Major Yinka Ogunsanya, a veteran of the United States Army who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, says that the federal government paying terrorists ransom in any form is the largest betrayal of Nigeria’s fight against insurgency.
Major Ogunsanya was a guest on the popular monthly interview show Boiling Point Arena on Sunday night. The show is hosted by Dr. Ayo Arowojolu, a media expert and public relations consultant.
The Daily Independent says that he was with another guest, “Leye Oyebade,” who is a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police.
The show was streamed on Zoom and aired live on six radio stations in Lagos, Ogun, and Delta states: WASH 94.9FM, Sweet 107.1FM, Roots 97.1FM, Erimbe 94.7FM, Women Radio 91.7M FM, and Kruzz 91.2FM.
The topic of conversation was “Decentralized Security Architecture: Redefining Federal and States Roles in State Policing as Nigeria Battles Escalating Insecurity.”
Major Ogunsanya says that it is unheard of and a huge betrayal for any administration in the world to coddle terrorists and not expect the rising tide of violence and instability that Nigeria is going through right now.
“Paying terrorists ransom by the government is what gives them power and makes things even less safe.” He said, “Paying these criminals ransom is a betrayal of the war against insurgency.”
He believes that Nigeria’s fight against insurgency can’t be won completely through “surgical” military strikes alone. He compares this to international strategies, like those being used in the US, which rely heavily on a “population-centric” approach where security is built into the social fabric.
He said that without making it illegal to negotiate with terrorists and making a strong investment in education, modifications to the structure, such as state enforcement, might merely treat the symptoms instead of the disease.
Ogunsanya added that the “3Ds” framework—Development, Diplomacy, and Defense—is widely used by countries to resist insurgency. In the U.S. and other countries, decentralized policing is the norm. Local, county, and state agencies all have specific areas of responsibility and are held to a high standard of accountability. On the other hand, the Nigerian way has always been “enemy-centric,” focused on strong military force and a command system from the top down. This frequently results in a disconnection between the federal “liberators” and the local “occupied” communities.
Nigeria must follow the worldwide standard of localized intelligence-led operations while keeping federal oversight for cross-border crimes in order to make the shift successful. One of the main “pros” of having local police is that they are close by. Local police personnel speak the language, know the families, and know what has upset people in the past. This gives the officer who is stationed in the area an advantage when it comes to obtaining information that an officer from a different region cannot match.
“Also, state policing lets officers respond to distress calls faster because the chain of command is local and not slowed down by the bureaucratic problems at Force Headquarters in Abuja. The “cons” of state policing, on the other hand, are just as important and constitute the main point of the opposition’s argument. The most important of these is the danger that state governors may use politics as a weapon.
Some people are worried that state police could become “decentralized despots” who exploit their power to scare off political opponents and silence criticism.
“Also, Nigeria’s economy is a big problem; several states are having a hard time paying even the most basic civil service salaries. Giving people the responsibility of paying for the expensive training, arming, and upkeep of a professional police force could result in units that are inadequately funded, poorly equipped, and possibly corrupt.
To lessen these dangers, we need a mixed paradigm of “Decentralised Accountability.” This means setting up federal standards for monitoring, with the National Police Service Commission setting consistent rules for training and screening and the states running the day-to-day operations. The “Amotekun” model in the Southwest has previously proved that sub-national security groups can do their jobs well when they have clear rules and are open about how they work. This “bottom-up” method makes sure that the rules and standards stay national even when the muscle is local.
In this new structure, the federal government would change from being a “controller” to a “enabler” and “regulator.” The federal police should focus on specific jobs, like fighting terrorism, stopping crimes across states, and gathering information for the country. In the meanwhile, the states would be in charge of public order and community policing. This way of dividing up work makes things easier for the federal center and lets resources be used in a more specialized and efficient way. It changes the meaning of federalism from a fight for power to a cooperation for safety.
The “Clear-Hold-Build” plan shows the biggest difference between local and international approaches to fighting insurgency. Once rebels are gone from a territory, a local police force “holds” the area while civilian authorities “build” infrastructure. We routinely “clear” in Nigeria but don’t “hold” since there isn’t a local police presence to stay behind. State police would fill this gap and make sure that the freed communities don’t fall back into the hands of bandits after the military moves on to the next front line.
To move forward, we need a constitutional amendment that is both brave and careful. Nigeria has to do rid of Section 214 of the 1999 Constitution, which gives the federal government all the power to police. But this change needs to include “trigger” clauses, which are standards for human and financial rights that a state must achieve before it can get a license to set up its own police force. This makes sure that only states that can and are willing to meet professional standards may move forward, which stops order from completely breaking down.
The Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Prof Saka Matemilola, was the Chairman and Keynote Speaker at the event. He is a well-known traditional leader.
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