LAGOS – The Federal Government have been called upon to criminalise ransom payments to terrorists, describing them as the biggest betrayal in the war against insurgency in Nigeria.
Security experts and stakeholders who made the plea, equally condemned the menace, especially when the government secretly paid terrorists a ransom, said that such a practice would only further encourage and deepen insecurity in the country.
They, however, urged the Federal Government to create state police to combat terrorism to put a stop to payment of ransom to the criminals, stressing that necessary structures must be put in place before embarking on such policing reform.
The experts advised while featuring on Boiling Point, a popular media platform transmitted by six radio stations, which was powered by the National Association of Seadogs, Ash Montana Deck.
A veteran of the United States (U.S.) Army, Major Yinka Ogunsanya (rtd), cautioned the Federal Government against blindly adopting the American state policing system, citing the complexity of crimes and societal differences.
He said that the system comprises multiple layers, including state police, county police, rangers, and sheriffs, which work together in synergy to achieve their goals.
Ogunsanya, therefore, urged the Federal Government and the states to sit down with the communities to evolve the best model that would be centred on intelligence from the grassroots.
Another speaker, a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Leye Oyebade, also supported the creation of state police but listed the considerable issues to include the involvement of communities, building patriotism, intelligence sharing, trust and confidence.
Oyebade, who traced the challenges of the Nigerian policing system to a faulty foundation, tribalism, inadequate manpower and training, and the dynamism of crime in the face of evolving technology, said that the fears of critics regarding possible politicisation and using the state police for persecution were possible, particularly when a state falls into the wrong hands of a governor.
MEANWHILE, the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) has condemned the recent killing of more than 178 people in Kwara State communities, describing the incident as “heartbreaking” and a grave provocation.
It, therefore, called for urgent and coordinated security action across the South-West region.
In a statement yesterday, Chairman of the Dr Frederick Fasehun-led OPC Caretaker Committee, Kazeem Lawal, urged security agencies to launch an intensive manhunt for those responsible for the attacks and ensure they are apprehended and prosecuted.
Lawal also called on governors of the 10 Yoruba-speaking states to immediately declare a state of emergency on insecurity, warning that violent attacks by non-state actors now pose an existential threat to communities in the zone.
According to him, the recent killings in Kwara underscored the failure of existing security measures and the need for decisive collaboration among state governments, security agencies and the Federal Government.
He, however, cautioned South-West governors against politicising insecurity, urging them instead to adopt a united regional response.
The OPC, while reaffirming its readiness to defend Yoruba communities, warned against what it described as the spread of violent activities from other parts of the country into the South-West, saying that residents should not be left vulnerable to attacks while perpetrators operate with impunity.
The organisation, therefore, called on the Federal Government and the Kwara State Government to mobilise all available resources to restore security in the affected communities, insisting that justice for the victims must be swift and decisive.
The OPC further alleged that the rising insecurity could be part of a deliberate attempt to destabilise the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging authorities to address the situation with urgency and transparency.
