…Security Experts Urge Service Chiefs To Double Up Efforts

…Call On Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit To Upgrade

LAGOS – Concerns appear to have mount­ed over the renewed activities of terrorists and arms impor­tation into the country, going by information from security sources, and though prominent leaders of terror groups have been eliminated, there are fears that the insurgents are devising more strategies and spreading out.

Security experts told our Correspon­dent on Saturday that the return of sui­cide bombing and the influx of arms into the country was cause for concern and that creative strategies were needed to contain the new phase of insecurity in the country.

On their part, analysts have taken a hard look at the recent multiple suicide bombings in Gwazo, Borno State, in the North-East of Nigeria, urging the Feder­al Government and the Service Chiefs to be more clinical in their push.

Amb. Dr. Kalu Ofon Emmanuel, La­gos State Chapter President, lnternation­al Human Rights Protection Service, Na­ples, Florida, USA; said: “No government will like to experience security porosity as it is prevalent in Nigeria today which has claimed the lives of innocent citizens of Nigeria.

“It has become succinct that no state of the federation is exempted in battling insecurity. People live in fear, including the security agencies, because of the so­phistication of weapons the insurgents possess, no one wants to die.

“What the Federal Government and security chiefs should do to check the renewed wave of suicide bombing is to double their capacity and efforts.

“Install CCTV surveillance cameras and ensure stable power supply. Sensitise the general public on security conscious­ness and proffer training in schools, work places, enlighten the market men and women.

“Increase talks on suicide bombing through creating awareness on Radio, Television, Churches, Mosques, Tradi­tional Rulers, and through other avail­able means.

“They should increase the use of metal detectors and scanners, especial­ly in different gatherings. People should have phone numbers to call in case of any form of suspiciousness.

“Such numbers should be written boldly in different places and locations. The network providers should send text messages to all the subscribers the num­bers to call.

“The Federal Government and secu­rity chiefs should learn from advanced countries and improve the country’s security system.”

POLITICAL UNDERTONES OF TER­ROR

Bishop Herbert Ekechukwu, a Lagos cleric, stated: “Suicide bombing is an act in which an individual personally delivers explosives and detonates them to inflict the greatest possible damage, killing himself or herself in the process.

“Virtually all suicide bombings are linked to political causes or grievances. To inflict maximum damage, the bomb­ers rely heavily on elements of surprise.

“They often wear their explosives un­derneath their clothing, or carry them in back packs. Suicide bombing is almost impossible for security forces to prevent.

“Suicide bombing generate media publicity attention. The mass media at­tention is the oxygen to terrorists. They receive enormous news coverage owing to the willingness of bombers to die for a course and shocking damage inflicted indiscriminately against targets and by­standers alike

“A successful suicide bombing re­quires little expertise and few resources beyond a bomb and someone willing to carry it.

“Suicide bombing is linked to the rise of militants and religious inspired terrorist violence.

“Measures to prevent suicide bomb­ings can be active or offensive ranging from aggressive law enforcement to vi­olent counter terrorist missions against cells organisations and leaders.

“We also have a passive or defensive approach ranging from highway checks and screening of passengers to legal measures against travel and building blocks to control movements.

Hon. Charles Anike, National Pres­ident, Eastern Union (EU), said: “The sudden reoccurrence of incidences of suicide bombings in the North East is very agonising.

“But, the truth is that our government has been doing enough. All is not well with the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially under previous and present administrations.

“These two regimes are deeply in­volved in foreign borrowing, but what they use such heavy loans for are still un­known. They came in through propagan­da and manoeuvring and had constantly continued in that illusion.

“Unfortunately, our security agen­cies have become increasingly involved in propaganda and corruption. There is no more emphasis on professionalism and intelligence gathering.

“The suicide bombers are not spirits and their sponsors are also not spirits. But, the challenge is that we have suc­cessive governments that showed no genuine concern.

However, Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, Convener of the Apostolic Round Table (ART), one of those who spoke to Sunday Independent on the wave of terrorism and renewed suicide bombing at the weekend, said the military should first come clean on the bombing of the late Dele Giwa, to be able to deal with the cases of suicide bombing.

Akinyemi, a public affairs analyst, said: “Our question since the death of Dele Giwa in a power game, has been: Who killed Dele Giwa. But who plays power games?

“It about time we start asking ‘what’; killed Dele Giwa? That ‘what’ is what is deployed during suicide bombing, killing many.

“The first violent civil use of explo­sives in this country was the letter bomb that was allegedly marked as sent by ‘C-In-C’. The person known so, at that time is still alive, the crime unresolved.

“Was the explosive imported or made in Nigeria? Most likely it was made in Nigeria, probably in a location not too far from the victim’s location.

“The men who did that evil are among us, presiding over the system. If they are troubled by suicide bombing, they know what to do!

“Resolve the first use of explosives and the circumstances surrounding it. Game over! Right before us will be the root of evil.”

Julius Adegunna, a media execu­tive, stated: “I think the renewed wave of suicide bombing should not only be of concern to the Federal Government and its security apparatus, but also to all Nigerians.

“The Federal Government should call its Northern leaders, including pol­iticians and traditional rulers, to talk to their people in the language they can eas­ily understand, because the challenge is more of a moral question.

“Secondly, the Federal Government should empower and strengthen its se­curity agencies on what to do to combat suicide bombing.

“There should also be creation of awareness on how to identify potential suicide bombers and how the public can handle them.”

Following the recent discovery of a truck laden with a large quantity of ille­gally imported arms and ammunition, analysts have urged the Federal Govern­ment and security agencies to find a last­ing solution to illegal arms importation into the country.

FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE USEFUL

Chief Emeka Charles Kalu, an engi­neer and President, Eck Foundation, one of those who spoke to Sunday Indepen­dent on the issue, said the alarming rate of unchecked and illegal arms importa­tion in Nigeria has grossly encouraged the deluge of banditry and other heinous crimes in the country.

He noted that hardly a day passes without shocking news of reported vi­olence recorded in some geo-political regions of the country.

Kalu, a People’s Democratic chieftain, stressed that a few days ago, a lecturer with the Federal University, Dutsin-ma, Kastina, was brutally killed and his two sons abducted in a suspected terror at­tack by bandits.

“This categorically tells you how insecure the Nigeria polity has been de­spite the government’s repeated prom­ises to stem the tides of insecurity and senseless killings across the country,” he said.

He added: “This is because President Bola Tinubu’s administration can hardly find it easier to govern the country in the presence of his government’s tact­lessness and refusal to embark on the right policies capable of transforming the nation’s political economy.

“Continued stay in poverty, frustra­tion and the resort to violence as the last hope of engaging the government to considerately respond to the yearnings of the economically afflicted citizens always spurs the repulsive reactions of the governed and the government is be­lieved to have understood that Nigerians are not feeling friendly with the present economic realities.

“It is dangerous for the government to always allow the platform of its po­litical system to be overtaken by deceit and wrong policies, considering the fact that when the governed are ill-treated, revolts and confrontations become the order of the day.

“The implication is that the people revolt and stage unrest against the government when they are hopelessly maltreated. This is not an incitement of violence, but digging deep into the present realities in the land.

“The recent incidents in Kenya can expose us more on the force through the people constructively engaging the gov­ernment against its anti-people political decisions of arbitrarily proposing a bill to increase the country’s internal tax demands on the citizens.

“To quickly address the prevail­ing cases of arms importations and mindless criminalities in Nigeria, the government is expected to strengthen its legislations on various areas border­ing on terrorism and other dangerous crimes.

“The Nigerian Financial Intelli­gence Unit (NFIU) should endeavour to upgrade its watchfulness, operations and performances to ensure illegal and suspected offshore financial transac­tions are duly monitored and reported to detect injection of funds sponsoring terrorism.

“Above all, the government in robust partnership with the FBI is profession­ally and painstakingly advised to raise its standard in monitoring both the out­flow and inflow of financial investment undertakings carried out by Nigerians, especially in volatile areas with high profile terrorism risks.

“Also, there is the need to consider in­culcating and implanting the spirit of de­cency, honesty and integrity in the lives of our security agents who are saddled with the national functions of maintain­ing law and order in the country.

FRESH ORIENTATIONS

“When these law enforcement of­ficers are given advanced progressive orientations on the importance of adhering to the tenets of engagement rules guiding national securities and surveillance, sharp fraudulent practic­es and other forms of corruption among them would be drastically minimised, therefore reducing its excesses, if not totally curbing the menace of contin­ued unmanned arms importations and other violence – inciting devices in the country.”

Dr. Rexkennedy Saltlove, a public af­fairs analyst, is the President/Executive Director, Citizens Rights and Empow­erment Advocacy Initiative (CREMA Initiative), stated: “The primary reason for illegal arms importation and prolif­eration in the country is a product of Intelligence failure among the security network, The Army, Air Force, Police, Naval, DSS and Customs.

“This intelligence failure is responsi­ble for poor state policing of affairs in the nation that emboldens cultists, terror­ists and extremists to access these small arms and light weapons in perpetrating their criminalities.

“The president must of necessity call heads of security agencies to order on this with clear instruction on what is expected of them in protecting the country and citizens or there would be consequences.

“Licensed local arms manufacturers and importers should be given tracking code to be associated with each and ev­ery arms connected to them.

“The porosity of the borders is an­other issue the government should of necessity do something about. As long as the borders are unguarded and insecure, illegal arms importation and prolifer­ation will thrive and the citizens may choose to start accessing these arms for safe protection.

“Such arms in the hands of frustrat­ed citizens due to current economic sit­uations or other factors can only send dangerous signals and may lead to chaos.

“Another way to control illegal arms importation and proliferation is mak­ing the penalty for such offences severe, like life imprisonment or death sentence. Desperate situations require desperate remedies. Whether other countries ap­ply the death sentence is irrelevant.”

“Nigeria has the highest number of illegal weapons going up to 70% in West Africa. Government should work in collaboration with countries where small and light weapons are imported by reporting individuals or organisations importing arms at any given time and types and quantity to help government and the security agencies know who is bringing in what for easy tracking.

“The government should put mech­anisms in place, and ask people having illegal weapons to voluntarily submit them without any punitive measure if they do.

“These measures will help minimise the illegal weapons importation and its proliferation, that is threatening the very fabric of national stability, and economic vibrancy that can help us grow strong as a nation.”

Barrister Emeka Iheonu, a Lagos lawyer, said “Corruption and bad gover­nance lead to illegal arms proliferation in Nigeria.

“The other side effects of bad gov­ernance and corruption are unem­ployment and poverty. These elements have contributed significantly to arms proliferation and illegal importation in Nigeria.”