Ifeanyi Izeze Friday
The unbridled kidnapping, violent armed robberies and other heinous crimes being perpetrated with impunity across the country, do not show a government that is in charge, nor a country that is at peace with itself. What are they governing if people even the poor amongst us cannot freely move around for fear of being shot dead or kidnapped? Is governance not about people (the governed) and their welfare which includes security? In a nation where almost all the infrastructures in every sector of its daily existence have completely collapsed, what remains for such a country to labeled a failed state?
Why can't this agendaless administration just zero-in on only two sectors-security and power, rather than dissipating its energy in every area without making impact in any except fraud and corruption?
Truth be told, the inactivity or the inability of the police, the State Security Service (SSS) and even the Civil Defense to be more proactive and sincere in addressing the general state of insecurity across the country is an fallout of the serial failures of our leadership on issues that affects the ordinary citizens.
It is a big shame that it took the Police IG and his high command the kidnapping of four journalists to wake up their ideas on squaring up to the now obvious national security embarrassment. Many innocent and hardworking (of also including politicians) Nigerians had faced the same or even worse fate in the past. The past action or inaction of the Federal Government especially the police could best be described as indifferent. Had the Federal Government taken a serious and decisive action initially when the kidnapping began, the kidnappers probably wouldn't have gotten this sophisticated.
From exhibited pretentious indications, it appears that this recent episode of kidnapping might be the answer to the prayer(s)of the people of this country especially from the Southeast as it seems to have stoke and spur the government to live up to its duty of providing security for its citizens.
The call by genuinely concern Nigerians especially from the south east for the re-introduction of the Bakassi Boys as a better alternative to Police and other security agencies was a clear indictment on government and the people operating it.
Unlike armed robbery which is sudden, almost unpredictable, and short timed, kidnapping is a more time-dragging enterprise that involves several rounds of calls and answers (in negotiation) between the kidnappers and their victims' contacts. It is majorly a GSM crime.
So why is the police and the SSS not taking advantage of the time span involved to, in collaboration with the telecom companies, track phone calls and use that to zero in, isolate and pinpoint localities where these criminals may be operating from? Or should we assume that such technology does not yet exist in Nigeria or assume that the police knows where the crooks are but are not interested in arresting them for whatever reason, best known to them?
The SSS in itself, in my opinion, seems to be defectively structured. The organization is supposed to be the Nigerian equivalent of the American FBI and the British MI5. How come that the Nigerian SSS functions only within and around State House, Abuja; around state governors and their government houses?
What actually is the day to day function of the SSS? What is the actual work in specific terms, of the SSS? Is it only to hound down political opponents of those misruling this country?
Is the SSS not supposed to be interfacing with the Police on exchange of intelligence? Infact do they actually gather intelligence on issues pertaining to the security of lives and property of the ordinary Nigerians apart from hanging around the President and governors? And if they do, who receive such information- the police or state governors?
If it does not exit, the now hydra-headed spate of violent armed robberies, kidnapping, even issues of human trafficking and oil bunkering, has made it pertinent for both the Police and the SSS to interface for a cooperative fight against crimes and criminals who are on daily basis becoming sophisticated for our analog and not very honest Police Force.
Anybody who has travelled to the southeast and south south in recent times would obviously agree that the people were right to ask for an alternative to the present Nigerian police. In the region where people are snatched everyday, there are police and joint military task force checkpoints at less than one kilometer intervals across the entire stretch of almost all the major interstate roads even within major towns. So no bi the rat weh deh house deh go tell the one weh deh bush say fish don enter house? Abeg, let's call a spade!
Traditional rulers are also part of this security problem. The Oba of Benin deserves a national honour for his sincere approach to tackling kidnapping and violent armed robbery in Edo state. The problem is that there are no such traditional rulers in the southeast and in the southsouth, traditional rulers have lost their respect and reverence because of oil money. The security agencies especially the SSS not Police, should thorough background check on the local chiefs and their assistants in these hot spots to find out the part(s) they play in these criminal acts. Deposing and pushing these men of high standing in the community, if they are collaborators in this criminal enterprise, would help to teach others a lesson, too. Afterall, these criminal elements live somewhere -in the town (s) where these local chiefs and their assistants rule.
Onovo's excuse that the police are very conscious of their operations in a democratic environment and must ensure accountability and responsibility in their operations, is nothing but an expression of a disabled mindset. Nobody is saying the Police should go and destroy entire village. With adequate intelligence, there shouldn't be any need for that, not even the ongoing house-house search in Obioma--ngwa area where the journalists were kidnapped.
The problem is that the police have zero capacity to gather intelligence or investigate criminal activities. Nothing best captures police expertise in this regard than a satire on the web that: There was a competition among various Nigerian security agencies on their level of intelligence gathering capabilities. Two dogs were released into a nearby bush in a fenced compound and each agency was asked to find where the dogs were. When it came to the turn of the police, they didn't even bother to enter the bush at all. The policemen simply arrested two goats, took them to their station and beat them to the stupor and the goats confessed in writing that they were the dogs the policemen were looking for.This is not funny at all. If you visit our police station you will know what I mean. As at Friday 16 July morning, over 800 kidnappers have been arrested by the Police in Ngwa area of Abia and yet no iota of clue on the where about of the four journalists. Hip! Hip! Hip; Hurray! After now, what happens next? Everybody (security agencies) will go back to sleep, abi?
IFEANYI IZEZE IS AN ABUJA-BASED CONSULTANT ON STRATEGY AND COMMUNICATION
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