THE nation’s perilous security situation suffered another blow with the disappearance of Mallam Kabir Umaru Sokoto, the prime suspect in the Madalla Christmas Day bombing  at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, in which 43 worshippers were killed and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

According to media reports, he was said to have been arrested at the Borno State Liaison Office in Abuja and taken to the police station in Abaji, a suburb of  Abuja, where he was detained.

On the orders of  the Commissioner of Police, Zakari Biu, he was said to have been released  for interrogation. Another account indicated that while he was being taken to the palace of the Emir of Abaji, Adamu Baba Yunusa, alongside five police escorts, some youths accosted them and freed Mallam Kabiru. Since the news of his escape got to all, the Federal Government and Nigerians have condemned the act and called for sanctions against the former Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim.

Already, CP Biu had been arrested, while police authorities said frantic efforts have been made to ensure that Sokoto is apprehended. And  in a bid to hasten his apprehension, a bounty of N50 million is set aside to be given to anyone with useful information on how to apprehend him.

The disappearance of Mallam Kabiru, has serious security implications. First, it has lent credence to the widely held opinion that the nation’s security agencies have been infiltrated by the Boko Haram sect, whose interest Kabiru is serving. Many Nigerians believe that he could have been deliberately set free.

Secondly, the escape is a pointer to the fact that the ant-terrorism fight of the government  is a  mere ruse, if a high profile suspect like Sokoto could be allowed to beat the security system of the Police.

There are a few questions that we need to ponder on. Why was Kabiru being taken to the palace in Abaji?  Where were the youth coming from? To do what? What were the escorts doing when he was trying to escape? Is it true he had an Air Force officer to protect  and allow him escape to London?

These are questions the Police authorities must give satisfactory answers to. Frankly speaking, the disappearance of Sokoto has so much myths that should be unravelled. As the nation was puzzling over the missing Umaru, coordinated bomb attacks were recorded in Kano and Bauchi states, killing about 200 innocent Nigerians.

For many years, the Nigeria Police have not really been in the good books of the people. They are actors in ugly stories of extra-judicial killings, police brutality, extortion, corruption, connivance with criminals, lawlessness and brazen disregard for human rights. That is why the new IGP should ensure that Sokoto is fished-out at all cost, if he is ready to convince Nigerians that he is genuinely committed to the fight against terrorism.

Since the onslaught of the Boko Haram on the people, a critical look at  most of the attacks revealed that they were targetted at Christians. Recently, southern Christians living in the North were given an ultimatum to leave. They were later attacked.

This brings to the fore, the urgent need for the government to be decisive, otherwise, it could be misconstrued that state’s resources and security apparatus are being used to favour a particular religion against others. This negates the spirit and letter of the Constitution that recognises Nigeria to be secular.

It is unfortunate that the country has been enmeshed in complex, social, economic and political problem since independence. Just in the last few weeks, ethno-religious and labour crises have plundered the nation into serious recession, with the resultant colossal loss of lives and property.

The security situation in the country is in dire straits for any meaningful development. The much-touted drive for foreign investment will continue to be a  mirage, as long as the reign of terrorists, armed banditry, monumental crime and violence remain the order of the day.

No amount of micro and macro-economic policy, programme, plan and projection can yield the desired result until a conducive atmosphere is engendered. The government’s transformation agenda should vigorously take the security component as germane to its poise for good governance.

Therefore, concerted efforts should be made to ensure that the police and other security agencies perform their statutory duties in an objective manner. The rot in the Police should be cleansed without further delay.

To begin with, the orientation should change. Officers and men of the police should be made to realise that they are performing a sacred duty to the society. They should not see themselves as being above the law. The arrogance often displayed, because they wear arms, should be curbed. This should be the first step in breeding humane but a sound police force.

Besides, the hierarchy should do something about corruption that has become synonymous with our policemen and women. It is instructive to say that some personnel of the Police Force and other security agencies are disciplined, honest and patriotic. These, they have consistently shown in their conduct and interaction with members of the public. The case of Sokoto’s disappearance is just one of the several bad cases.

Discipline should be entrenched in the Force. I wonder how a policeman can be effective while making or receiving phone calls at checkpoints. At times, I endeavour to listen to the conversations, which in most cases, were merely something like, ‘just to say hello’, ‘your boys are suffering here’, ‘Don’t forget us,....’

More resources should be made available to the Police through better funding. With better funding, the Police will have more resources to procure sophisticated equipment to combat crime. Criminals, often, outpower security agents when breaking the law.

There is an urgent need for our law enforcement agents to undergo training and re-training, to be able to cope with modern day challenges. All over the world, it has become archaic for policemen to brandish guns, just to send jitters down the spine of the people.

It is no longer fashionable to bear arms and ammunition to intimidate their perceived targets. Police escorts and other operatives display insanity like mad dogs whenever public officers attend public functions.

They drive recklessly at deadly speed, just to impress their bosses. I wonder why they don’t emulate highly-networked intelligent outfits like the Central Intelligent Agencies (CIA), Federal

Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Russian KGB and Scotland Yard.

It is high time we started working towards state policing. In years past, central police administration, like what presently obtains, was defective in ensuring the safety of lives and property. Governors, as chief security officers in their states, are helpless in the maintenance of law and order in their domains because police commissioners are not responsible or answerable to them.

Also, culprits of previous crimes should be punished in line with the existing laws, while the government should summon the courage and political will to deal decisively with masterminds, sponsors and their powerful and influential collaborators, otherwise, we may not make any headway in the fight against terrorism.

Kupoluyi wrote in from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
 

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