NBA’s ex-scribe, prayer group task govt on insecurity

EVEN as it condemned the endless cases of bombing in some parts of the country, the National Prayer Movement (NPM) has appealed  to the Federal Government to do more to curb the menace.

In a reaction to last Thursday’s explosion at the Force Headquarters in Abuja, the group described the act as “very callous” and treasonable and hoped that the next target would not be the Defence Headquarters since perpetrators easily penetrated the Police High Command.

Also, former Secretary of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Rafiu Lawal-Rabana (SAN), has called for an immediate review of the country’s current security system, which he described as “vulnerable and archaic”.

Lawal-Rabana, in a chat with The Guardian in Ilorin, Kwara State, said the blasts at the Police headquarters though condemnable, had made a mess of the nation’s security network.

NPM General Secretary, Mr. Gbenga Olakunle, in a statement yesterday, said the brazen act called for serious national security concern.

“For several times, since the days of this administration, we have been drumming it into the ears of the Presidency to take the issue of security very seriously. Food security, energy and fighting corruption can only come next to it (security).

“The nation is not fighting external aggressors and yet our apparent weak intelligence or security apparatus coupled with lack of adequate political will by the government to deal decisively with the problem, is making the country lose its citizens to needless acts of terrorism”.

NPM said the recent incident bore the signature of foreign terrorist groups with local content, adding that the perpetrators had “domesticated” terrorism and thus are posing serious challenges to security agencies.

“The Federal Government should consider holistic approach to the issue of security, starting with adequate training for personnel in intelligence gathering”, he said, noting that security agents would be handicapped to perform their constitutional duty without a well-processed information or intelligence to work with.

Olakunle observed that in the past two years, Nigeria had recorded a high turnover of security chiefs on account of breaches. “There is the need for synergy and collaboration among our security agencies if they must rise up to the security challenges in our country”, he stated.

To Lawal-Rabana, proactive measures should be adopted by the Police, stressing that only such approach could save innocent lives and prevent unwanton destruction of property.

He said: “Our security services should be more alive and pro-active to their responsibilities. We must strengthen our intelligence-gathering system. The Thursday’s bomb blast calls for urgent security review”.