Experts proffer solutions to Nigeria’s security challenges

Our Reporter

EXPERTS across diverse fields have called for drastic changes to Nigeria’s safety and security architecture to enable relevant agencies to meet with modern challenges.

The experts, drawn from the academia and the armed forces, spoke at a two-day conference organised by Caleb University, Imota, Lagos State, and entitled, ‘Peoples-Centred Security Sector Reform in Nigeria: Architecture, Policy, Doctrine, Organisation, Laws, Budget and Technology.’

The experts included a former General Officer Commanding Training and Doctrine Command, Minna and Executive Director, PANAFSTRAG, Maj-Gen Ishola Williams (retd.); a Professor of Criminology and Sociology of Law, Prof Etanibi Alemika (represented by Dr. Ayodele Olabisi of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife); Dean, College of Arts, Social and Management Sciences, Caleb University, Prof Olufemi Onabanjo; and Prof Gabriel Emecheta of the Department of Accounting.

At the conference, declared open by Caleb University Ag. Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nosa Owens-Ibie, the experts listed the corrosive influence of corruption, reliance on outdated policing techniques, low budgeting for safety and security, rivalry among security agencies, under-reporting by journalists, deployment of soldiers to internal security duties and absence of state and community policing as key challenges facing the sector in Nigeria.

Williams in his paper titled, ‘Thoughts on Safety and Security Sector Architecture and Reform for Nigeria: A Human Security Approach,’ urged security agencies to use drones and sophisticated technology even as he called for a review of the system inherited from the British at independence.

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In his presentation titled, ‘Insecurity and the Imperative of Security Sector Reform in Nigeria,’ Alemika called for a reduction of security agencies and their roles to avoid duplication and conflicts.

Emecheta, who spoke on, ‘Using Biometrics to Protect Customers of Firms against Criminals,’ stressed the need for banks to adopt new methods to make it “easier to detect and prevent fraudulent activity.”