapping at will and forcing families of their victims to pay huge ransoms while security forces appear powerless.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, responded by setting up the Special Intervention Squad to patrol and secure communities within the various borders of the FCT, and intervening to curb and mitigate violent attacks in the FCT.
The Police had revealed in late 2023 that 40,000 operatives of the Special Intervention Squad would be deployed to 10 pilot states after undergoing training. It also revealed that the commanders of the proposed squad will be trained in Mexico.
But Nigerians, who feel their lives threatened daily by marauding bandits, are getting impatient with the police and other security forces. They feel the security forces are overwhelmed.
FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, revealed just last week that security agencies do not have the right equipment and vehicles to fight insecurity. And this is despite security getting the largest budgetary allocations for several years in the last 15 years!
The resurgence of violent kidnapping and banditry, and the obvious inability of security agencies to stop them is a reminder that Nigeria cannot run away from the issue of state police.
Many experts and public commentators have suggested state police as a panacea for insecurity in the country. Major politicians and political parties in the country, including the ruling All Progressive Congress, have also advocated for state police.
So what is stopping the APC from amending the constitution and allowing states to set up their own police system for the proper protection of the people? Nigeria has been fighting insecurity and insurgency since 2009 without any indication that it is winning.
Several states across geo-political zones of the country have already set up their own internal security outfits to fight banditry, kidnappings and other crimes. There is Amotekun in the South West, Ebube Agu in the South East while the North has Hisbah and community watches in many states.
But the various outfits are ineffective in preventing crimes because they are not allowed to carry arms. The Nigeria Police Force, and to some extent, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps are the agencies constitutionally responsible for internal security in the country. This is the time to allow the establishment of state police to halt the march towards a state of anarchy.
The relevance of state police daily continues to stare us in the face. There is an overwhelming demand for state police to fill the gap which currently exists in the country’s policing architecture. The NPF tried to address the agitation for state police when it promised community policing during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure, but the initiative has come to nothing as criminals continue to invade different communities across the country.
On Monday while reacting to the Ekiti killings, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election called on President Tinubu to wake up and tackle the challenges. He stated on X (formerly Twitter), “We call on Tinubu to wake up from his sleeping bed and save Nigeria from total collapse. Don’t speak up today. Tomorrow, insecurity might consume you or a loved one.”
His Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, also criticized the president for travelling abroad on a private visit when insecurity was heightening. He stated on Tuesday in a statement on X, “If the shoes are too big for Emilokan, he should step aside. Nigeria does not need another tourist-in-chief. The country needs 24/7 leadership to confront the pervasive insecurity and collapsing economy.”
With due respect to the ex-presidential candidates, it’s obvious to everyone that Nigeria is suffering from a systemic problem. Many have argued that a central police force like the NPF and other security forces are ill-equipped to solve security challenges across the country. Police and service chiefs have been changed several times but the problems have not changed. That is a sign that the problem is deeper than the solutions that have been offered.
Nigeria is supposed to be a federation but it does not exhibit the features of true federalism due to the absence of state police. In other federations like Nigeria, the federal and state police units complement each other for optimal security provision. This is why Nigerians are suffering from the current state of insecurity.
Tinubu has been an advocate of state police. This is the time to walk the talk. The opposition must encourage him to do the right thing.