Nigeria not addressing driving forces of insecurity – Expert

A security expert and Chief Executive Officer of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, Kabir Adamu, has said the Nigerian government is not addressing the driving forces of insecurity in the country.

Adamu, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said Nigeria would not win the war against insecurity as long as the government did not take action on the driving forces.

He identified the driving forces as environmental, social, political and institutional.

The security expert said, “The economic, environmental, political and social issues are driving forces of insecurity, and they are dynamic.

“As long as they are not addressed from their roots, there is nothing the government can do to end the security challenge.

“When the government is using force, especially kinetic force in an attempt to address insecurity without addressing these core drivers, there is not going to be any meaningful result.”

“Despite everything President Bola Tinubu’s administration has done, as long as the core issues that are driving insecurity are not addressed, then the challenges will remain.”

Adamu said his company had in June released a security report that revealed that a total of 5,710 Nigerians were killed between January and June 2024.

According to him, Nigeria recorded 4,278 incidents of insecurity across 553 local government areas in the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory in the first and second quarters of the year.

He stated that there were 4,142 abductions, while 1,928 individuals sustained injuries in different insecurity incidents across the country.

Adamu added that Borno recorded the highest number of incidents at 789, leading to 1,355 deaths and abduction of 482 residents.

“The biannual security dashboard for January to June 2024 paints a concerning picture of the security situation in Nigeria, with a total of 4,278 reported incidents across the 36 states and FCT Abuja.

“A total of 5,710 fatalities, 4,142 abductions, and 1,928 injuries were recorded. The data reveals that Borno is the most affected state, recording 789 incidents, the highest number of fatalities at 1,355, and a significant number of 482 abducted persons.

“Katsina recorded 182, 777 deaths, and 463 abductions; Zamfara had 185 incidents, 530 deaths, and 986 abductions; Kaduna had 192 incidents, 404 deaths, and 752 abductions,” it added.

Commenting on Adamu’s security report, a former Director General of Department of State Services, Mike Ejiofor, said Nigeria would eventually win the war against insecurity.

In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Ejiofor said, “I don’t want to rely on the figure quoted because I don’t know how the data was collated.