RIGHTS activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, has criticised the Federal Government’s deployment of Forest Guards to help rescue abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State and other parts of the country, saying the idea was a manifestation of confusion in Nigeria’s security architecture.
The African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in next year’s general elections, speaking on a television programme on Monday, June 8, argued that securing forests and protecting citizens should remain the responsibility of existing security agencies, including the Police and the military, rather than the creation of new outfits.
Sowore said Nigeria had reached “a level of confusion” in its approach to insecurity, insisting Forest Guards were not designed to protect people, but wildlife.
He queried why such a role was being repurposed for internal security challenges, saying if existing agencies are unable to rescue abducted citizens, leadership changes should follow, rather than introduction of additional security structures.
Sowore warned that multiplying security agencies could deepen inefficiency, lamenting that government often responds to failure by creating “more problems than solutions.”
He insisted that instead of expanding security outfits, authorities should focus on strengthening accountability, improving intelligence gathering and addressing root causes of insecurity, including illegal mining, arms trafficking, religious extremism and poverty.
The activist suggested what he described as a “flash” approach to tackling insecurity by combining decisive action against illegal mining and terrorism, tighter control of arms inflows through regions, such as Libya, faster judicial processes for terrorism cases and greater use of technology and special forces in counterterrorism operations.
Published:
Related articles
Recent articles
