In an effort to put an end to the needless deaths in Benue, Plateau, and other states, Opialu Fabian, a security expert and public affairs analyst, has urged President Bola Tinubu to restructure the security architecture.
The defense minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, was specifically asked by the security expert to resign in order to make room for a more capable leader.
Speaking during an appearance on TVC News, Fabian bemoaned the recent spate of murders in Plateau, Benue, and other states, where more than a hundred innocent Nigerians were slain in less than a month.
He argued that the call for self-help by former Minister of Defence, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, indicated that those appointed to secure the nation are not competent enough to do the job.
Fabian expressed regret that some of his appointees are undermining Tinubu’s efforts to contain the raging security problem, particularly through budgetary provisions.
He claims that the President is working to halt the undesirable trend, but “these appointees have not quite done well”.
“The President gave the security agents marching orders to end insecurity, but it doesn’t work like that.
“Insecurity is in stages – this has grown to this level due to negligence of past leaders.
“If TY Danjuma is calling for self-help to end insecurity, that means he has passed a vote of no confidence on the current Minister of Defence,” he added.
The security expert stressed that while “intelligence gathering is a critical aspect of national security, the minister’s inability to effectively gather and utilize such intelligence has contributed to the current security challenges facing the country”.
He claimed that the contemporary armed forces is “suffering from leadership issues”.
“The security architecture must be rejigged to suit the dynamics and peculiarity.
“Benue and Plateau state governments need to take a more drastic approach to addressing the root causes of insecurity, rather than just treating the symptoms.
“The governments have not done enough because they are looking at the crisis from a surface level. There is a need for a more comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying issues driving the conflict,” he stressed.
Banditry in Benue State, particularly in Benue South, has continued to garner national attention.
At the same time that unprovoked attacks are taking lives, kidnappings are also taking place.
Criminals are said to have abducted a number of people who were traveling for the recently finished Easter festival.
