TheCable

BY JONATHAN NDA-ISAIAH

Since the turn of the year, the south-east has become the most dangerous place for police officers and formations in the country. As things stand at the moment, I believe a police officer will prefer to be posted to the north-east, the epicentre of insurgency than the south-east .The police officer has become an endangered species in the south-east.

The question is how did we get here and can the country afford another insurgency at the moment. The country’s security agents are already overwhelmed and overstretched by the myriad of security challenges across the country. In the north-east, Boko Haram is still holding sway while bandits are terrorising the north-west and north-central, cultists and kidnappers are holding the south-south and south-west by the jugular, and now the brewing insurgency in the south-east is a cause for concern.

The irony of the whole issue is that some people in the south-east are lionising the gunmen, as according to them, the rate of extortion from the police in the south-east is at an all-time high. According to reports, in the south-east, you see police checkpoints at every 500 meters. Policemen allegedly lobby to be posted to the south-east as it was seen as a cash cow.

However, no matter the excesses of the police officers, does it warrant an attack against them and their formations? Fingers have been pointed at the Eastern Security Network ( ESN), IPOB and bandits, depending on the side of the political divide you belong to.

I also recall that the Boko Haram insurgency started this way. After the killing of their leader, Mohammed Yusuf, the sect members started attacking security agents in Maiduguri. There was no outrage from the residents then. Then Boko Haram started attacking and bombing churches. Some extremists were happy; then they started bombing mosques and attacking traditional rulers. That was when people now realised the chicken has come home to roost.

The south-easterners are making the same mistake now. Most of them are indifferent to this new wave of attacks, as after all, most of the policemen are not indigenes. When the so-called unknown gunmen finish attacking police formations, the people will be the next target. Presently, Nigeria cannot afford another insurgency in the south-east. This has to stop and now.

So what’s the solution? I also do not think regional security outfits are the solution to all these security challenges .

First, I strongly advocate that the constitution should be tinkered with to allow the creation of state police. That is the way to go. In spite of fears that it may be abused by state governors, it’s still our safest best to avoid a proliferation of regional security outfits.

Secondly, the police should be funded and equipped to handle insurgency and banditry. The Imo case, where a police station was sacked, is shameful and should not be allowed to happen again.

Pointedly, we should also stop the ethnicisation and politicisation of security matters. Insecurity affects us all — north, south, Christian, Muslims and traditional worshippers.