November 2, 2022/CSL Research
Based on a Thisday news report, former Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Adigun Agbaje was kidnapped along the Lagos-Ibadan highway alongside two students of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State on Friday evening. Findings said a policeman was killed in the shootout that ensued between the kidnappers and men of the Oyo State Police Command.
Also, media reports stated that several motorists and passengers who were travelling in some vehicles along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were also abducted. Elsewhere, Enugu state has also become a hotspot for kidnappers. According to a Vanguard news report, a former secretary to the Enugu State Government, Dr. Dan Shere, was recently abducted along Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka road. Kidnappers suspected to be Fulani bandits laid siege along the road and abducted passengers.
On 23 October, the U.S Embassy and consulate in Nigeria warned that there was an elevated risk of terror attacks in Nigeria, specifically in Abuja. They further noted that targets may include, but are not limited to, government buildings, places of worship, schools, markets, shopping malls, hotels, bars, restaurants, athletic gatherings, transport terminals, law enforcement facilities, and international organizations. In response, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, ordered the increase of security activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and announced the commencement of a counterterrorism operation and simulation exercise codenamed, “Operation Darkin Gaggawa”. From attacks, kidnappings of school students, banditry along major highways, and killings by insurgents to Fulani Herdsmen/indigenous community clashes, living in most regions of the country has become a nightmare.
Travelling along many routes in Nigeria has also become unsafe, and many attribute the inability to effectively deal with the situation to the inadequate number of security personnel. We note that the spate of insecurity in the country has been a major setback to business activities in the country. Agriculture has been the most vulnerable sector as farmers dread going to farmlands for fear of being attacked by bandits.
Transportation and haulage services are also being threatened as commuters are mostly apprehensive of possible attacks even on highways. The challenge of inadequate security personnel led to the formation of regional security agencies, such as the Amotekun security outfit of the SouthWest region.
Based on reports, the activities of the Amotekun have helped complement the efforts of the conventional security agencies. The decentralisation of the Nigerian police force to allow for state policing has been widely suggested as a solution to the incessant security problems in the country especially as it appears the federal police force is unable to effectively deal with the challenges.
The existence of state police is also in line with the constitutional provisions for states that each of the states constituting Nigeria should run autonomously with its powers to make laws, enforce them and punish offenders through the judiciary. Beyond the problem of inadequate personnel, the Nigerian police force remains riddled with problems of underfunding, poor training, and systemic corruption which renders them unable to take on the problem of insecurity. In many cases, bandits and criminals are better equipped than the police force.
