The All Progressives Congress (APC) Professionals Forum has asked the federal government to, as matter of urgency, review security strategies, training and re-training security operatives to be able to tackle the menace of insecurity across the country.
The forum also urged Nigerians to share intelligence and information with security operatives that will help arrest current insecurity situations in parts of the country.
In a statement signed Thursday in Abuja, by the former Deputy Governor of Anambra state and the acting chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) if the forum, Dr Nkem Okeke, decried the recent attack on Kuje Medium Correctional Centre in Abuja, leading to the release of some terror inmates and criminals and killing of others.
The statement also condermed the attack on the presidential advance team to Daura, Katsina state, describing the incidence as acts of cowardly terror.
Okeke, therefore, urged the various security agencies to rise to the occasion to stem the unfortunate spate of jailbreaks and insecurity in the country.
He also urged security agencies to stop the marauding terrorists whose agenda was to bring the country to its knees.
According to Okeke, there should be a swift response to threats posed by non-state actors who do not share the values of a united purpose-driven nation.
“The quest to eliminate terrorism should be a challenge that all Nigerians must confront with unity of purpose. We also enjoin the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to review our security strategies regarding training and re-training security operatives,” he said.
“Toward this end, our security agencies, whose constitutional duties is to protect lives and property, should restore the confidence of citizens in their ability to give their utmost best to the country’s efforts to defeat insurgency.
“We also urge the Service Chiefs to exhibit higher standards of professionalism, discipline, unity of purpose, and harmony in their respective positions, especially in intelligence sharing and dedication to duties,” he said.
He added that there was, however, need to raise the ratio of security personnel to citizens, considering rising population.
Okeke further added that government should evaluate senior commanders’ performance on key performance indexes and hold them accountable for national security breaches.
He tasked Nigerians to brace up to the challenge by sharing intelligence and information with security operatives to arrest the situation.
He explained that this new measure should include rehabilitation of dilapidated security infrastructure, re-working our security architecture, and recruiting more patriotic Nigerians into the security forces to increase their capacity.
He expressed optimism that the parameters would boost the moral of the country’s security agencies and enhance national security.
The forum’s BoT acting chairman, however, thanked Buhari and security agencies for the sacrifices, victories, and gains recorded thus far since 2015 under his administration.
