The Nation Newspaper

Tag: INSECURITY

  • Tambuwal, Fayemi seek global efforts on insecurity in Africa

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and Ekiti State Governor,’ Dr Kayode Fayemi, have drawn global attention to insecurity in some parts of Africa.

    They said tackling insecurity in the continent requires urgent intervention of world leaders.

    Tambuwal and Fayemi spoke in Brussels, Belgium at the weekend during the opening session of the Crans Montana forum with the theme: “The impact of Sahelo-Saharan crisis on African security, economy and political stability.”

    Tambuwal, who chaired the session, observed that the crises in the Sahelian region of Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Libya and Sudan as well as Boko Haram in Nigeria required global efforts to address instead of reducing them to problems for the affected countries.

    He commended the organisers of the forum for “providing a platform where people from across the world come together to discuss how to make Africa a better place to live.”

    The Speaker said: “Being the emerging economy that we all agree that it is, the security upheavals in Africa, especially the Sahelian region, have to be addressed. We have to discuss and proffer solutions to the problem.”

    Fayemi, who was one of the main speakers at the forum, spoke on the Boko Haram perspective to insecurity in parts of northern Nigeria.

    For Nigeria, Fayemi noted that the Boko Haram menace gained momentum because the government had not demonstrated the seriousness to identify and penalise suspects to serve as a deterrent.

    Fayemi identified the three strands of Boko Haram, which he described as economic Boko Haram, political Boko Haram and religious Boko Haram.

    The governor claimed that out of the three, the economic Boko Haram was more devastating because lack of economic opportunities had made it possible for those with political and religious agenda to exploit an army of idle hands to recruit for their selfish intentions.

    The governor said: “To find solutions, therefore, there has to be a holistic and international response.”

     

  • Nigeria will not develop amidst insecurity – Bauchi governor

    Nigeria will not develop amidst insecurity – Bauchi governor

    Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has warned that Nigeria will never witness any significant development amidst insecurity and violence.

    Yuguda gave the warning while answering questions from journalists during a one day visit to Yola on Friday.

    “Those that are creating the insecurity problems in the country should appreciate the fact that with more insecurity, we will never experience any meaningful progress.

    “We can never secure jobs amidst crisis and if you don’t have jobs, you should not expect peace and development,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Yuguda as saying during the visit.

    He identified unemployment rate, especially among the youths in the country, as factor responsible for poverty and security challenges facing the country.

    According to him, the way out of present security challenges in the country is to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths that are roaming the streets.

    Yuguda called the attention of Nigerians to the fact that any country that lack peace cannot attract foreign investors to that country.

     

  • ACN, ANPP condemn insecurity

    ACN, ANPP condemn insecurity

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday expressed shock at the killing of Kwara State Commissioner of Police Chinwike Asadu.

    In seperate reactions by their spokesmen, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and Emma Eneukwu respectively, the parties accused the Federal Government of not doing enough to protect lives and properties.

    The ACN described the death of the police chief as a reinforcement of its belief that ‘Nigeria is fast becoming a failed state.’

    In a statement in Lagos yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said if such a high ranking security officer can be so cheaply gunned down, no one is safe.

    It called on the police high command to ensure that the killers are apprehended and brought to justice to prevent a recurrence.

    Stating why it is imperative to arrest the perpetrators and bring the full weight of the law to bear on them, the ACN said nothing portrays a nation as a failed state more than when security agents, on whose shoulders lie the responsibility of protecting lives and property, themselves become easy targets for criminals.

    The party said: ‘’Because of their onerous tasks, the police personnel and other security agents deserve a reinforced level of security.

    “They need to be alive and well before they can protect the lives and property of others. That is why one of the indices of a failed state is anarchy, which starts when security agents become targets of attacks and criminal elements overwhelm state security apparatus

    ‘’Attacks on police and military formations; killing of security agents; out-of-control armed robbery and pervasive kidnapping just to mention a few of the security challenges facing our nation are pointers to the fact that our country is fast becoming a failed state, irrespective of what government apologists may say or the spin they may put on things.

    ‘’No one is happy to have his/her country labelled a failed state. But the truth of the matter is that Nigeria of today is exhibiting all the indices of a failed state, whether it is group grievance, economic decline or worsening public services.

    “That is why Nigeria has consistently been in the top 20, since 2009, of the failed states rankings – in the same class as Somalia, Afghanistan, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Chad, just to name a few.

    ‘’Much as we have all concentrated on the Boko Haram insurgence, the truth is that the spike in violent crimes, the ease with which kidnappers operate at the time and place of their choosing and rising cases of unresolved assassinations are equally, if not more, terrible, and will push us up the rankings among failed states if nothing is done urgently to check the developments.’’

    The party urged the Federal Government to utilise the energy, which it has allegedly been wasting on dismissing those calling Nigeria a failed state, to improve the security and welfare of the citizenry, and address age-long injustices and absence of governance in many parts of the country.

     

  • ‘Good governance, panacea for insecurity’

    ‘Good governance, panacea for insecurity’

    Rotary club has said installing the right set of people at various leadership positions in Nigeria would bring about an enduring peace in the country.

    Dr. Georgiana Ngeri-Nwagha stated this during a lecture by  Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, District 9140, to mark 2013 World Peace and Understanding Day, entitled “ensuring an enduring peace in Nigeria”, held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday.

    Ngeri-Nwagha observed the decay in moral and family values as main factors responsible for the increase in corruption, insecurity and unemployment rates in Nigeria.

    She also cited “decline in educational system, promotion of gospel of materialism by religious leaders, the entrenchment of culture of corruption and greed in the society and the failure of the government to cater for the welfare of its citizens and ingrained injustices and inequality in society” as some more reasons.

    Ngeri-Nwagha, who lamented lack of social and basic amenities in the communities, regretted that rather than the government addressing the main cause of kidnapping and Boko Haram insurgencies in the country, it is busy chasing shadows.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Insecurity: State police a must, says Deputy Senate President

    Insecurity: State police a must, says Deputy Senate President

    Deputy Senate President, Dr Ike Ekwerenmadu, has made a case for reforms in the country’s security system to ensure effective policing of its populace.

    Ekwerenmadu who delivered a lecture titled Policing and National Security in Nigeria: the Choice Before Us, at the 2013 annual lecture of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka said it would be wrong for Nigeria to move into another century as it prepares its centenary celebration without looking for a way to reshape her security.

    The deputy senate president said: “Since state police is not only justified but an imperative now than ever, I suggest that the system, if introduced, would serve a purpose and allay the fears expressed by some Nigerians.”

    He said that the country cannot afford to carry over the security challenges of this era to another 100 years.

    Outlining the challenges of the Nigeria Police Force, Ekwerenmadu named inadequate manpower, lack of equipment and security infrastructure, poor remuneration and corruption in the centralised police system as some of the problems plaguing the police.

    He argued that most Nigerians were merely afraid of the name, state police, but said he is more at home with the name, decentralised police.

    “US has over 850 kinds of police, and what we do not know is that vigilance groups, Hisbah in Kano, Bakassi Boys in the East are all forms of decentralised police, and the state funds them. So, we should not fear about funding.”

    He concluded that there is no crime-free country in the world, but that all Nigeria needs is to detect and punish offenders for investors to flood the country.

  • Insecurity: UK warns citizens against traveling to Nigeria

    Insecurity: UK warns citizens against traveling to Nigeria

    Britain advised its citizens on Wednesday against travelling to several regions in northern Nigeria, after an increase in attacks blamed on Islamist militants and the abduction of several foreigners earlier this month, Reuters reports.

    Gunmen killed a security guard and abducted a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers after storming the compound of Lebanese construction firm Setraco in Bauchi State on February 16.

    It was the worst case of foreigners being kidnapped in the mostly northern part of Nigeria since an insurgency by Boko Haram intensified two years ago.

    Britain upped its travel risk ratings on Wednesday, advising against any travel to Bauchi State and Okene in Kogi State where militants last month attacked Nigerian troops who were bound for Mali to counter an Islamist insurgency.

    It also advised against ” all-but-essential travel” to Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, a statement from the foreign office said.

    Attacks by Islamist groups in northern Nigeria have become the biggest threat to stability in the country.

    Western governments are concerned the militants may link up with groups elsewhere in the region, including al Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM, especially given the conflict in nearby Mali.

    France sent troops to Mali last month to help oust Islamist rebels.

    Islamist group Ansaru claimed responsibility for the Setraco raid in Bauchi and the Okene attack.

    The Setraco raid was “based on the transgression and atrocities done to the religion of Allah by the European countries in many places such as Afghanistan and Mali,” said the group, which has kidnapped other foreigners in Nigeria in the past.

     

  • APC will rid Nigeria of corruption, other vices – Shekarau

    APC will rid Nigeria of corruption, other vices – Shekarau

    A former presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau, has said the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC) will rid the country of corruption and other social vices.

    He stated that the party, which comprised “people of like minds,” will chart a new course for Nigeria and her citizens.

    Shekarau spoke at the induction and investiture ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), held at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, at the weekend.

    The event was organized to formally usher in the new national president of the body, Major. Gen. Umaru Usman (rtd) and his deputy, Mr. Frank Nneji, who were elected in May last year.

    Besides Usman and Nneji, several others, including the Managing Director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Mr. Adeseyi Sijuwade, an engineer, were also inducted into the body.

    “The APC has been defined in several quarters as ‘Armoured Personnel Carrier’ which has come to dismantle every elements of corruption in the land. It will breathe new life into our society and send packing those that had stalled our progress both as a nation and as citizens, “he said amidst a chorus of laughter from the gathering.

    However, the former Kano State governor, refused to disclose the strategies the party will adopt in ridding the country of graft.

    “Wait until the manifesto of APC is out, after that we will tell Nigerians how we are going to wage war against corruption in the land,” he said.

    On the prevailing insecurity in the land, the ANPP stalwart said: “We shall be addressing this soonest. I don’t want to pre-empt the manifesto and the priority of APC.

    “These are issues that are very relevant and central to our concern and efforts. We are going to address this very seriously. It is not going to be business as usual and we are not going to give Nigerians old wine in new bottles; it is going to be new drinks in new bottles.

    “And concerning the security problem in Kano, I don’t think it is fair to isolate the security problem of that state, as we are talking about something that is affecting the whole nation. Nigeria is being threatened security wise; it is the responsibility of every citizen. It is no longer the issue of government or security agencies. It is the responsibility of every citizen to be law abiding and vigilant.

    “80 per cent of security depends on information, unless the citizens are up and doing, nobody should sit back home and wait to be protected. We must sit up and be part and parcel of the arrangement and of course we challenge the government also to sit up.

    “At APC, we will be rolling out our programme to deal with the situation. The committee will make recommendation; I am sure what they will bring in and address some of these issues that will turn things around for the best.”

     

  • Dankwambo urges new council chiefs on insecurity

    Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State has urged the newly-elected local government chairmen to address insecurity in their localities.

    He spoke during the inauguration of the chairmen, who were elected during last Saturday’s poll.

    Governor Dankwambo said his administration has been doing its best to support security operatives, but has decided to extend the support to the rural communities through the local governments.

    Said he: “While you are coordinating the activities of the community-based security committees, prompt and timely reports should be sent to the state government to ensure that peace is maintained in all parts of the state.”

    The governor also enjoined the chairmen to evolve ways of improving on the internally-generated revenue (IGR) of their local governments by plugging loopholes to prevent pilfering by the revenue collectors and other officials.

    This, according to him, would reduce over-dependence on statutory grants from the federation accounts.

    Governor Dankwambo said improved IGR would complement his administration’s efforts in the provision of infrastructural facilities. He advised the new chairmen to maintain the tempo exhibited by their predecessors in project implementation.

    Speaking on behalf of the new council bosses, the Chairman of Gombe Local Government, Alhaji Ibrahim Sagir Babawuro, appreciated the people’s support during the election and promised not to disappoint them.

  • How to tackle insecurity, by CPC chieftain

    How to tackle insecurity, by CPC chieftain

    A chieftain of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Lagos State, Otunba Niyi Raheem, has expressed concern over the insecurity in the country. He asked President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a national emergency line similar to the “999” of the United States of America.

    Raheem, a former House of Representatives candidate in Agege Constituency, said that no country can make progress in the absence of security.

    He said: “It is important for our security wellbeing that such a number should be localised so that people can have access to emergency and law enforcement agencies. It will help in pre-empting crimes before committal and assist in tracking criminals. It is not a bad idea to try the special number”.

    Raheem also described security as a joint responsibility, urging the people to cooperate with the government to nip it in the bud. He advised the youths to shun violence, stressing that it is counter-productive.

    The politician appealed to the perpetrators of dastardly acts to desist from wrecking havoc. He said: “Growth, progress and development of any nation are only possible in an atmosphere of peace.”

     

     

  • Investors fleeing North over insecurity, says Kaduna Chamber

    THE Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA) has said insecurity in the North is taking its toll on many businesses.

    At a briefing on the forthcoming 34th Kaduna International Trade Fair scheduled to start tomorrow, the chamber’s First Deputy President, Alhaji Awwalu Makarfi, said investors were running away, from the region because of the problem.

    “As we are all aware, Nigeria has been facing serious security challenges, particularly within the last three years. These challenges have obviously impacted negatively in our socio-economic activities and political life in the northern part of the country.

    “Consequently, security has remained the priority issue of all our tiers of government at all levels. Effort of the government and its agencies, the contributions of religious and traditional institutions as well as those of numerous organisations toward restoring peace and developmental pace in the country are highly appreciated and commended,” Makarfi said.

    He said the cooperation and support received from security agencies and the government in recent time had imbued confidence in business operators, giving them hope that the situation was about to be a thing of the past.

    On the trade fair, he said about seven countries are expected at the fair.

    He said the chamber has contacts with industries, manufacturers, marketers and distributors in and outside the country.

    His words: “Already, positive responses to our invitations have started coming in. The chamber is in close contacts with relevant ministries, departments and agencies at both federal and states levels. Nigerian missions abroad as well as the foreign missions in Nigeria are also being contacted to ensure greater participation at the Fair.

    “So far, arrangements for participation of some companies from countries, such as Egypt, Iran, Niger Republic, India, Pakistan, Turkey and People’s Republic of China are at advanced stages.

    On the security put in place he said: “As you must have noticed from the proposed dates, the 34th edition of the KITF is being planned to hold at the usual February/March period. With the improved security situation our Chamber is determined to keep to the dates with the help and mercy of the Almighty God.

    “I am pleased to inform you that the preparations for the 34th edition of the KITF has commenced in earnest.

    “We have inaugurated the re-constituted KITF Main Organising Committee and nine other sub-committees. All the Council members of the Chamber are members of the Main Organising Committee. Other members are drawn from state government, security agencies and representations from essential services agencies,” Awwalu said.