The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has condemned the creation and arming of militias by some governors to fight terrorists invading communities in their states, describing the move as recipe for more terror.
It said such action would only worsen the security situation in the country as more firearms would end up in the wrong hands.
Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa gave the warning at a workshop for journalists on “Defence Anti-Corruption Reportage, Civic Space, and Oversight” held in Lagos.
According to him, instead of taking unconstitutional actions, governors should prevail on their federal lawmakers to amend the constitution to allow for the creation of state and local police.
Musa also said they should demand security sector reform and follow through with it, insisting that accountability and transparency in the sector would curb insecurity.
Noting the trillions of naira channelled to defence and security since 2015, Musa lamented that there had not been much progress as hundreds of people have been killed and kidnapped.
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The CISLAC boss expressed worries over the proliferation of small and large weapons, wondering how such heavy equipment enter the country and end up with criminals without the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) intercepting them.
He urged journalists to probe activities of the NCS in order to find out why they keep seizing bags of rice while firearms and other dangerous weapons slip through to terrorists.
He said: “Small and heavy arms continue to come into the country, where is the Customs? Why is NCS focusing on chasing rice when the serious issue is arm proliferations? We have Customs at seaports, airports, and borders, yet these dangerous items keep coming into the country.
“The army, the police, the Customs and other security agencies have the responsibilities to ensure our country is protected. NCS has a role to play in bringing both legal and illegal arms into the country. Where are the containers of weapons seized by Customs? They should be accounted for.”
“Corruption thrives in the security sector because people do not have information or know the laws. One of the greatest leakages is around our borders. We have over 120 gangs in Zamfara State alone. We have a poor border management system…
“We must not sit and watch a corrupt few embezzle monies meant for the welfare of security personnel, and procurement of arms and ammunition while the challenges of insecurity continue to threaten our very existence. “Many people known and unknown to us have been killed, maimed, kidnapped, and robbed of their loved ones, property, and sources of livelihood. Terrorist attacks and kidnappings for outrageous ransom have become a norm in Nigeria. The question is: who the next victim will be?