The director general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi has expressed the need to allow communities some level of armament to be able to defend themselves against invaders.
He stated this in his remarks at the alumni association of the National Institute for Security Studies (AANISS)’s annual maiden lecture, which had the theme “Mobilising Stakeholders to curb insecurity in Nigeria: A practical approach” in Abuja.
Citing examples of ‘Siawas’ and ‘Azare’ people in Bauchi State, he said the locals were able to kill all the invaders because they had a better understanding of their environments.
He said, “ They did not only repel them, they seized their weapons, and since then, you can attest to me that you hardly hear about Tafa Balewa again. What I’m trying to say, the practical approach to mobilizing people is that you have to get everyone involved.
“You do not expect the Nigerian army, police, DSS, to protect every Nigerian or every government. It is not going to work.”
He said the country must create layers of defence to reduce the burden on the national security architecture.
This he said is in order to allow the military, police, and other security agencies to deal with the bigger threats and organized crimes.
“But it is impossible for us to deploy to every community in the country. It is unimaginable that security agencies have the resources to do it. So as we live here, we all belong to one community or the other. We have to start experimenting with how we can make the community the first line of defense.
He said Nigerians practice a communal culture by doing things together.
“We do festivals together. We do ceremonies together. So why can’t we fight some miscreants, some shenanigans among us together? The community should say, you cannot come here.
We have to allow some level of armament for the communities, and they can serve as the first line of defence,”.
“There will always be security problems. When I hear people say there is insecurity in Nigeria, as long as human beings exist, there will be security problems. The issue is the response. We have to take that mentality away.
“What is the security agency doing? Who, apart from a tree, knows that they want to come and cut him? Only a tree. We have to get the communities to rise and defend themselves. And the time to start it is now”.
He added, “I come from a village and I talk to my people. I know the level of armament they are entitled to.
“I know how they organize themselves in quarters. I’m using my expertise to guide them. You cannot wait for the military to come and do it.”
In his lecture, the director general Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Major General Garba Wahab (rtd) stressed the need to monitor and evaluate government policies.
He lamented that the country has overtime paid lip service to security education and entertainment.
Wahab added that the elites have weaponised security and poverty, leading to the loss of values.
He charged the government to win the confidence of border communities that had been neglected.
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