SECURITY experts in the country have faulted the service chiefs for choosing to operate from Abuja, the nation’s federal capital city instead of relocating to the North East, particularly Maiduguri, which they noted, was the epicenter of insecurity in the country.
The experts equally picked hole in what they called “needless national tour” embarked by the service chiefs, insisting that their tour be directed at states with worse security problems, particularly North East.
They said what was expected of the new security heads was to hit the ground running by relocating to the theatre of the war against terrorists for at least six months in the first instance and not national tour.
In a statement, Wednesday, the experts operating under the aegis of Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Security Experts regretted that two months after the current security chiefs assumed office, insecurity was assuming a new dimension.
In the statement by its National Coordinator, Prof. Otedola Adekunle and National Secretary, Dr Chris Aklo, respectively, the group, while tasking the security heads to live up to their responsibility, noted that two months was enough for them to make some visible impact in the security sector of the country.
Noting that some people may tag them as impatient persons following their position coming just close to three months after President Muhammad Buhari appointed the security heads,they vowed that such actions by those they described as “unpatriotic elements” would not deter them from telling the truth.
“Since the most anticipated appointments of the new service chiefs on the January 26,2021, we expected that by now there would be at least a gradual turnaround in the security of the country, but it’s sad that the security situation keeps deteriorating on a daily basis with new dimensions to it.
“While some unpatriotic people maybe think that it maybe too early to speak up about the new service chiefs and the current state of insecurity, as security experts, we owe this country the duty to speak out when things are getting out of hand in the security sectors where we are experts,” they said.
The group regretted that, “Over 39 students of College of Forestry in Kaduna State and several other innocent Nigeria’s are still in the hands of their adductors several weeks after their abduction, wondering why it was taking managers of security so long to get the victims out of the den of their captors.
According to them,” Instead of seeing concrete actions that could stamp out insecurity, all we hear is still rhetorics and promises. This is unacceptable. It is certainly not what Nigerians are expecting now,” It added.
Insisting that, “That is obviously not what Nigerians want at all now”, the coalition said:”We want actions and practical steps toward defeating these monsters once and for us.”
“Within this short period of their appointments, new threat of disintegration have emerged across some regions in the country, people are being killed in hundreds on a daily basis with the press knowing nothing or little about the development. In some cases,some are compromising to speak out and are very economical with the truth,” it further said.
According to the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Security Experts, “Nigerians have suffered for so long and are very impatient now.”
While noting the importance roles elders play in peace building efforts in their respective communities, the group tasked them “to begin massive advocacy meeting with the aim of dousing tensions around the country.”
“We want to see the service chiefs leading the war from the theatre of war across the regions for the next six months and not to be speaking English from Abuja.
“We have had enough in this country. Mr President gave them six weeks from the date of their decorations to change the game in the security sector, but frankly speaking, things are getting worse.
“Nigerians are tired and want to see quick and urgent results too.
“We, however, want to appeal to elders in all the geopolitical zones in the country to begin massive advocacy meeting with the aim of dousing tensions around the country.
“We don’t have to wait until government gives us money before we act. When war breaks out, we will all suffer. The task of building a functional, secured and united Nigeria is for all of us,” the group advised.
