#EndSARS crisis aftermath: Stakeholders advise government on promotion of internal insecurity

Ayodele Olalere

That the increase in violent activities across the country has been a source of concern to Nigerians is not in doubt. From North, South to East and West, banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery incidents have become a daily occurrence.

While the rate of insecurity is higher in the northern part owing to the Boko Haram insurgency, which has crippled the region in over a decade, Nigeria’s commercial nerve, Lagos, recently had a taste of the kind of destruction the North had been experiencing.

The EndSARS protest against police brutality, which started in Lagos and later spread to other parts of the country,  culminated in the destruction of public and private property.

Public facilities such as the biggest and only forensic centre in the country located on the mainland, the Oyingbo BRT bus terminal, the oldest court in Nigeria, the Lagos High Court, Igbosere, the City Hall, and many police stations were vandalised and set ablaze. By the time the dust settled, the state had been reduced to a war-like zone with charred remains of destroyed property dotting several parts.

According to the state Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the state would require N1 trillion to rebuild and bring the state to its former state.

On the trail of the unprecedented arson was a sudden surge in armed robbery attacks across the state, as hoodlums began a free reign due to the reluctance of demoralised policemen, to the return to duty having witnessed the barbaric killings of their colleagues by mobs.

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It was against this background that stakeholders held a security meeting in the state.

Themed ‘Stakeholders Engagement on Internal Security and Conflict Resolution across the Country’, the meeting was held on November 24, 2020, at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.

In attendance were the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, heads of security agencies such as the Department of State Security, DSS, the Navy, Army, among others. Others were traditional rulers led by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, political leaders as well as members of the Governor Advisory Council.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, while expressing the importance of the engagement, said the state, having witnessed such magnitude of destruction, required a strategy to promote  peace in the state and across the country.

“Let me use this opportunity to commend the Federal Government through the Ministry of Interior and other collaborating agencies for deeming it necessary to engage the citizens in developing strategies that will promote peace across the nation.

“The state of insecurity being experienced across the nation calls for serious concern considering its implication not only on the socio-economic development and prosperity of our people but also the unity and territorial integrity of our nation.

“The importance of an effective strategy for peaceful resolution of conflict cannot be overemphasised. Nations have engaged in war and civil strives on the basis of issues that could have been resolved peacefully without the unnecessary loss of lives and destruction of properties,” the governor said.

Reminiscing on the incidents in the state, which led to the loss of lives and destruction of property, the governor said a lot of tension has been created in the state and across the country owing to the importance of the state to the country’s GDP.

He said, “The incidents leading up to 20th October 2020 and the aftermath have created a lot of tension in the land. We should not allow fifth columnists or conspiracy theorists capitalise on the after effect of the protests with collateral damage of police stations burnt and vandalised with arms and ammunition looted.

”That incident through which extensive damage was wreaked on public infrastructure and private businesses, is a wakeup call to all well-meaning individuals and organisations that we cannot afford to allow external forces or factors threaten or undermine our wellbeing and security as a people.

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“We have the opportunity today to share knowledge and ideas that could pre-empt crises situations through conflict resolution mechanism.

“It is our duty and responsibility as leaders to rise above the present challenges and provide the needed leadership that will restore and ensure the continued confidence and trust in the governance system and the beneficial effect on the lives of all categories of citizens in Nigeria.”

The governor added that any “negative development” in the state would be felt across the country and West Africa. He pointed out that it would be in the interest of the stakeholders, the government and the citizens to ensure conflicts are resolved quickly to forestall the destruction witnessed in the aftermath of the EndSARS protest.

He added there is need for the government to restrategies the country’s security architecture with a view to finding solutions to the high rate of insecurity in the land.

“Lagos State is the strategic hub for socioeconomic, political or entertainment development in Nigeria and the ECOWAS sub-region.

“Therefore, any negative development will have a ripple effect across the geopolitical zone. It is in our joint interests as a people to come together and restrategise on security initiatives that will prevent further occurrence of the wanton damage and destruction of lives and properties of innocent people and public infrastructure which replacement will come at a prohibitive cost.

“I urge all stakeholders and participants  to stand together as one and proffer proactive solutions that will ensure and enhance security and conflict resolution initiatives in the new knowledge era of technology and innovation.

“We have to reignite the communication link between government and the people so that fifth columnists or conspiracy theorists will not be able to infiltrate and spread disinformation or misinformation that would jeopardise the future of our country or the opportunities available for our youths to contribute to the greatness of our country, Nigeria.

“Let us take on the challenge and provide leadership that will galvanise the patriotic fire in the chest of our youths and give them the assurance that indeed the future is very bright for Nigeria and Nigerians,” Sanwo-Olu said.

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Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola described Lagos as ”the destiny of our race.” He added crisis is not peculiar to Nigeria alone as many countries are experiencing different  security challenges. He, however, warned that the relative peace the country is witnessing should not be taken for granted by the government and the people.

“There are countries that are going through conflicts where the government has been reduced to a few people and some soldiers loyal to them holed up in a little space and whose authority is no longer beyond where they are holed up.

”Security challenges are of global concern and therefore not peculiar to us. The world is increasingly facing insecurity where main causes are conflicts, terrorism, banditry, organised crime, food shortages, epidemic, natural disasters and extreme political contestations.

“We may not have attained the most secured state at the moment but we should not take what we now have for granted notwithstanding our present challenges,” Aregbesola warned.

At the end of the one-day meeting, participants agreed there is need to proffer lasting solution to security challenges across the state to enhance socio-economic development, especially in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.

Other decisions include promoting unity among the diverse ethnic population of the state to forestall the activities of fifth columnists, prevent disinformation and misinformation by adopting continuous engagement of stakeholders, to prevent security crisis, and re-engineering, re-focusing and re-tooling of the Police Force, and sharing of knowledge and ideas on matters that could create crises in the polity and proffer pro-active solution.

The event featured presentations in which it was noted that government’s interest in security is “self-interest” as socio-economic development could only be possible in a secured environment.

It was also “affirmed that notwithstanding the present challenges, government would not take security issues, especially in Lagos state for granted; as is home to all Nigerians.

Stakeholders also agreed the state is currently facing security challenges which include armed robbery, killings, cyber-crime, vandalism, fraud, etcetera.

Though it was admitted that while crime is a global challenge, the society “should be re-engineered to deter thuggery and adopt better-policing strategy and crowd control, without the use of excessive force.

“It is needful to adequately equip the Fire Service, as emergency response apparatus. Government at all levels must strive to create a system that would discourage criminality rather than demonizing dissent views.

After extensive deliberations, stakeholders resolved that “Lagos deserves special status in Nigeria, security in Lagos State is a national issue because of its teeming population, government must move from the phase of advocacy on security improvement to the phase of action.”

It was resolved that, “It is essential to create jobs in order to reduce social security challenges, restructuring of the Police Force as a reflection of true federalism, identification of charlatans among well-meaning youths to forestall their destructive activities, which if unchecked, could set the state back several years, while security agencies should increase intelligence gatherings by working with neighbourhood security apparatus. Also the process of conflict resolution must be peaceful in the interest of all.”

Government was also advised to be “committed to security and should demonstrate same through the provision of better welfare packages, review of remunerations.

“Training and well-equipped security personnel to globally acceptable standard. It is imperative to expose youths to counselling and the knowledge of God, for proper guidance. More attention should be paid to the youths, as they also have ideas that could assist in formulating policies for government. Acquisition of adequate crowd control equipment and none lethal weapons for management of civil protests and demonstration, designation of special areas for protest so as not to impede the rights of others, reintroduction of value-driven programmes (i.e. Boys Scout, Girls Guild etc) in our schools to meaningfully engage our youths, and adequate training and grooming of the wards by their parents.”

Participants commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu “for his efforts in calming angry youths and restoring peace to the state.”

They pledged to work with the government in ensuring that peace reigns in the state. The Federal Government was also commended for the stakeholders’ engagement and was further reminded to engage with the people more regularly to stem crises before they escalate.