Localised responses for security threats: Time to push the campaign very strong
Discourse over the demands for local security architecture in response to the worsening profile of insecurity threats in the Federation have become reverberating as the scourge of insecurity turbulently inflicts its blows on the Country increasingly. The call for state police within this perspective has been one which the responsive ears from the appropriate quarters have not turned to.
Lamentably, while deafening ears have apparently been displayed to the calls with passive posture, the winds of insecurity have continued to assume stormy dimensions with deforming impacts against socio-economic and political fabrics of the Country. It has now become lamentable that the required peace and tranquility needed to drive peaceful coexistence for profound socio-economic development have become scarce.
As it appears the right quarters to yield the call of localised security architecture for responsive combat against rising insecurity albatross remains passive to the demands, resort to self help have been taking course. As yearnings for security grow tough, the rising of local formations have begun to take place as more citizens in their communities have now begun to see the need to form local security groups with mechanisms to secure their immediate environment. However, it appears the operations of such groups of security formation would largely demand recognition to guide against sprouting of illegitimate bands which may rouse in excuse of same to perpetrate evil misdeeds.
As kidnapping grow turbulent in the South-south, over 3,000 hunters at Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, have in a report called on the State government to provide light weapons, communication gadgets, patrol vehicles and funding to enable them combat kidnappers and other criminals terrorising their communities. The hunters under the aegis of the Professional Hunters of Nigeria (PHN) made the demand following reports of mounting abductions and robbery activities in parts of the East-West, Emohua-Kalabari roads, Obelle and Ibaa communities of Emohua.
The Director of Intelligence and Community Relations Officer in the zone, Romanus Amadi, giving reflections on the situation and the demands was quoted in a report: “If you listen, every minute of the day you hear kidnapping, killings, raping and other social vices. Professional Hunters is formed and registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and Federal Government is aware of our existence. We are not indulging in any crime, but we are working to curtail crimes. Where we hear crimes happening, we will move to that area to arrest the situation. We have the capacity to fight crime. We are not just in Rivers State alone. We are brave enough to battle insecurity. We cannot do it without the support of government. If government will back us up, we will deliver. We are not demanding for sophisticated weapons, at least small arms that we can use to face this issue, then we are ready. We are over 3,000 persons. Without communication you cannot work effectively. We need communication gadgets. We need patrol vehicles. We also need money to run our operations. If government can support us with finance, all is settled.
“We are trained by the military and police. We attended the training at Nonwa, (Tai Local Government) which government is aware of. We are fit enough, all we need now are light weapons, not sophisticated weapons so that we can guard ourselves.
“Hunters know the forest inside out. What you should understand is that hunters mean those who know the in-and-out of the bush. They know everywhere in the bush. It is no longer for those who are trained to shoot and kill animals.
“We want to apply the knowledge we use in the bush in the community. Most of us know the environment very well. So if kidnapping happens now within this area and the information gets to the hunters, we will surround the area and get the victims out. Culprit will be handed over to police
“This organisation has rules and regulations binding us because we are a government-recognised organisation. We are guided by rules in all we are doing. None of us will do more than he is expected to do. Once you, as a member of hunters misbehave, we hand you over to the police immediately. Police has the power to detain you and send you to court for prosecution. We do not have the right to prosecute, but we have the power to send you to the police,” he said.
Similarly in same report, the General Commander, PHN, Emohua, Samuel Okereke, was quoted to have said: “Our target is to eradicate crime, wipe away insecurity in our communities and the local government. Secondly, to bring back respect to men because everybody is living in fear of particular persons using their offices to disturb the peace of the communities. These are not supposed to be, so that the elderly ones in the community will have their peace. These are the reasons we are on ground to make sure there is security in all communities as part of community policing. We want to ensure that our young ones will not be involved in kidnapping and robbery. Anytime crime happens, we know the nooks and crannies of communities. We are perfect hunters who know places in the forest, there is no hiding place for criminals.”
The reflections of the positions were expression of localised responses to tackle localised threats. Although the legality of security formation is largely demanding, particularly for local groups, it is now of deep thought that security challenges in the Country have grown to the height where localised responses are deeply demanded to check and combat internal aggression within local communities, which have continued to pose threats to peaceful coexistence.
It is now a dilemma that while giving legal recognition to local security is paramount, the responsive posture of the appropriate quarters to give legal framework to same have been passive, yet the urgency of local security architecture to respond to the myriads of localised security albatross is firmly sacrosanct. It is apparent the policing of the Country is largely known to be deficient not only in manpower, but also in architectural formation to respond to the blowing population of the Country and the attendant societal complexities.
It has become necessary for Nigerians to take the campaign for decentralisation of policing formation in the Federation to a vibrant level with ceaseless advocacy to avert the projection of an explosion of anarchy which the albatross of insecurity looms to inflict. The need for State Governments to coordinate concerted efforts towards the necessity of localised security architecture to internally deal with peculiar challenges and threats within local jurisdiction, has become a necessity that must be pushed with valour. The passive posture to local security threats has been seen growing to become an albatross of national weight. It is pertinent for relevant stakeholders at the local and state government levels, as subnational entities, to pragmatically develop mechanisms of responses against the rising threats finding expression in various forms of aggression within localities across the Federation.
It is now time for stakeholders at the echelon of the central government to redefine their orientation towards the state of security affair in the Federation, putting beforehand the interest of the nation against myopic considerations.
