A former Minister of Defence, Aliyu Gusau, has attributed the rising cases of insecurity to Nigeria’s complex nature, stressing that the nation is too complex to be secured by the police alone.
This was as a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George, says Nigeria has found itself grappling with a dangerous situation following the recent spike in kidnappings in the country.
Gusau, speaking on Wednesday at the Community Protection Guard graduation ceremony, a community-based security outfit established by the Zamfara State Government, said there was a need to rethink the country’s security strategy.
Gusau said, “With an estimated population of 223.8 million, and a diverse terrain covering 923,768 square kilometers, Nigeria is a difficult country to secure. Therefore, expecting a single police force to patrol and control such a large and complex nation effectively is a very tall order indeed. The time has come for us to rethink this strategy in the best interest of our country.
Currently, innocent lives are lost daily as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, organised crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and cultism become the order of the day in theatres across Nigeria. While perpetrators now act with impunity, additional deployment of the military to hotspots has not achieved the desired results.
“However, for it to succeed, strategic consideration should be given to creating appropriate support structures across the board. We must understand that security is a community effort and the responsibility of all, not only the police or armed forces.”
