Nigeria is facing a trying perilous time. Never in history has there been insecurity in our land than now. Serious crimes like: banditry, insurgency, kidnapping and abductions, farmers and herder clash etc are prevalent. This tends to shorten likelihood and well being of individuals.
Adequate security starts with the architectural drawing, planning, deployment, execution and reporting.
Recently the Delta State Government proactively arranged a Security Summit to raise security consciousness and awareness among communities in the state to mitigate the challenges. It is our view that the available security architecture and resources must be prioritized, properly deployed, coordinated, monitored and supervised to achieve security goals. The aim is to avoid happen chance that create loopholes and allow ungoverned areas.
To achieve this the flashpoints and the challenges must be identified.
THE FLASHPOINTS:
There are seemingly routes through which the criminal foreign migrants infiltrate the state. There may include and not be limited to Agbor axis, Issele Uku, Ubulu Okiti and Otulu, Okpanam axis, Illa, Ebu, and the Edo boundary communities, Patani Ughelli axis. Mention must be of the Abraka and Uweru axis. These axes provide forest cover and assess links for the criminals.
Also, the railways and power lines provide the needed bearing for their compass and direction. The attention of these communities must be drawn to the precarious nature of their communities and the need for timely information dissemination.
The posting of the security men especially the Forest Guards, Hunters and Vigilantes must take cognizance of these forests in their areas. The DPOs must coordinate, monitor and supervise these non-state actors for efficient performance.
Posting of the state security actors: the police and military teams should take these flashpoints into cognizance.
In that sphere, the posting of various police and military patrol teams must be coordinated and complementary. Teams call them Operation Delta Sweep, Crack Squad, Department Operation Squad, Divisional teams and military etc must be posted to specific areas and axis instead of permissive roaming and hovering to areas of their choices. This will allow monitoring and supervision.
More so, there should be collaboration between the contiguous communities in Edo and Bayelsa, and Delta states boundary communities. Deliberate efforts must be made to create awareness among these communities. No doubt this will provide timeous and proactive information.
Necessary for mention is the need to cut off the sources of supplies of these criminal elements.
One does not need to emphasize the importance of exchanging information among the state security actors. In this sphere, one may advise that heads of the agencies should shelve agency ego, pride and glory in the interest collective good and wellbeing.
It is our belief that if some of these strategies are adopted, heinous crimes and
criminalities in the state will be mitigated. We also believe that it will enhance proper utilization of available resources and ungoverned areas will be reduced and influx criminal abated.
Charles Muka, Sp Retd. Fmr PPRO Delta. Security Expert.
