Is The Security Apparatus Part Of The Problem?

At the just-concluded National Economic Council (NEC) conference, the country’s security chiefs reportedly renewed their call for sustained joint operations and seamless intelligence sharing.

In their opinion, fragmented responses to insecurity would continue to undermine national stability, economic growth and public confidence.

They also identified security as a development issue with direct implications for investment, jobs and social cohesion.

At that conference were participants from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, representatives of other armed services, including the Police, as well as the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa.

In previous editorials on the security situation in the country, we had raised questions about the apparent lack of synergy within the nation’s security architecture, which we attributed the reason non-state actors are having the upper hand in the war against terrorism and banditry.

We pointed to the turf war among the armed services in which each believes it can go it alone. In our opinion, this was even worse in intelligence-gathering and other information-sharing facilities, which have the potential to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.

That these agencies are advocating for such cooperation now is an unfortunate acceptance that they have hitherto been putting service ego over national interest, a situation that has continued to jeopardise public confidence in the ability of the security apparatus to perform their duties creditably in a manner that will safeguard and guarantee the wellbeing of the populace who have experienced hard times in the hands of kidnappers, bandits and terrorists.

It is also an admittance of failure on an assignment as critical as preserving national security. The sad aspect of it is that in the face of this inexplicable waste, no one gets punished.

For perceived political reasons, the culprits get a slap on the wrist and the business-as-usual mode persists just as the rot festers.

Reacting to an incident involving a dastardly act by terrorists, where communities were given the wrong end of the stick by those criminal elements, a now-retired Director General of the Directorate of State Services (DSS) said publicly that the other services that make use of intelligence generated by the DSS would not deny that the information that could have stopped those anti-social elements in their tracks was not gathered and dispatched to them in real time.

Most often, it is not about the absence or failure of intelligence but about the arrogance of power, the refusal to accept that cooperation is required in the prevailing security situation in which the country is enmeshed. Something like, I am in command and control here; who are they to tell me what to do? I will not take any dictation from any quarters. Meanwhile, the entire Nigerian system is tottering.

What follows is a multiplicity of intelligence-gathering and operational agencies working at cross-purposes, mostly inimical to the nation’s vital interests.

The intention in such circumstances is to maximise pecuniary interests that have turned insecurity in the country into an industry attracting all manner of experts of doubtful relevance.

This newspaper is, however, enamoured by this reawakening in the security machinery of state on the urgency of working as a team. We are enthused by the realisation that harmonising operational mandates, strengthening intelligence synchronisation and aligning security planning with national development priorities is the way to go.

We commend the government and its plan to recalibrate security doctrine, which also treats the issue as a cross-cutting pillar linked to economic diversification, human capital development, private-sector growth and environmental sustainability.

As a policy, it is goal-driven and requires the buy-in of all agencies responsible for ensuring the legwork is competently done to ensure that the nation is adequately secured.

This will entail the dismantling of the overwhelming processes and presumptions about security as business involving cost-benefit analyses which benefits operatives while at the same time putting the country and her socio-economic interests on a secondary scale of preference. This disposition within the security apparatus is creating an impression that it is becoming part of the problem.

It is pertinent to note that on the international scene there is what is called Intelligence Community where countries with similar interests share intelligence.

Recently, the President of the United States of America (USA) Donald Trump hosted the Prime Minister of Israel at the White House. On the table is intelligence report on Iran’s military capabilities. These are countries coordinating at that level to protect their vital interests.

We are sufficiently persuaded to argue that the security services in the country, if they are truly concerned about national security, ought not to wait for NEC conference to remind them to take their jobs a little more seriously and save the citizenry the pains and anguish insecurity is causing them.

As a newspaper, we are satisfied with the new thinking in the hope that it will yield the desired result. It is never too late to return to the right track.