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INSECURITY: FG must admit that the nation is at war with itself –ACF scribe

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The Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum, Anthony Sani has said the major problem Nigeria is facing in terms of insecurity cannot be curtailed by the military.

Sani who spoke with our correspondent on Friday, diagnosed different insecurity challenges faced by each zone in the country and proffered likely solutions to them.

According to him, “The recent surge in insecurity across some parts of the country may be due to many factors ranging from terrorism through politics to economic consideration. As a result, it may be very necessary to analyze the underlying causes which differ from zone to zone.

“For example, the underlying causes of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in North West may not be same with the underlying causes of clashes between herdsmen and farmers as well as ethno-religious conflicts in the North Central zone.

“Similarly, the causes of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling are not the same with the insurgence of North East which uses religion as a strategy to recruit gullible canon fodders to attain mundane aspiration that is cast in the mould of jihad.

Also, causes for cultism in the South are not the same with the herdsmen and farmers saga.

“Clear analysis of the underlying causes may inform appropriate strategy by the authority. For example, while hard power of military may put an end to kidnapping and banditry, it may not do so for the insurgency which may need some deradicalization”.

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Going further, he said “The authorities should come to terms with the reality that the nation is at war with itself and bring people together to enable them to unleash their synergistic potential against collective challenges for common good.

“Towards this end, there is a need for a common national narrative which comes with national solidarity against the challenges.

“A situation where some sections gloat over any bad moments suffered by our security agents in the hands of the criminals should be discouraged by sanctioning.

“Ethnic and religious colouration should not be given to clearly criminal activities lest we provide platforms for criminals to shield themselves and perpetrate crimes, knowing how hard it is to prosecute ethnicity and religion.

“There is a need for adequately trained and well-equipped number of police personnel to police the country. The panacea is not the multiplication of security agencies, but an adequate number of trained and equipped police. This is because if the state police are not enough in number and not properly trained and well equipped, the situation would not change.”

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