Tinubu should make a clear statement about insecurity by scrapping the payment of security votes to state governors

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Over the last few weeks, President Tinubu has been traversing the globe in search of investment. Surely, he is aware of the fact that Nigeria’s insecurity is one of the biggest turn-offs for international investors

[2] President Tinubu is surely also aware of the fact that during the Buhari administration, several state governors cried out about the fact that they were powerless in the face of insecurity. They lamented the fact that they could do nothing to combat the menace of bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, terrorists and Fulani herdsmen

[3] Essentially, President Buhari provided a conducive atmosphere for lawlessness, criminality and insecurity to grow. Now, it is time to dismantle the structure that allowed these armed hoodlums to thrive

[4] What I struggle to get my head round is how did kidnappers manage to open camps all over Nigeria where they train their members and build hostage detention centres without anybody noticing. I think it is time to empower the divisional police officer (DPO) all over Nigeria

[5] As we speak, armed Fulani kidnappers have forest dens in virtually every state of Nigeria from where they can attack any motorway. They have exploited the growth of online banking in Nigeria to the maximum by getting the families of victims to transfer money into accounts without making contact

[6] What I do not get is why nobody is tracking these funds. At some stage, the kidnappers have to withdraw the money from the bank, which is where the police should be waiting for them. As things stand, the kidnappers are free to do as they please with no hindrance whatsoever

[7] Every state in Nigeria has a police commissioner with men under his command. Is there anything stopping them raiding these camps, closing down these bank accounts and policing these motorways to end this scourge?

[8] Maybe the first thing President Tinubu should do is end the payment of security votes to politicians. Pay this money directly to the DPOs so they can use it to combat crime

[9] Just imagine if we had five or six high-profile busting of kidnappers dens across Nigeria. It would send out a message that this government is taking insecurity seriously

[10] Were I in Tinubu’s shoes, I would set the ball rolling by calling a national summit of all the DPOs from across the 774 local government areas of Nigeria. Get them to Abuja, empower them and then read them the riot act, setting them lofty targets