THE recent protest in Abraka by residents and students of Delta State University, which lasted six days before it was quelled by military intervention, stands as a distress signal on the state’s deteriorating security architecture. That the people resorted to protest after months of unanswered complaints to the police, particularly the Nigerian Police Division in Abraka, is a major indictment on the responsiveness of the law enforcement agencies. While the military insists no live rounds were fired, the fact that security agents had to use force to disperse the demonstrators has rightly drawn condemnation from the media and rights groups. It further exposed the weight of insecurity and the failure of relevant authorities to protect lives and property.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s prompt convocation of an emergency security stakeholders’ meeting in Asaba is commendable and timely. By summoning local government council chairmen, traditional rulers, security chiefs, and other critical actors, the Governor has taken a decisive first step in recalibrating the state’s response to rising violent crimes. The Governor’s declaration to deploy surveillance technology, crime-mapping tools and data-driven intelligence offers a modern and pragmatic approach to law enforcement, but technology alone is not the silver bullet.
A critical highlight from that meeting came from the Chairman of the Delta State Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Maj Gen. Felix Mujakperuo (rtd), who clarified that traditional rulers are wrongly accused of colluding with herders and criminals. This statement, which underscores the internal sabotage by rogue community members selling out lands and intelligence, must not be dismissed. If the state is to overcome insecurity, these insights must be followed with decisive investigation and accountability at the community level.
The truth remains that most of the kidnappings, killings, and cult-related crimes occur in rural areas where the economic mainstay is agriculture. Farmers are being harassed, kidnapped, and in many cases, killed on their way to their farms or inside their farmlands. This is a direct threat not just to the rural economy, but to the overall food security of the state. Agrarian communities like Abraka, Uwheru, Obiaruku, and parts of Ndokwa are already recording massive drop in productivity as residents abandon farmlands out of fear.
If these rural belts continue to be flashpoints of violence, Delta State may face a full-blown food crisis. The insecurity is pushing up the cost of food across the urban centres, while supply chains are disrupted. No amount of surveillance drones or digital mapping tools will yield results if the basic trust and cooperation of local vigilantes and farmers are not actively nurtured, supported, and protected.
The Governor’s warning to council chairmen to regularly attend security council meetings is also well placed. As the chief security officers of their respective local government areas, their presence and active engagement should never be compromised. They must go beyond monthly meetings and establish local intelligence frameworks that incorporate traditional leaders, youth groups, and market women who are closest to the grassroots realities.
Furthermore, the Governor’s directive that vigilante groups be funded adequately cannot remain a verbal order. Budgets must be monitored and enforced to ensure that local security outfits have operational tools, communication gadgets, and logistics to cover wide rural terrains. These groups have proven more reliable in some cases than the overstretched police force, and their efforts must be institutionalized within a legal and ethical framework.
The narrative from Abraka also demands a review of the police’s capacity and willingness to respond swiftly to distress calls. For a university town to become a haven for criminal gangs, and for residents to have suffered in silence until they took to the streets, shows a serious breakdown of trust. This trust must be rebuilt through community policing reforms and better oversight of divisional police heads.
We must appreciate Governor Oborevwori for not waiting for further escalation before engaging stakeholders. But he must now ensure that the resolutions reached at the emergency security meeting are implemented with the urgency they deserve. Technology should complement, not replace, community involvement and strong leadership.
Ultimately, the success of Delta State’s security strategy will depend not on the sophistication of its tools but the sincerity, consistency, and inclusiveness of its execution. The state must move from reactionary firefighting to proactive safeguarding, especially if it hopes to restore confidence, protect rural livelihoods, and avoid a full-scale collapse of its food economy.
