What is good for Niger Delta militants is also good for Boko Haram — Abubakar Tsav

Written by Toryila Kajo, Makurdi Friday, 24 June 2011 05:00

Alhaji Abubakar Tsav is a retired Commissioner of Police whose last posting was Lagos State. An anti-corruption crusader and commentator on national issues, Tsav in this interview spoke on the deteriorating security situation in the country and prescribes the way forward.

As a former Police boss, are you satisfied with the security situation in the country?

Not at all and this could be the fault of the government, inefficiency on the part of security agencies or both. Now that we have handsets, I expected that the police would have been more efficient because you can use the telephone and communicate with anybody anywhere. The Police have to send patrol men on the roads so that any suspicious person can be picked at random for a check because the attackers may have carried these guns in their vehicles and the police don’t stop to check them.
When you come in a Jeep and well dressed, you intimidate the Police and they don’t do their job very well. When you post policemen on the road you will have to supervise them to make sure that they do their job very well and the right thing or they will concentrate more on taking money. Often times, I go on the road and see them taking money and putting in their pockets without being ashamed that people are watching them. These things happen every day and we have been complaining but the hierarchy is doing nothing about it. Corruption has gone digital and to the highest point in this country and I think the best thing is for government to declare corruption legal in the country so that it will become survival of the fittest.

The situation is very sad and I think we don’t have sufficient security in this country. Besides this, politicians have armed their thugs with guns here and there. I am aware that many people have guns and are waiting for the situation to come out with it and start fighting to kill innocent people. Would you recommend reorganization in the Nigerian police force?

You see, there is much reorganization in the Nigeria Police Force. What happens is that when they are recognizing the Police, they bring all retired Inspectors General to be members. These IGPs at one time or the other were in charge of the Police Force in the country and things started escalating during their time but they took no step to change them so when you bring them, they will always say something to protect themselves and will not find themselves at fault and that is why the reorganization is not taking us anywhere. There are some officers that were in the Police service in Operations Department and some of them did not attend the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police or Assistant Inspectors General but are very good on their job.

These are officers that should always form members of the reorganization committee. But when you call Inspector Generals who during their time misappropriated money, did not allow free hand for operations, who showed ethnicity in the course of their duties to form the organization committee there will be problems. Therefore, bring officers in operation, DPOs who operated in difficult terrains as members and they will deliver. Let me tell you that policing is not what you leant in the university but you can acquire the experience through application on your job. When you bring a university don who can read papers and come out with formulas it will not work.

If you are in a position to advice President Goodluck Jonathan on the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the country, what would you suggest?

Well, many years when I was in Europe serving in the Police Force under a Commissioner of Police called Emmanuel Olaraye, he was not well schooled but he knew the Police job to his finger tips. During that time the population was not as it is today and whenever there was suspicion, a mass search was done to recover illegal arms and that achieved a lot of results. But today, arms have gone into many hands. You go to the airport and find police orderlies that have gone to welcome their masters that bring goods from overseas that would not undergo security checks and this lets much proliferation of arms in the country.

We have a police force that is biased, corrupt and partisan and once you give them money you will be let go. Sometimes when Police see your vehicle with a number that is not in that state, they will want money from you. But if government should take steps towards their welfare and give them the mandate to disarm all the fanatical groups in the country, this may help. Not only that, if you are found with arms there should be no sacred cows, they should be charged to court to show cause.

What is your reaction to the situation where politicians surround themselves with thugs rather than security details?

Politicians surround themselves with thugs because they have no confidence in the Police. You know that a thug is not disciplined and he can do whatever you ask him to do and is always under the influence of alcohol and hard drugs. So government should proscribe thuggery in this country. If you are a public office holder, you should allow only the police to work with you.

One of the Northern governors has declared his intention to negotiate with Boko Haram sect that is posing security challenge in parts of the country. What is your take on that approach?

Well, if Federal Government could negotiate with Niger Delta militants, why should a governor not negotiate with Boko Haram sect? They are causing the same havoc in the country. Maybe if such a governor brings them into the mainstream of things, the sect may lay down their arms. The militants in the South South were also committing treason, heinous crimes but they got amnesty. So, what is good for the Niger Delta militants is also good for Boko Haram. Don’t forget that some of the militants held meetings with the president and security agencies and they were treated as VIPs.

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