A former Commissioner of Police in FCT, Barrister Lawrence Alobi has declared his support for the approval of 1 billion United States dollars for the acquisition of arms for the fight against insurgency in the country.
Alobi who was speaking in an interview with newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday noted that security is pivot to any country’s peace and stability especially now that the country is plagued by insurgency.
He stated that government cannot fold it hands for the security challenge to exacerbate urging the management of security agencies in the country to judiciously spend the funds when released.
He said: “For you to adequately secure the country, you need to have adequate equipment and manpower as security is expensive, you need to get security right, so if that proposed by the presidency to buy security equipment to fight terrorism, we secure the entire country so be it.”
The ex police officer lamented the poor funding and neglect of the Nigerian police by successive governments in the country, adding that the meager budgetary allocation to the police has not allowed the police to perform its functions creditably.
About the security of the country towards the 2019 general elections, Alobi said: “If we cannot secure the country, we cannot have successful and peaceful elections,” he said.
He decried the proliferation of illegal arms by militia groups who collaborate with desperate politicians to wreck mayhem on the country.
The security expert was also miffed by widespread cultism in the land.
“The signals we are getting about 2019 general elections indicates that there would be a lot of security challenges. That is why the IGP has advised people with illegal arms to return their arms.”
He advised the Federal Government to strengthen the borders, which according to him, is porous and a gateway for the trafficking of illegal arms.
Alobi further noted: “it is dangerous for people to bear arms without licence or authorisation”, and expressed worry over the influx of armed bandits into the country in the name of herders who kill and maim citizens.
