Former spy chief, Aliyu Gusau, backs state police, says Nigeria too complex for central policing

A former Director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), Aliyu Gusau, has attributed the rising cases of insecurity to Nigeria’s complex nature, stressing that the nation is too complex to be secured by the nation’s police force that is centrally controlled from Abuja.

Gusau said this while speaking on Wednesday at the Community Protection Guard graduation ceremony, a community-based security outfit established by the Zamfara State Government.

According to Gusau who also served the nation as minister of defence, there is a need to rethink the country’s security strategy.

“With an estimated population of 223.8 million, and a diverse terrain covering 923,768 square kilometers, Nigeria is a difficult country to secure.

“Therefore, expecting a single police force to patrol and control such a large and complex nation effectively is a very tall order indeed. The time has come for us to rethink this strategy in the best interest of our country.

“Currently, innocent lives are lost daily as terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, organised crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and cultism become the order of the day in theatres across Nigeria. While perpetrators now act with impunity, additional deployment of the military to hotspots has not achieved the desired results.

“However, for it to succeed, strategic consideration should be given to creating appropriate support structures across the board. We must understand that security is a community effort and the responsibility of all, not only the police or armed forces”, Gusau admonished.