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Security Expert Advises Tinubu on Solutions to Insecurity
As Nigeria’s security forces continue to engage kidnappers, bandits, terrorists and other violent criminals in a battle of wits, a security specialist, Mr. Matthew Ibadin, has called for the urgent establishment of what he described as Arms Control and Licensing Authority to deescalate the increasing circulation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
In a press statement e-signed and released to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP in Lagos on Wednesday, the Badison Security Chief Executive Officer noted that kidnapping of Citizens in the last nine years has become the order of the day with an increased frequency and intensity of such abductions across the country in the last two months of December 2023 and January 2024, especially in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to him, the Federal Government through an Act of the National Assembly should establish an Arms Control and Licensing Authority to be in charge of documenting all illegal arms intercepted by the Nigerian Customs Service or those recovered from unauthorized persons, the army, police and other security agencies.
“All arms collected or seized from criminals should be in the custody of the Arms Control Agency and Authority with a view of ascertaining at any point in time the number of illegal arms recovered from various parts of the country. The Arms Control and Licensing Authority would be saddled with the responsibility of also conducting a total audit of all weapons in the custody of the military, the police and all other arms bearing security agencies on behalf of the government, so as to ensure accountability and global best practices on arms management. It should be headed by a civilian security expert who can carry out due diligence without fear or favour”.
While commending the various security agencies particularly the military and the police for doing their best, he pointed out that a lot more was expected from them.
Going forward, he suggested that the focus should be on evolving a detailed security architecture with the police being at the nucleus of co-coordinating all anti kidnapping operations in the country.
The Badison Security boss also emphasized the need for police personnel across all ranks to continuously engage in training and retraining with a view to technologically upgrade themselves.
He mentioned the need for the acquisition of tracking equipment and training on the tracking of stolen phones should be made available to the Nigerian police, divisional and outpost personnel and private security companies. The police should collaborate with cyber security experts, private investigators as it is obtainable all over the world. A situation whereby kidnappers are asking for ransom to be paid in bitcoin makes the situation so complicated that if they are not trained for it, they can not solve the challenges.
He stated that as long as we have this single digit security architecture whereby the police are under the exclusive legislative list, we can never solve the security challenges confronting the nation. The present policing system is reactive instead of being proactive. Therefore, we need to dismantle the present inefficient policing architecture, where it would be expunged from the exclusive legislative list, and moved to the concurrent and residual list enabling state governments to create and manage their own local policing architecture. So we can hold the state government and local government chairmen responsible instead of calling out the federal government for local security affairs.
On the issue of the existing centralized police structure, Ibadin posited that decentralization of the existing federal policing structure was long overdue and must be holistically pursued with patriotic vigour in contemporary time. Amotekun, Hisbah, Abube Agu and other state self help will not work unless the police architecture is reformed to operate at state and communal levels.
While rooting for a decentralized police structure which in other words is currently a federal police structure. Ibadin who did his post-graduate studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna stated that the poor remuneration, low training and lack of modern digitized training for the Nigerian police personnel has helped to dampen the morale of the average police officer. He further stated that he believes that the Nigerian police despite the unfavourable conditions they have to work with are rated in his own words as the best in the world because they are working without the necessary tools.
He urged the National Assembly to urgently take a proactive legislative step that would remove policing system from the exclusive list to the concurrent and residual list adding that for effective policy implementation, the state government, local government and communities must take the lead at creating and managing a police system that is fit and customized for their peculiar local needs.
While the political class delineated voting to the ward level, the government should also apply this same strategy by giving every ward in the country a functioning police station which is closest to the people. This would curb the crime rate to the minimum because the current policing structure does not allow the people to report crime as at when it happens because the current divisional police headquarter and outposts are far from the people.
Due to a lack of trust in the current policing structure, the people are scared to report criminal issues to the police, because it is not a community based policing that protects their interests. Citizens in transit need to reach the police easily in any crime situation. Therefore, operational hubs for police should be established at all the former toll gates and create additional ones across the federation, equipped with sophisticated weapons detection systems because we have a lot of concealed weapons in transit across the country, due to porous border and insecurity in the Sahel region. Furthermore, “The state should enact a law that makes it easy for the police to secure a warrant to search any house in their states.
To assist in solving the current operational logistic challenge that police often encounter, the security chieftain suggested that all vehicles seized by the EFCC, Customs and even the police should officially be given to the police and must be branded and documented at the zonal police headquarters.
He also recommended that to address the issue of low morale currently pervasive among police personnel, a minimum wage of N250,000 should be approved for the police, explaining that such gesture would invariably attract high quality recruits into the Nigerian Police Force.
As a measure towards finding an all embracing solution to insecurity in the country, he also advised the government to license Private Investigators (PI) as it is obtainable in other parts of the world even as he enjoined them to under-study African nations like Kenya.
“It is instructive to note that it is also in the Police Act that Private Investigators should be licensed to operate. Ibadin also advocated that, responsible citizens should be allowed to bear arms as a first line of defense in our national security architecture.
He said, “Senior Citizens, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Executive Directors, Managing Directors, Security Consultants, licensed Private Investigators, senior civil servants and lecturers, local government chairmen, Counselors, captains of industries, traditional rulers, clerics and their security personnel should be profiled and allowed to bear arms. Furthermore, traditional institutions should have a legislative security role to protect their subjects in collaboration with the local police.”
The Badison boss noted that private security outfits in the country should be licensed to carry arms to protect VIPs and to help state governments to secure communities . He advised that they can also be involved in the fight against banditry and kidnappers since they operate at grass root level. The Nigerian police has been largely persecuted by the citizens and civil society groups, forgetting that they were created by the law to execute it.
Therefore, for us to resolve the prevailing situation in the country we must go back and amend the laws that created the Nigerian Police force. I expect the civil society organizations, Nigerian Bar Association (N.B.A.), the Nigerian Labour Congress (N.L.C.) and her affiliates and student union bodies of tertiary institutions to show more sympathy and support for the police asking the government to better care for the Nigerian police.
He said that “all police personnel should be kitted with ballistic vests and other gadgets that would enable them go after kidnappers in the bushes and flush them out.
With respect to the correctional intentions of government for all convicted and imprisoned criminals, Ibadin posited that the Nigerian correctional centers need to be reformed to mitigate the current situation of producing hardened criminals instead of reformed citizens after they come out of the system.
The security chieftain also posited that as a matter of urgency, President Bola Tinubu should look into the idea behind the military’s recruitment of ‘repented’ Boko Haram elements into the Nigerian armed forces “with a view to ensuring that they do not act as conduits of sabotage”.
He noted the exemplary efforts of some Nigerians towards fighting insecurity in the country and said that the Lagos Trust Fund and notable Nigerian businessmen like Mr. Femi Otedola and Mr. Aliko Dangote should be appreciated for their enormous efforts at supporting the police regularly.
He concluded by expressing his sympathy with the current Inspector General of Police and security chiefs, stating that the police is currently a single digit system security architecture which can not solve the insecurity issues it is facing alone as the system is operated at the federal level omitting the state, the local government and communities because crime is local.
A federal high court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the hearing of his application challenging the revocation of his bail.
Mohammed Umar, the presiding judge, made the order on Monday after dismissing an application by Sowore seeking the judge’s recusal from the case on grounds of alleged bias.
The judge subsequently adjourned hearing on the motion for stay of execution, as filed by Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, Sowore’s new counsel, to June 24.
In a brief ruling, Umar held that Sowore should remain in custody pending the hearing and determination of the application.
Sowore had appeared before the court earlier on Monday, days after the judge revoked the bail earlier granted him and ordered his arrest.
At the last sitting on June 16, the court revoked the activist’s bail after stating that a letter seeking an adjournment on his behalf did not provide reasons for his absence from court.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Sowore on a two-count charge over a social media post in which he allegedly described President Bola Tinubu as “a criminal” on his X and Facebook accounts.
Following the revocation of his bail, the Oyo chapter of the AAC criticised the court’s decision, describing it as political persecution and alleging an attempt to frustrate Sowore’s political activities.
The party had argued that Sowore attended the previous hearing and requested alternative dates because of a scheduled trip.
By Henry Ukazu
Dear Destiny Friends,
Worry is a part of human emotion, and every living entity worry about some things, some times. It’s practically natural. People worry about life, finance, children, health, academics, career and even personal development or spiritual life. All these however, can distract and take away someone’s peace.
Worry is an unfortunate habit, which many people have erroneously believe they can live without, but the stark truth is that no one can live without worry. It’s inbuit. Even when we think we have everything, we discover that there’s something we are lacking. These could be what money can’t buy. It’s instructive to note here that nobody is perfect, and nobody has everything because everybody is limited.
To further buttress the limitation of man, imagine the human body; we have eyes, legs, mouth, tongue, nose, anus, hands among others, but none can say it is more superior than the other. If the leg, eyes or nose says it’s more important, the anus can decide to close, and the body system will be uncomfortable as it won’t be able to discharge waste products. The eyes can’t say it’s more important than the ears, neither can the nose say it’s more important than the legs or hands. Every one of them has different and definite functions.
So, when one of the body parts is not working well, it can make one worry. But the good news is that it is only a good attitude that can help us overcome challenges. It’s instructive to note that worry does not solve problems, rather it escalates the problem.
Problems do exist, I mean real life problems, do exist, some can be physical, spiritual, psychological, mental, spiritual, etc. When you have any of these problems, please don’t spend so much energy on the problems because it can escalate or create new ones
Although you can’t stop worrying entirely, there are steps you can take to better manage your anxious thoughts and reduce rumination.
1. Create a “worry period.” Choose a set time and place for worrying. It should be the same every day and early enough that it won’t make you anxious right before bedtime. During your worry period, you’re allowed to worry about whatever’s on your mind.
2. Write down your worries. If an anxious thought or worry comes into your head during the day, make a brief note of it and then continue about your day. Remind yourself that you’ll have time to think about it later, so there’s no need to worry about it right now.
3. Make a list of all the possible solutions you can think of. Focus on the things you have the power to change, rather than the circumstances or realities beyond your control.
4. After you’ve evaluated your options, make a plan of action. Once you have a plan and start doing something about the problem, you’ll feel much less anxious.
5. Get up and get moving. Exercise is a natural and effective anti-anxiety treatment because it releases endorphins which relieve tension and stress, boost energy, and enhance your sense of well-being. Even more importantly, by really focusing on how your body feels as you move, you can interrupt the constant flow of worries running through your head.
6. Meditate. Meditation works by switching your focus from worrying about the future or dwelling on the past to what’s happening right now. By being fully engaged in the present moment, you can interrupt the endless loop of negative thoughts and worries.
7. Speak to a Licensed Therapist: Acknowledge and observe your worries. Don’t try to ignore, fight, or control them like you usually would. Instead, simply observe them as if from an outsider’s perspective, without reacting or judging. Therapy has been shown to be extremely effective in helping people reduce worrying and manage anxiety.
8. Mindfulness: Mindfulness is a powerful practice for reducing worrying, by teaching us awareness and acceptance of our thoughts and emotions in the present moment.. Psychotherapy provides a structured environment for individuals to learn practical skills and gain insights into their worrying patterns, ultimately helping them worry less and feel better.
Mindfulness effectively reduces symptoms of anxiety by teaching you to observe your worries without getting too caught up in them. One way to incorporate mindfulness into your daily life is through mindful breathing and meditation. Whenever you notice worrying thoughts coming up, gently bring your attention back to your breath, over time, regular mindfulness practice can help rewire the brain to respond to stressors more calmly, which reduces the impact of worrying on your mental health.
9. Gratitude: Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to maintain a positive outlook and reduce worrying. Research has shown that gratitude may reduce stress and improve mental health. Gratitude activates regions in the brain associated with dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter, leading to increased feelings of contentment and decreased worry.
By focusing on what we’re grateful for, we shift our attention away from negative thoughts, which ultimately helps us worry less. Start by keeping a gratitude journal and try writing down 5 things each day that you’re thankful for, no matter how small.
In conclusion, resolve today to be so strong that nothing and nobody can disturb your peace of mind.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com
As Ekiti State prepares for Saturday’s governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured voters of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, and credible poll.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ekiti State, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, urged eligible voters to participate confidently in the electoral process, stressing that the commission remains committed to delivering a transparent and impartial election.
Reports quoted Omoseyindemi as saying that INEC had resolved all logistical challenges and put adequate measures in place to ensure the timely deployment of personnel and election materials across the state.
He also highlighted the close collaboration between INEC and security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), noting that the partnership is aimed at guaranteeing a peaceful and secure voting environment.
The REC further disclosed that the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would be deployed during the election to enhance transparency by enabling real-time upload and public viewing of polling unit results.
Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society organisations monitoring the election under the European Union Support to democratic governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Election Observation Hub has expressed concern over reports of voter inducement, political intimidation and disinformation ahead of the poll.
At a pre-election press conference, the group alleged that incidents of vote-buying involving cash, food items, and the collection of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) and National Identification Number (NIN) details through pre-funded bank accounts had been reported in parts of Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ikole, Ikere, Ekiti East and Ekiti West local government areas.
The observers also raised concerns over the spread of misinformation on social media, including unverified claims regarding the use of cloned PVCs to manipulate election outcomes.
While describing the overall security situation in the State as largely peaceful, the coalition urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to refrain from vote-buying, intimidation and the dissemination of false information.
The group also called on security agencies to remain professional and neutral throughout the electoral process, while encouraging voters to exercise their democratic rights freely and without fear, coercion or inducement.
The 2026 Ekiti State governorship election will hold on Saturday, June 20, across the state’s 16 local government areas, with more than one million registered voters expected to decide whether Governor Biodun Oyebanji secures a second term or a new leader emerges.
According to INEC, a total of 1,059,360 registered voters are eligible to participate in the election, which will be conducted across 2,445 polling units located in 177 wards. Voting is scheduled to commence at 8:30 a.m.
Authorities have also announced a statewide restriction on vehicular movement from midnight until 6:00 p.m. on election day to facilitate the smooth conduct of the exercise.
Although 14 candidates are contesting the election, with Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oluwole Oluyede of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as the leading contenders.
INEC has confirmed the distribution of sensitive election materials to local government areas and assured voters of the readiness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Security agencies have also deployed personnel and operational assets across the state, particularly in border communities and other strategic locations, to maintain law and order throughout the electoral process.
Civil society organisations monitoring the election have urged residents to participate peacefully and responsibly, emphasising the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process.
