How to tackle Nigeria’s security challenges – Saraki

The former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday decried the worsening state of insecurity in Nigeria.

The former Kwara State governor was reacting to Monday’s bandits’ attack on a passenger train in Kaduna.

Saraki, who reacted to the incident in a statement, described it as unacceptable.

He added that the incessant attacks by bandits in villages, especially the latest one in Giwa local government area of Kaduna State which claimed a number of lives, were products of poor security policies by the government.

READ ALSO: TRAIN ATTACK: Buhari summons service chiefs over worsening insecurity

Saraki, therefore, offered suggestions on how to tackle the security challenges.

He said: “We have seen too many attacks in too many communities across the country. We have lost far too many lives to still be at this point— commiserating daily with one family, one community, or the other. We need real solutions.

“One, the federal government must immediately establish an inter-agency task force that will formulate strategies to smoke out all bandits on Kaduna-Abuja rail and vehicle routes. The recommendation of this task force must be acted upon immediately. In the long term, the task force should provide Nigerians with a strategy for ridding the entire country of bandits, insurgents and kidnappers.

“Two, the service chiefs must have a meeting and develop an immediate plan for inter-agency collaboration. The gaps in the coordination, intelligence-sharing, and synergy among our security agencies must be immediately addressed.

“Three, we must adopt 21st-century solutions to our present-day problems. We must make better use of technology to track the activities of these terrorists. We must equip our security operatives with the modern tools and equipment that they need to keep us all safe and prevent such attacks in the future.

“Four, We cannot view these attacks in isolation. Our intelligence network must be proactive. We must and able to analyse and plan effectively to deal with all perceived threats and all enemies of the Nigerian people.

“Five, we must show the strength of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by making sure that our Police, DSS, and Armed Forces immediately find, apprehend and prosecute all those that planned, participated, or facilitated these attacks in any way.”

By Abdulkareem Ambali

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