From Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
Despite an array of legal documents purportedly crafted to checkmate insecurity, crimes and criminalities, Nigeria still doesn’t have an enunciated security policy.
This was the observation of former Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Dikko Abubakar, at a roundtable session on the challenges of insecurity in Sokoto State and its neighbors held at the Presidential Banquet Hall of Government House, Sokoto.
This remark later elicited a way out of the legal quagmire as Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, other security chiefs and stakeholders agreed that the country’s constitution needs to be overhauled along with the criminal justice system.
According to Dikko, notwithstanding the preponderance of legal documents such as the Nigerian Army Act (1960), the National Security Agencies Decree No. 19 (1986), the 1999 Constitution and the National Security Strategy (2014) among others, mandated to protect, promote and enhance “Nigeria’s security and national interests,” the country is yet to have a security policy arising from its History, Experience and Reality (HER).
According to the communiqué issued at the end of the roundtable session, which theme was: “Strategies For Counter-Measures And Peaceful Development,” states should be given powers to exercise ‘internal security measures’ that entail forest guard, surveillance and employment of alternative police.
“The state governments should put in place effective security coordinating system that will interface between security agencies and community based agents. There should be effective partnership between stakeholders in an effort to bridge the gap between security agents and the citizens.
“The state governments should invest in aforestation, development of dams and ensure effective water management as well as improve agro support system…[and] invest more in social infrastructure and economic empowerment,” the communiqué stated, a statement signed by Muhammad Bello, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity also quoted the communique as saying, there should be efficient synergy between and among security agencies. In addition, the government should effectively equip, provide modern technology and ensure effective manpower training for security officers
