Since October 31st when the President of the United States, Donald Trump threatened to deploy troops to intervene in what he perceived to be the deliberate killing of Christians, the issue of what to do to stem the tide of brutal attacks on innocent Nigerians by insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, and other non-state actors waging war against the country, has taken centre stage.
Despite Trump’s statements being based on inaccurate premises, he riled up both the government and citizens, prompting many policy actions, national discussions, and diverse suggestions to effectively combat insecurity in Nigeria and restore normalcy across the country.
For us at PENPUSHING Media, we cannot be immune to the bug of contributing our viewpoints to this issue, which is central to the continued existence of the country and the peace of its people. We notice that there are various dimensions to the discussions on the issue of successfully defeating insecurity in our country. For a start, we have decided to focus on the need to put more boots on the ground against insecurity. This means that we believe that to overwhelm the criminals endangering the lives of the rest of us, we need more men, well-equipped, well-motivated, and well-trained, to combat the agents of the devil that have imperiled our national peace.
We at PENPUSHING Media realise that the war against insecurity is not a conventional war. It is because of the complex nature of this challenge that it appears our security forces are overwhelmed by the criminal gangs.
We have noted the various measures already taken by the government to increase the number of security agents deployed for the war against insecurity. Some of these measures are commendable and overdue. Others need to be reviewed and sharpened to make them more effective and serve the purpose for which they were meant.
For instance, we totally support the decision to withdraw policemen from guard duties and VIP protection assignments as ordered by President Bola Tinubu. The insistence by IGP Kayode Egbetokun that the order be implemented to the letter is also commendable. The Police had indicated that the order has already freed 11, 566 policemen for deployment to the fight against insecurity assignments.
The plan is to put more policemen on patrol duties across the cities and local communities. This is a good move. It should however be accompanied by other related measures like improved training, better equipment, renewed welfare plans for officers and men, and general reorientation for the police.
We also want to canvass for the quick recruitment of more officers and men who will be trained in the modern techniques of battling insurgency. However, in embarking on the enlistment of new officers and men, the process should be thorough, fool-proof, strategic, and transparent. We should avoid recruiting criminals and bandits into the ranks of our security services. The recruitment process should give no allowance for infiltration by the criminals we seek to eliminate.
It is good that the President has also ordered that police colleges and training institutions should be given a thorough facelift and makeover. This is necessary to ensure that the facilities are ready for training modern police officers and men. We believe the President should personally monitor how and what the funds earmarked for this project are utilised. It should not be an avenue for corruption and enrichment of some individuals. A recent effort in this direction before the present administration came to office turned out to be money down the drain or funneled into dubious pockets.
PENPUSHING Media hereby urges the government to enlist the support of our development partners and friendly countries in the revamping of the training facilities and the actual training of the officers and men. We are sure many friendly countries and development agencies will be ready to assist Nigeria in this area. An efficient police force is equal to effective law enforcement. The result of properly coordinated law enforcement is peace and development.
Again, we believe the police should restore its Mobile Unit, MOPOL, back to its elite status as it was in the 70s, 80s, and 90s when its men were so gallant, agile, and efficient that they were nicknamed ‘kill and go’ by the ordinary people. In those days, officers and men of the MOPOL unit consisted of men who were so well trained and efficient at combat duties that they were as good as the US National Guard. The MOPOL was the elite corps of the police.
Their training was as good, if not better than that of the military. They were also so well equipped that there was talk of the military governments that came after the 1983 coup deliberately downgrading the MOPOL because it had almost developed into a counter-force that could put down a military coup. We believe the MOPOL Unit should return to the era when it was dreaded as an anti-riot squad. This time around, it could help in the fight against insurgency, kidnapping, and banditry.
Also, as part of putting more men on the ground in this battle against criminals seeking to undermine and sabotage our national security, we at PENPUSHING Media believe it is not only the police that should initiate moves aimed at increasing the number of the fighting force. The military should do the same. We still see the embarrassing situation of soldiers performing guard duties for individuals and accompanying privileged individuals to social events and doing menial jobs. Such officers and men should be withdrawn. The military must recall all its men and women on non-military duties.
The military should also halt the retirement of fit officers for the next five years. This will help to retain more well-trained, experienced, and committed officers in the fight against insecurity. This is obviously a better option than training recruits. However, it is not an absolute alternative to enlisting fresh hands. Every army must replenish and sharpen its Order of Battle (OBAT) from time to time. In fact, we at PENPUSHING Media believe this is the time to also dust up our reserve list and bring more efficient, experienced, and retired officers and men back to action.
This war against insecurity is a national emergency and it should be so treated. All available and possible men should be involved.
It is for this reason that we also believe that the NYSC law should be amended to ensure that it involves a voluntary decision by corps members to receive military training and be available for deployment in the war against insecurity. How this can be done should be left to the experts in the military and the corps directorate.
As it is known that having more men alone in the war against insecurity cannot ensure victory, we also canvass complementary equipping and motivation of the fighting force. The Tinubu administration must ensure that the fighting force across all security agencies has the needed facilities to win the war. The men must also be encouraged, inspired, and motivated to put in their best. All necessary provisions and emoluments must be reviewed and enhanced to make it worth the efforts of the officers and men.
Having proper insurance cover for the soldiers, policemen and other security agencies should be considered. Their daily allowances and supply of needed sustenance should also be looked into as to their adequacy and how they reach the men at the front lines.
Having more men on the ground, however, should translate to strategic deployment of the men. All ungoverned spaces in the country should be taken over by security forces. There is also a need for multilayered boots to be on the ground such that we have teams handling regular patrols, rapid response, and special operations, all working together in the various locations. This means that deployments should be done on an inter-agency basis to create synergy in our attack and defence strategy.
Thus, putting more boots on the ground must go beyond numbers. It must translate into territorial control, and the physical re-occupation of spaces long abandoned to criminal elements.
The PENPUSHING Media is also canvassing a total overhaul of the intelligence gathering apparatus to ensure its efficiency, depth, robustness, and protection. We should not endanger the fighting force with a sloppy intelligence-gathering system. Also, the inter-agency intelligence sharing system must be enhanced. This is critical if we want to win the war. A proper coordination of intelligence sharing and cooperation among the various agencies must be put in place.
We at the PENPUSHING Media believe that the spate of insecurity in the country is affecting all segments of our lives – economic, social, political, psychological, and otherwise. It is the reason why all hands should be on deck and why no suggestions should be dismissed without being given due consideration. We hope to look at the other dimensions of the security crisis in subsequent editorials in the coming weeks.
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