By Gloria Emmanuel Experts in the security sector Monday enjoined the security agencies in the country to be more proactive rather than being reactive as they battle the dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram.
Speaking at a brainstorming session organised the Nigeria Security Exhibition & Conference in Abuja, the experts emphasised the need to always pre-empty the planned attacks by the insurgency rather than arresting them after attacks.
“We have mitigated and overcome terrorism in Israel because we are proactive, we didn’t wait for the terrorists to attack us first, we didn’t want to be reactors, reactive is not the best way in this fight, you just have to take the control, we want to be the actors, as actors, you push the enemies to the back and by so doing, they will be protecting themselves and will never have time to attack you, that is a simple concept.
“In my country we work in cells of small families, bigger families, tribe and state. All you need do is to give the states more responsibilities, resources and every state will defend its own territory, given the large population of Nigeria, it will be a lot easier because you have enough manpower,” Mirza Dvaid, Founder/CEO of International Security Academy said.
Speaking, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ade Abolurin, who represented the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, said the ministry has lived up to its responsibility as far as internal security is concerned.
According to him, “Boko Haram insurgency is a battle of unknown warfront as it has taken a new dimension but we are already winning the fight”.
The NISEC exhibition he said presents new techniques which will replace the obsolete ones. The Chief organiser of the Nigeria Security Exhibition & Conference (NISEC) Frank Ohwofa, said the workshop is a product of necessity given the present insecurity in the country.
Speaking on the theme of the 3day event tagged: Homeland Security – Africa 2014, he said, “We saw the need to domestic the areas of capacity building, national security events globally are major events were ideas are shared and industry networking as well as where new technologies are identified.
“What we are doing here today is making history because the event has attracted international top level speakers, people who have knowledge in the industry. Today, Africa has taken global attention in area of terrorism, we must have to counter this threat because this new threats are hurting our quest for economic development.
“So this conference has provided a platform for various security agencies to synergies. This conference has become necessary because what affects Cameroon, affects Nigeria, tomorrow the Prime Minister of Niger will be here to talk about our regional security and that is because we felt the need to work closely in Africa to resolve the issue of insecurity once and for all”.
He said the event was actually approved by the federal government, “we have due approval of the government through the office of the National Security Adviser to the President”.
The main focus of this year’s event according to him is the conference and workshop which is intended to build capacity though with light exhibition, two companies from Dubai showcasing new technologies and by next year, the scope will expand.
Ohwofa suggested enough public security awareness, noting that “Nigeria is on the fourth in the list of most active terrorist attack activities, we must all as Nigerians synergies, collaborate with all the security agencies. We must trust the law enforcement agencies, because these are the people who are sacrificing their lives for us”.
Also speaking, Prof Ebere Onwudiwe, the Executive Director, KEN NNAMANI Centre For Leadership & Development noted that
“Insecurity is not a problem subject to overnight solution but conferences like this brings different ideas of how this problem can be solved and handle the situation from the stand point of the government and the military doing the fighting, the masses participating as foot soldiers”.
