Security Expert Kabir Adamu has said that there is a correlation between the deterioration of Nigeria’s economy and the rise of criminality in the country.
Adamu said this in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, while speaking on the rise of insecurity in the country.
“The fragility of the States is a fact. I am almost 100 percent certain that when it comes to the fragility of the state, unfortunately we are dealing with a challenge that we need to meet. I also want to make it clear here that I don’t need anything new. Let’s comply with the provisions for security.
“I’ve been in circumstances where the conversation is actually that if we need to solve the security challenge, we need to make sure the local governments are effective and operational. Also, with the economic circumstances in the country at the moment, there is a positive correlation between the deterioration in our economic circumstances and the insecurity. There is a need to look at the economic circumstances and the positive correlation with the rise in criminality across the states.”
The security expert also said the inability to understand that their powers are limited is a major danger that exists with the proliferation of the state, local or community level security groups.
“There is a provision within the police act and by virtue of that act, the police have the mandate to not only register but to support where the constitution allows it, the issuance of specific kinds of weapons to those groups, to train them so that they understand where their power starts and where it ends. This is the major danger that exists with the proliferation of these types of state level and local or community level groups. The inability to understand that their powers are limited perhaps, just to the gathering of intelligence and maybe the ability to detain or arrest and then maybe to hand over to the more formal agencies or departments for prosecution.
“What we have seen in the past is that they assume that the power to prosecute is usually extra judicial and that is where the problem is. I think the police need to step in and act on that provision within its mandate.”
He also called on the Police Force to develop a checklist of requirements to be met by the newly formed security bodies in the country on every level.
“The Police should develop a checklist of the requirements that any state, local government or registered body needs to meet before it launches and, in that list, I want to see elements around profiling, the collection of biometrics, the safeguards including guarantors of good standing.
“The situation is dire and we need a multi-faceted, all of society and all of government approach. But however, the first reality on ground is that our constitution still has security in the exclusive list which means only the federal government as it were, has responsibility for security, even though there are some odd peculiarities within the constitution, for example there are still provisions that allows for governors to receive the security vote. There are still provisions that allow the governors to cheer the state security console.
“The second reality is the fact that my company has documented at least 15 states that have passed legislation for the creation of their state level security formation in spite of the first element that security is in the exclusive list. So, I believe that is a constitutional lacuna. Perhaps, constitutional lawyers will clarify to us how that is possible. But they have gone ahead and passed legislation. What we did is to document the number of the state level security operatives. At the moment, we have been able to document about fifty thousand of them.
“The third reality is that outside of these 15 states, out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria, there is virtually none that does not have one or the other form of vigilante or some form of security. In addition to these local government security arrangements, we also have ethnic groupings that have formed themselves into ethnic militias and for all intents and purposes are now operating in what we have categorized as non-state armed groups who are not recognized by a state but are operating.
“There is a provision within the police act and by virtue of that act, the police have the mandate to not only register but to support where the constitution allows it, the issuance of specific kinds of weapons to those groups, to train them so that they understand where their power starts and where it ends. This is the major danger that exists with the proliferation of these types of state level and local or community level groups. The inability to understand that their powers are limited perhaps, just to the gathering of intelligence and maybe the ability to detain or arrest and then maybe to hand over to the more formal agencies or departments for prosecution. What we have seen in the past is that they assume that power to prosecute and it is usually extra judicial and that I where the problem is. I think the police need to step in and act on that provision within its mandate.”
Chioma Kalu
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