By Ola Agbaje, Christopher Oji and Chioma Igbokwe
EXPERTS said yesterday that the forthcoming security summit jointly organized by the Nigeria Police and The Sun Publishing Limited is a welcome intervention at time when the nation is facing serious security challenges. The event will hold in Abuja on August 17.
The experts opined that the summit would provide an avenue for experts to exchange views on how to rescue the nation from its teething security problems.
Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Adeola Adeniji, described the summit as a timely intervention and most welcome development.
According to Adeniji, the summit will offer a viable platform to address the teething security challenges facing the nation with a view to proffer solutions that will ultimately lead to the much-desired peace, development and growth.
“Security is a collective responsibility. Everybody must prepare to be his brother’s keeper, because it is fundamental to peace and growth.
“The summit should seek ways to encourage corporate bodies and wealthy individuals to offer assistance in the areas of supporting and strengthening logistics and training of personnel.
“The idea of taking a critical appraisal of evolving community-based approach to security on the country is heartwarming.
“Criminals are not ghosts, they don’t come from the moon. They live in our midst across the various communities. A community-based approach to security is most crucial especially in the area of intelligence gathering and whistle blowing on the activities of criminals in their localities.
“The summit should seek ways of encouraging mutual trust and confidence between the people and our various security agencies,” he said.
A retired police commissioner (CP), Olyinka Balogun, who is now Security Adviser to Ogun State Governor, praised the Inspector- General of Police (IGP), Mr. Solomon Arase and The Sun for organizing the security summit.
He said: “First and foremost, what concerns everybody is worth discussing, security is one of the most important issues that concerns us. Those who are organizing the summit are responding to the societal wellbeing.
“When we are discussing such an important issue as security, everybody should be involved. The issue of security concerns the president, governors, and the ordinary man on the street. Everybody should be represented in the summit.
“The summit should involve people of like minds who will compare notes and discuss what is germane. From the discussions, some vital facts regarding solutions will be proffered.
“IGP Arase and The Sun management should be commended for bringing out the topic because we need a safer Nigeria.
“One thing that must be discussed is the strength of the Nigeria police.
“The strength of Nigeria Police is too low. I suggest that more money be made available to the Police. The Police should increase their strength. If we have 160 million population, the strength of the Nigeria Police should be one million.
“We need more men who will cover more places. If you go to our various police stations, you find out that we have as low as 10 policemen and it will be easy for 20 hoodlums to overrun the station. The police strength must be addressed, especially in volatile and border areas.
“Another important issue is community policing. It is a very cardinal issue that must be discussed. Everybody should be involved in policing the country. I am happy that some states like Lagos, Edo, Ekiti and Ogun are really supporting the police. They go as far as giving stipends to the force. They provide logistics for the police. Government cannot do it alone, so private individuals and corporate organizations should be involved in security matters.
“The Boko Haram sect would not have wreaked more havoc as it did if members of the public are involved in policing the country. Members of the public see the issue of security as a police responsibility. The issue of community policing should be discussed,” he said.
Also, retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Ade Ajakaiye, described the summit as an intervention that is coming at the most appropriate time.
“The political atmosphere in the country is ripe for this kind of summit. We have a President who is most committed and passionate about tackling both the economic and security problems in the country.
“Everybody desires peace and it is security that can guarantee peace for all which is required for our individual and corporate growth. The summit will address core security chain, which involves the police, the people and the government. This is where the community-based approach to security which I understand would be extensively discussed at the summit is most fundamental,” Ajakaiye said.
Also commenting, Assistant Inspector- General of Police (AIG), Donald Iroham (retd), said: “Wow!, the summit is definitely coming at the right time. Partnership with the public engenders positive output in policing. Police must partner the civil populace, other security agencies including traditional institutions in order to make meaningful impact.
“The Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) and the community policing paradigm shift may be required and there is no better person to swing it than IGP Arase, who is a tested officer. The police must bend backwards to solicit cooperation with different strata of the society to enhance effectiveness and efficiency.
“The summit should talk about the necessity to build a police force that should be in a position to have the capacity to solve crimes, a force that its members have dignity, good housing, decent wages, and working environment.
The police force that will be exposed to modern policing techniques consonant with international best practices.
“They should talk on the scrapping of many quasi-agencies on security that compound policing by duplication of functions,” he said.
Pioneer Director of Investigation and Operations, National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and first Head of Enforcement, NAFDAC, Col Robert Nwako (rtd), also said the National Security Summit 2015 is very much timely because of the security challenges on ground.
The summit, he said, should look at the participation of communities in enhancing security.
The security expert said the summit should come up with the modalities on how vigilance groups in the communities will partner security agencies for secured communities, states, and Nigeria. According to him, the communities know very well those who live there, and any criminal would be easily identified.