Recently, the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) released an infographic showing plausible achievements of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu from 16 January 2019 to 9 January 2020.
The data released show that in 2019, concerted efforts led to the arrest of over 1,527 kidnappers, 2,627 armed robbers, 758 murder suspects, and 1,621 cultists; recovery of over 2,037 assorted firearms, the rescue of 945 kidnap victims and recovery of 1,662 stolen vehicles across the country.
However, Austin Peacemaker, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Security Affairs, a media and peace building consultancy firm, who spoke with TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) on Friday in an interview, thinks the data paints a picture of a big problem with security in the country.
In this interview, Austin gave his perspective on what roles government at all levels, security agencies and Nigerians could play if security of lives and properties must be guaranteed.
Let’s meet you
My name is Austin Peacemaker. I am the Executive Director of Security Affairs and also TVS Security. We are into consultancy, and also into peace building and security issues. We believe that when we have more security awareness, we can have a safe society.
What do make of security in Abuja, and across the country?
First and foremost, we need to know that security is everybody’s business. However, in Abuja, police and other security agencies have been up to their games. There have been multiple raids and arrests, especially of criminals, who constitute a nuisance to the society. There are those who have migrated to Abuja thinking the FCT is a place for them to have their way in their criminal activities; there have been multiple arrests. We have seen so many parading of criminal elements by the Nigerian police. I think security is getting better, improving than before.
There were times that you will be scared of going out in the night. There were times that people were scared of going to the market for fear of bomb blast. There were times that public vehicles were risks, like the elrufai buses, they have to even scan you before you enter. There were times that some roads in the FCT were blocked, there was only one way, because the government wanted to be careful in terms of security. Also, some specific offices said let’s keep our lids to ourselves so that we don’t have a situation where you have a suicide bomber coming in. When you look back, these are history right now. People move around freely right now in Abuja.
However, there have been one or two cases of maybe keke napep incidences, people snatching handbags, pockets of kidnapping cases; and also cases of one chance, at a particular time was very very rampant, especially around Kubwa expressway, Airport expressway, Nyanya, and Mararaba expressway. There was a time that one chance was very very rampant. The police have made a lot of arrests. I think gradually the rate of crime is reducing. So, I can say that the security situation in the FCT is improving. However, there is room for further improvement.
What would you say is the cause of insecurity in the country?
Well, if I want to sound like an activist, I will say it is the wide gap between the poor and the rich, the economic situation in the country, where people have no reliable means of making income; for them to be able to feed, they will be tempted to go into crime. We can say these are some of the reasons why these things are still prevailing.
Another part we need to also look at is that crime is prevailing because of you and me, because we are our own security first and foremost. We have the right to give information to security agencies. They work with information. They are not everywhere. They cannot be everywhere. So, it’s the information we give that will help in curbing crime.
For example, there were some persons that tried to scam me of recent. They called me that they have a business opportunity they want to share with me. At a particular period when I discovered that they were fraudsters, which I already knew, I was discussing with some of my friends to say I want to pin these guys down, I want to call them into my office, let’s meet for the agreement, and I will just call FCT police and they will just come and pick them in my office. Most of the people I shared that story with, they will tell me, “just allow them to go”.
But I said, if we keep allowing them to go, when will they be nabbed, when will they be arrested? That is a problem. We hesitate to press charges to prosecute crime in the our society, and even the spirit of patriotism is not in us. I feel that it is my responsibility, when I see anything that is going on wrong, I should first contact the security agencies and report.
There was a time I was driving in the FCT and I saw a particular bus that was not branded with a school name with school children. And I discovered that as I was driving, all the school children in that bus were sleeping. It was scary. As soon as I got to a checkpoint, I packed and I told the police people that a particular bus is coming with school children that they should just find out what is going on with the bus.
I think that is the way to go. You don’t know how far the little information you share can go in curbing crime.
I know of somebody that was kidnapped by one chance. They collected her ATM card, went to do multiple withdrawals, and dumped her somewhere in the night. In the morning, first of all, we went to the hospital, and afterwards I said let’s take this to the police. but the family members said, “God will catch up with them”.
The criminal elements are having their way and be thinking their business is successful, because people are reluctant to report crimes to the police. I feel that why crime is prevailing is that we all are not playing the roles that we should play completely, and adequately. We should provide information to the security agencies, and we should watch our environment.
Knowing that we are our first security, we should not just jump into any vehicle, and then, people should learn to reduce late night movements. FCT no doubt is a late night city. If people must move in the night, they must learn to be vigilant, and know specific places to go in the night, and avoid dark places.
What would you say about the recent scorecard of the police released for 2019?
We know that the police came out with what they called their scorecard. Yes, from my own analysis, and my own view, there have been a lot of kidnap suspects that have been arrested. I remember there were multiple parades of suspects in 2019, and also victims were released.
Let me take for example the Kaduna State Police Command, the Police Commissioner there, I remember at a particular period, the Kaduna road was not safe, there was a lot of kidnapping, kidnap activities going on then, I remember the CP came on board and declared war on these people, and as a matter of fact, at a particular period they find out that it was no longer a good business for them, because a lot of them were arrested and paraded. There was a particular time I was in his office and I had a chat with him, and I was able to see why the strategy he adopted was working very well. To add, just yesterday, as early as 5 am, I was on that road. I drove from Kaduna to Abuja; 8.30 am, I was already in Abuja. I know people would say, “it’s scary, don’t go out”.
I feel most of these crimes are reducing, because Nigerians know when it is happening, but also we do not know when they are reducing. So, we keep using old statistics, and we keep magnifying and amplifying criminal cases over the success. So, I am very happy with the scorecard that the Nigerian police came with to give us analysis and for us to truly look into it, and probe and see whether they are true figures for kidnap suspects and released kidnap victims. I give kudos to them. They did a lot.
What would you say about police brutality, harassment, cases of insiders and the proliferation of illegal firearms in the society?
In every institution, in every office, in every organisation, there are bad eggs. They are there in the police, they are there in the Army, they are there in Air Force, they are there in the Navy, they are there in DSS, they are there in Civil Defence, they are there in Immigration, they are there in Customs, they are there in Prison; there are bad eggs everywhere. Even Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world, among His 12 disciples, there was one thief.
But, we should now look at what the organization stands for. For example, let’s use the Nigerian Army for example, there have been cases of Army brutality, but once the case goes to the table of hierarchy where issues are reported, they probe into the matter, and those erring soldiers are arrested, and sometimes dismissed. It shows that whatever activity that particular soldier had carried out was not a true representation of the Army.
Also, let’s come to the Nigerian police, there have been cases of police harassment on the road, there are cases of bad police who will slip weapons to go and sell, or who collaborate with criminals or give out information, but that is not the representation in the Nigerian police because their primary role is to protect lives and properties, but just like I said, there are bad eggs everywhere. But we know, and that is why I talked about information sharing. Providing information to security agencies will help in solving a lot of problems, because when those bad eggs are reported to their higher authority, they will always be dealt with.
Where we now have a problem is where a bad egg, somebody that is giving out information, a police officer that is snitching on his colleagues, or probably also against country, when it is reported, and action is not taken, that is when we can say something is wrong, and ask, if the police is endorsing crime, or they are encouraging criminals, but I know, we know, that there are bad eggs everywhere, and it is expected that the bad eggs would be exposed, tried, and dismissed continually.
For Mpape bank robbery, we thank God for the confessions, but I know that the police have looked into that. They might not necessarily come out to mention names now because security is a very dicey issue. Maybe there are other investigations they are doing, if they mention names, the remaining gang members might run away, but I know whoever is that person, whatsoever if it true, because it is alleged, that police officer or personnel would be dealt with.
With pockets of insecurity here and there, what do you think can be done to make sure that the lapses are improved upon?
Basically, the first thing, the government needs to improve facilities that ensure safety in our communities. The CCTVs should be working. It should not be the case that where a criminal took someone’s ATM card to withdraw money from the ATM in the night, and you request for CCTV footage, but they tell you that the CCTV is not working. Government should put the basic facilities that ensure safety and security in place.
And I think the government too should also encourage people by providing street lights. I feel so bad when driving through some roads in the night. The street lights that are there are not working. It’s terrible. People pay their taxes; what the government has to do then is to ensure there is safe environment for us. The street lights should be working. Sometimes when you drive out of town in the night, maybe you enter Nyanya, Mararaba expressway, the road is dark.
I fear as a country we are playing with lives. It doesn’t cost anything to make sure that the street lights are working; from night till morning, it doesn’t cost anything. Then Kubwa expressway, in the night, you find out that the street lights are not there. From the airport down to city gate, you will find out the street lights are working; so that those coming from the airport will feel that is how everywhere is. From airport back to Gwagwalada, the street lights are not working, they are mostly off in the night. I think that we should stop playing politics with peoples’ lives. This is a part government needs to come in. They should ensure that basic amenities that will ensure security, ensure safety should be working. Crime thrive very well in the dark, when street lights are working, it will help to reduce the rate of crime more.
There are people in public offices who are playing with peoples’ lives. When it comes to public funds, I think people need to be careful. Someone whose job is to install CCTV or ensure street lights are working, should do their jobs. Public office holders might think stealing money without being caught they are smart, but they did not know that every blood that is spilled because of their negligence is on their heads; nemesis always have it’s way.
Then also, security agencies should share information among themselves. The unnecessary rivalry should stop. If police have an arrest to make or there is a crime under investigation, they should feel free to share information with other security agencies; same for other security agencies as well.
We know sometimes there are cases of distrust that information might leak, but at the top level, there should be information sharing. They should know how to work together. When security agencies start sharing intelligence, crime will reduce. It should not be about taking the glory. It should not be about eye service to the presidency. The idea might not be obvious but some people will know.
Just like I said, security is everybody’s business. Lets provide information. When you notice some kind of strange movement in your environment, make call to the Nigerian police. Their contacts, their phone numbers are there, even the Nigerian Army have their phone numbers out there, they have their human rights desk numbers out there, and other security agencies. So, I think it’s all about us being patriotic and giving out information.
What other information would you like to share with Nigerians as regards security and being safe?
I want to tell Nigerians that the world is advancing, and we must advance with the world. Technology has come to stay. Technology in other countries is able to prevent crime, let’s copy.
Our leaders are travelling out, they should not just go out for vacation, they should not just go out for seminars, trainings, and conferences, they should bring back what they are seeing. They should copy the right things they should come and implement. When you go out of this country, you will come back and feel like crying. They should come back and implement whatever they are seeing out there.
There is also an urgent need to bridge the economic gap. There should be jobs. People should be given opportunities to grow. Banks should learn to give funds to early starters to float businesses; government should ensure that young entrepreneurs are encouraged, not banks looking for successful people to give money; so that crime rate will reduce, so that a young man leaving the university will be sure that if he doesn’t get a job, he can go into business.
Government should ensure there is a specific programme that is not politicized in place that will guarantee young graduates of startup funds. This will encourage young Nigerians to be more productive. All these put in place, will go a long way to creating a better society for Nigerians.
Then, we as citizens, we have our part to play. Lets applaud and celebrate people who are serving the country, because the truth is that we talk about the bad eggs, we talk about the negativity, nobody talks about the good side. If someone is always seeing your bad side, it gets to a particular point that no one cares whatever you have to say. I think we should learn to applaud and celebrate security agencies, the military, our troops that are serving us, and also those in uniforms that are serving us. We should learn to celebrate them.
Thank God the armed forces remembrance just past. We saw across social media platforms that some Nigerians are now more enlightened. They wrote poems and published across their social media platforms. People praised the military for what they are doing. I think we should keep that going.
Therefore, security agencies should now be more strategic in relating with the public. Majority of young Nigerians are on one social media platform or the other, so I think security agencies should come up with programmes that these people can relate with so that they are not far from the people. Majority of Nigerians are scared of the army and are filled with disdain for the police. It is not supposed to be so. The narrative should change.
Before security become tactical, it is first intelligence. The strategic stage, the intelligence part is very key. If you stay in your high horse and you keep distance from the community you are meant to protect, you might not be able to get the best. You can get information everywhere, people talk. There are information everywhere, people are sharing information, giving too much; if you don’t bring yourself down to the people, you don’t engage, maximizing the social media, security agencies might not be able to get the best.
Lastly, we should not forget that security is everybody’s business. First and foremost, we are our first security. We know we are a religious country, we believe that God is ensuring our security and our safety, but also, God has given us brain and sense for us to be able to put some things in place, and be able to protect our own environment.