Bomb blasts: CCTV can help even with infrastructure challenge, says former FCT police boss Alobi

Before the elections, we have started having challenges like the bombing incidence. What are the police roles here? Without security, there can’t be elections. Without elections, there is no democracy. For elections to be free and fair and credible, they have to be peaceful. They have to be devoid of violence, corruption and malpractices. Before […]

Before the elections, we have started having challenges like the bombing incidence. What are the police roles here?

Without security, there can’t be elections. Without elections, there is no democracy. For elections to be free and fair and credible, they have to be peaceful. They have to be devoid of violence, corruption and malpractices.

Before the elections, maybe some politician may begin to amass illegal arms to intimidate their opponents. Like in Akwa Ibom, I read…they recovered 15 riffles where they were having primaries. The police needs to have intelligence gathering. Start to gather intelligence on all the political parties and their activities.

Everybody is talking about these bombings! You have to anticipate crises to be able to manage crises. So they have to think ahead, plan ahead and work ahead—that is intelligence gathering, proactive policing—planning and also synergising with other security agencies. There should be cooperation because security is a duty of all of us.

Section 14(b) of the 1999 constitution provides that the primary purpose of government is the wellbeing and security of citizens. So every government must be concerned about security of the citizens.

Now, FIB agents are in the country to assist our security men. Isn’t this indication that our men are not up to the policing task?

Nigerian police officers are very professional, very intelligent, very seasoned, very knowledgeable. What they need are equipment, government’s support and encouragement and the enabling environment to exhibit their professionalism. Then the public needs to cooperate with the security agencies. Because if the society is secured, the citizens will benefit. If there is insecurity, the citizens suffer!

Is there any success we will record from this visit by FBI agents?

Nobody knows it all. You can get knowledge from whatever source. Like the US, they are more advanced in terms technology, intelligence gathering and so forth. We can learn from them, get their equipment. Our officers have been trained but we need the equipment. We need the cooperation and synergy with the US intelligence agency and Nigeria can synergise with other agencies. They say two good heads are better than one. When we avail ourselves of what they have and what we have, we’ll be able to produce a better result.

You were once the chief police officer in FCT command and in charge of federal operations. Judging from what you saw on 31st of December 2010, don’t you think it was a failure of the security agents?

There is no society that is crime free. Crime is integral part of man because all of us cannot behave the same way. Even in the eyes of God, Adam and Eve disobeyed God. And when you disobey, you go against the rule. What government does is to take necessary action to minimise, contain and control crime. If they cannot prevent it, they should detect it. So it is not failure on the part of security.

Now, all securities should beef up. Now, we have a new phenomenon in terms of bombing. They should re-strategise and intensify their intelligence gathering network system. If we do that, our security will be strengthened and we’ll have improved security. Even if we cannot prevent, we can detect crime effectively.

And when we detect and suspects are arrested, they will be prosecuted and that will be a deterrent to others. When we arrest people and we don’t prosecute them, it doesn’t augur well for law enforcement. If people are arrested and prosecuted and the public is informed of what the police has done—how many people have been arrested, how many have been prosecuted, it boosts the public confidence and enhances security in the country.

Do you support the call for installation of CCT cameras?

Very very much! I have always advocated that. CCTV is one security strategy we can use—it is proactive method as well as a detective method. It can detect crime before it is committed. It can also be used to prosecute those who commit crime. It can prevent crime. When a criminal knows that there is a CCT camera watching over this environment, he will be deterred from coming to commit crime.

But we don’t have a database. Even if a camera picks Mr A here, before…

No these are all processes…You see, I was in Scotland Yard where I underwent a course on hijacking, kidnapping, negotiation. When you go to Scotland Yard, in the Operation Room, you see all the cameras zooming all the parts of London, where they can monitor and know what’s happening. The men operating in the Control Room can now from there see what is happening and call those on the ground people to take action.

If these cameras are installed, there is going to be a database, there’s going to be a Control Room where all will be monitored and the men on ground will respond to all incidents. I think that is a good beginning—not only for Abuja but for others cities. All public areas: malls, cinemas, motor parks, traffic junctions. If they are mounted, they will minimise crime. They will be used in evidence. They can be used to prosecute offenders if arrested.

We have infrastructure challenges—we all know that. Even where we already have these cameras, they hardly work.

Government needs to be sincerely. If all of us are sincere in our roles and functions, leaders are sincere and committed, I think there will be a change. Whether you are in Power Holding Company of Nigeria, in whatever field working, you can help us to contribute to peace and security—to make us to be vanguards of peace and security in this country. If we do that, we’ll not only have peaceful elections, we’ll have improved security and make Nigeria safer and secured for all of us.

This will attract investments. Opportunities and jobs will be created. It will also minimise corruption. The problem is corruption. We should also make politics less attractive. If we make politics less attractive and people only go there to serve, not to amass wealth, it will minimise violence.

How do we make politics less attractive?

We can make politics less attractive when they are paid allowances only when they sit. And based on how they contribute to deliberations in the legislature; and how the laws they make add value to the lives of the people. If our leaders are there to serve the people, they are patriotic, they are committed, they uphold moral values which are: service, humility, contentment and they are trustworthy, things will be better for this country!

Can we say there are aggrieved people in the society because of the kind of criminality we witness today? Somebody will plant a bomb somewhere just to destroy lives. Is this show of anger?

It can be. Karl Max, a political economist believed that the only way to bring change in society is through revolution. But I don’t think it’s through revolution. We can dialogue and make change. We can make a change through the ballot box. Let Nigerians make a change—let them select leaders of their choice.

You can be poor yet you don’t commit crime. You work hard! If people begin to throw bombs because they are not happy, the bombs kill innocent citizens. Have they done the right thing? That is misplaced aggression—anger! Anger does not solve problems. What solves problems are dialogue, peace and the fear of God.

If there is a particular crime incidence and you feel there is a group that is likely to be committing the crime. What do you do?

I get into my intelligence network, penetrate that group, dislodge that group and get the members apprehended. Intelligence is very important to dislodge any organised crime.  Through intelligence-led policing or intelligence-led law enforcement, we can break through such groups.

Like the boko harram. They are still attacking.

Section 24(e) of the 1999 constitution says it is the duty of every Nigerian citizen to assist law enforcement agents to maintain law and order. The public have a role to play. All hands must be on deck to make Nigeria safe and secured for all of us. It is not security alone. I call on Nigerians to now arise! That’s why our NGO, Foundation for Security Education is out to inculcate those values that promote peace and security.