Is the end to insecurity in your hands?

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, said Nigerians could end the spate of insecurity in the country by exposing criminals living among them. “If Nigerians want it to end today, I can assure you it will end because these bandits are not outside Nigeria,’’ he said recently.  Daily Trust Saturday spoke […]

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, said Nigerians could end the spate of insecurity in the country by exposing criminals living among them.

“If Nigerians want it to end today, I can assure you it will end because these bandits are not outside Nigeria,’’ he said recently.  Daily Trust Saturday spoke to some Nigerians, who reacted to the statement of the army boss.

Abubakar Ahmad, 30, activist, Kaduna

The statement of the COAS is a mark of incompetence of a leadership to protect the lives and territorial integrity of the country, which is the core responsibility of the Nigerian Army.
When our hands are tied and the bandits are with guns, how does the COAS want us to end insecurity in the country?
I suggest an immediate removal of all the service chiefs and key actors in our security sector for more ideas to come on board to tackle the menace.
Security agencies need new ideas, and I know that competent people who can help bring this insecurity to an end are in the army.

Abdulkadir Suleiman, 28, entrepreneur, Kaduna

Why is the Chief of Army Staff saying this after years of promises to end insurgency in the country? He had made several statements accusing different groups of supporting Boko Haram and other bandits in the country. Why is it that he cannot expose such groups.
It shows he is not sincere and lacks a new strategy on how to defeat the insurgents.
The rate of insecurity in this country is becoming pathetic, and sometimes I feel he is toying with the lives of our young and promising military officers.
President Muhammadu Buhari should heed public outcry and sack the service chiefs because they will end up giving more excuses.

 

Alhaji Musa Saidu, 55, businessman, Port Harcourt

Buratia’s comment means that Nigerians should be conscious of their immediate environment and report any suspicious movement, but that is late.
The issue is that Buratai has failed in his responsibility as a senior security officer and should yield to the call of the National Assembly and resign honourably. His call on Nigerians to be sensitive to their immediate environment is belated.
Our security chiefs have failed in their responsibilities to protect the country. Nigerians are at the receiving end of their ineptitude, and for Buratai to shift the responsibility of securing the nation to Nigerians by saying that the security of lives and properties are in their hands is belated. He should simply resign as suggested by the National Assembly.

 

Bright Ogbomudia, 72, businessman, Port Harcourt

Security is everybody’s business and should not be left in the hands of security agencies alone. Nigerians should help the security agencies by providing information on what is happening in their immediate environments, that is what community policing is all about. I think the Chief of Army Staff’s comment is okay. Nigerians should be conscious of their immediate environment and give out information on what is happening around them.

 

Darlington Nwauju, social commentator and rights activist, Port Harcourt

What I can deduce from what the COAS said is that Nigerians should be conscious of their immediate environment by monitoring what is happening around them and alerting the law enforcement agencies on any breach.
Security should be everybody’s business; the law enforcement agencies cannot do it alone. That is why we have community policing to complement the efforts of security agencies. Nigerians should be alive to their immediate environment by monitoring what is happening around them.

 

Kabiru Yusuf Ado, 28, Kano

It is disturbing that such a statement is coming from the Chief of Army Staff. The statement dampens my optimism in the fight against insecurity and I feel more vulnerable now than ever.
The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Army, has the responsibility to protect the lives and property of Nigerians.
I am finding it difficult to understand how security is now in the hands of Nigerians.

 

Nazifi Sani, 31, Kano

All Nigerians deserve to enjoy their right to life, liberty and security. With regard to security issues, it is true that citizens have some roles to play, but on the other hand, they have to depend solely on their government and security agencies.
Buratai’s speech ranks as the worst in the year.

 

Emem Idio, 35, journalist, Bayelsa State

He is right, to an extent. We all have our parts to play, by being observant, security conscious and giving information to the security agencies. However, there are people who are employed by the state and paid with taxpayers’ money to secure the people. All the security agencies have a duty and responsibility to protect the lives and property of the citizenry, and any additional effort by individuals are obligatory. Therefore, the Chief of Army Staff should rise up to the challenge of insecurity and confront it headlong and should stop blaming the citizenry for their ineffectiveness. Better still, he should resign if he is running out of ideas to tackle insecurity in the country.

 

Eunice Nnachi, 40, journalist, Bayelsa State

This statement is undeserving of a security chief like Lt Gen Buratai. For the Chief of Army Staff to make such a statement, it means that he lacks ideas.
I think the security chiefs have over-stayed, that is why it is ideal for Mr President to change them and bring in new people with fresh ideas to handle the security lapses in the country. How can the COAS, who is duly appointed and paid with taxpayers’ money, come out to say that security is in the hands of the citizens? Are the citizens armed? It is disappointing.
From every section of this country, bandits, kidnappers and armed robbers are killing citizens at will, and our security chiefs are saying we should help ourselves. How? Should we use barehands to fight sophisticated armed criminals? It clearly shows that they are helpless and should step down.

 

Shehu Usman Umaru, 58, Kano

A soldier’s duty is to serve and protect the lives and property of the citizens of his country. It appears that Buratai has forgotten his oath at graduation as an officer.
This statement is rather unfortunate. It portrays an officer who has lost sight of his primary responsibilities.

 

Saudat Abubakar Abdullahi, 24

Security, as we all know, is one of the basic needs of a citizen. Protecting the lives and property of citizens must be very crucial to the government and every one of us.
What the COAS said is true, to some extent. Politically, it is believed that it is the sole responsibility of government to secure the lives and property of citizens. This is our thought and mentality, but the world has changed. Our thoughts are only applicable to a truly democratic system of government. In our case today, security issues must be in our hands. We must fight anything that stands as a threat to our lives.
This can be done in many ways. For instance, when a citizen sees something that could stand as a threat, he or she has the duty to report to security agencies.

 

Khadija Muhammad, 27, Kaduna

I think what the COAS is saying is that through information sharing with security agencies, insurgency can be brought to an end. The irony is that those who can give the information are targeted by the bandits or the army. Those killed or kidnapped are mostly in rural areas. These are people that are meant to be protected by the security agencies. We have not heard of bandits ransacking state capitals, it is communities at the rural areas that get ransacked. Is it the people that reside in the state capitals that will provide information on where the bandits are?
The COAS should ensure that the lives of those in rural areas are protected before seeking an end to insurgency through Nigerians.