Insecurity: Niger Senator calls for State Police, intelligence gathering

Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, APC, Niger East has called for the establishment of State Police, massive recruitment of men as well as new tactics in intelligence gathering to address the state of insecurity caused by multiple crimes, banditry and spate of kidnappings across the country.

In a statement he personally signed on Monday, Senator Musa has also called on the Federal Government to re-engineer the nation’s security architecture against the backdrop that the present one was not working.

According to him, all the tiers of government and Nigerians must recognize the fact that security is essential for the survival and flourishing of any society, hence it has become imperative that all hands must be on deck to make it possible that it involves the protection of individuals, communities, and the entire nation against dangers and attacks.

Senator Musa has called on all to give President Bola Tinubu the needed support and encouragement to do the needful in the nation’s quest for renewed hope, adding that he has the vision, the capabilities, the political capacity and institutional coherence to do those things that will rediscover and get back Nigeria on the path of economic growth, security and prosperity.

Senator Musa who also emphasized on the challenges and influence of drug abuse, said that as a country, we must take a serious stance on drugs as a nation, even as he said that many factors affect substance abuse, adding that there must be the introduction of the effects of drug abuse in the schools curriculums, factors such as loss of family support, friends’ influence, peer factors and other individualized factors must be addressed because they constitute some of the strongest factors, that influence individuals to start abusing substances and that the impact of it, create insecurity.

According to him, as a nation, we must inculcate favorable parental attitudes towards the behavior, parental monitoring and sexual orientation.

Senator Musa said, “The issue of insecurity in Nigeria has become something of grave concern to me and all well-meaning Nigerians, most of whom continue to wonder how the country arrived at such a dastardly situation where no one is safe; and worse still, rather than abate, the problem is escalating and now totally out of control. I have repeatedly spoken and issued statements on this very disturbing issue, especially as it it affects my state, Niger, its neighbouring states and other parts of the country.

“The state of insecurity in Nigeria caused by multiple crimes, banditry and spate of kidnappings, massive killing as well as wanton destruction of property has become a recurring phenomenon that threatens the well-being of its citizens. Iam specifically calling for the re-engineering of our nation’s security architecture since it is not working. Calling for the reconsideration of State Police and massive recruitment of men, new tactics in intelligence gathering.

“It is important that we all recognize that security is essential for the survival and flourishing of any society. Hence we must make it possible that it involves the protection of individuals, communities, and the entire nation against dangers and attacks.

“Security is so important that every government in Nigeria spends a substantial part of its money on its provision. Therefore we shall leave no stone unturned to give the needed push for the enhancement of security in our land. Every community is only as strong or weak as the state of its security.

“While we cannot comprehend the complexities of the security predicament of the Northern Nigeria without understanding the process of state building underway in the Nigeria. I have argued elsewhere that the internal
dimension of security, which is inextricably intertwined with the process of state making, is the core variable that determines the Nigerian state’s security problematic.

“Conceptually, we must redefine the structural unbalance that we have today, local government system has collapsed, the states have arrogated and accumulated its power. For us to have the needed security and economic stability, we must rebuild the process by which the state not only grows in economic productivity and government coercion but, also, in political and institutional power.

“I am very concerned that the gap that exists today between the poor and the rich is cause for concern as the imbalance grievously impacts on our society too. More precisely, in the power of state elites to overcome environmental, social, and political forces which stand in the way of most of our country policy objectives.

“I therefore call on all and our leaders to give President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, GCFR the needed support and encouragement to do the needful in our quest for renewed hope. He has the vision, the capabilities, the political capacity and institutional coherence to do those things that will rediscover and get back our nation on the path of economic growth, security and prosperity.

“As we emphasize on the challenges and influence of drug abuse, let may say unequivocally that we must take a serious stance on drugs as a nation. Many factors affect substance abuse, we must introduce the effects of drug abuse in our schools curriculums, factors such as loss of family support, friends’ influence, peer factors and other individualized factors must be addressed because they constitute some of the strongest factors, that influence individuals to start abusing substances. And the impact of it create insecurity. We must inculcate favorable parental attitudes towards the behavior, parental monitoring and sexual orientation.”