MaiBasira Calls for Reform of Security Architecture, Seeks Creation of State Police

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Immediate past National Financial Secretary of the PDP, Abdullahi Hussaini MaiBasira has called for an immediate creation of state police and a total reform of the national security architecture as a panacea to tackle the worsening security challenges in Nigeria.

Maibasera, an alumnus of the Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies, London, United Kingdom in a paper he submitted to UK journal said that the reform of the security architecture and creation of state police were long over due.

The paper titled. “Reforming the Security Architecture of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” said, “First, we must decentralize Nigeria’s policing architecture. In addition to the urgent creation of State Police, every Local Government should be able and allowed to establish its own Local Police system and structure to operate within its own jurisdiction in line with its resource availability. The nation must go a step further to allow for the establishment of sectoral policing”.

According to him, “This means that we should create educational Police to secure educational institutions, health police to secure federal and state health institutions, transport police to secure transport facilities and so on. The NPF, as presently constituted could remain a Federal Police Force with concurrent jurisdiction over the country’s national security threats to laws, order and public safety.

“Second, we should break away VIP protection from the Police and DSS and create separate federal and even states agencies for such functions. We should ensure that the DSS remains focused on gathering and responding to internal intelligence, and domestic counter terrorism relating to public safety and not meddlesome or prioritize protection for VIP and Politically Exposed Persons.”, he stated.

He said that the United States Secret Service and the Russian Federal Protective Service (FSO) are clear
examples of State agencies solely created for VIP protection. adding, “The precursor to the Russian FSO itself was the Presidential Security Service (SBP) of the Soviet era.”

Thirdly, he said, “the Local Government administration should and must be allowed to work to its fullest constitutionally enshrined capability. Local Government councils must function, council chairmen and executives should reside in their domain, be held responsible for social order, peace and security in their local councils and should have full autonomy and control of their financial revenues.”

Fourthly, he said that “now is time for the nation to establish a full – fledged Nigeria Border Security Force to secure our very porous land and sea borders. The Nigeria Customs Service had long been supervised by the Federal Ministry of Finance, it is likely far more concerned with revenue generation than border security. The Nigeria Immigration Service should concern itself more with Passport Issuance, tracking smuggling of goods, and jointly restrict movement of undocumented persons across our borders and repatriation of same.”

He said that security analysts were of the general opinion that the prevailing insecurity and the illegal operations of criminals, bandits, and fundamentalists in weak West African countries would continue as long as the present day fundamentals remain the same especially ungoverned territories and infiltration of small and large arms.

Therefore, he said that the non – expansionist element of Nigeria’s foreign policy is now out – dated, recommending that Nigeria must consider the execution of an aggressive foreign policy backed by the objective possibility of permanent Military Base in the Sahel, Sahara or on any West African nation.

He explained that this would enhance the country’s capacity to undertake tactical security operations at closer proximity to address threats before they come close to Nigeria’s borders.

Further more, he said that Nigeria must invest heavily in cyber security, explaining that the fact that kidnappers could make phone contacts with family of victims for ransom and the security system cannot track same is an embarrassment and is simply unacceptable. According to him, he country must possess an inherent capability to respond to threats using cyber technology anywhere within the country and outside the country, especially within the sub region and Africa at large.