A Monumental Security Failure

By

Abdullahi Dahiru

Kano

20th April, 2007

maikanodahiru@yahoo.com 

People in Nigeria are today living in fear because of recent happenings in some part of the country especially Kano state where some people have lost their lives due to activities of some unidentified killers.

The Wapa bureau de change market was attacked in broad day light. The armed robbers killed some people went away with huge amount of money without being captured The police station in Sharada and road safety corps office were later attacked leading to  killing of policemen and some road safety officials and the bandits getting away with many ammunition.

The chief Imam of Dorayi mosque, Sheikh Ja’afar Mahmud Adam was attacked and killed during Subh prayers on Friday 13th April. It is one of the most heinous murders one could ever imagine, for an Imam to be killed while leading a congregation during prayers.

Kano has not recovered from the shock of this wicked murder when four days later an armed militia who are believed to be aliens from a neighbouring country attacked a police station in Panshekara, a Kano suburb killing many policemen. Soldiers and mobile policemen were later deployed to disband them later. I watched with dismay as many people were fleeing the area on any means available to them ranging from ‘achaba’, taxi and buses, wearing agonizing and terrifying look. There is commotion everywhere. That made me remember Maitatsine event of the early 80s.

What has happened to our security system that made us vulnerable to these attacks? Is it due to the recent sacking of policemen that these criminal activities are happening? It is evident that a monumental security and intelligence failure has occurred.

Many questions remain obscure. How can a group of illegal aliens cross our border without been noticed by security agents? Are these people connected to the illegal aliens that have flooded our major cities? This is because illegal aliens have been allowed to be residing in Nigeria without having relevant permission from the authorities for a long time. This is quite obvious if one visit areas in Kano like Kurnar Asabe, Bachirawa and Brigade areas of Kano metropolis.

Rather than retrenching policemen, recruiting and training of more police men will help in boosting the security system of this country. Moreover the police should be provided with sophisticated equipment to allow them combat these miscreants more effectively. All illegal aliens should be ejected out of the country and only those that have relevant permissions from the authorities should be allowed to continue residing in Nigeria. Immigration officials should make our borders more secure and not to be allowing illegal aliens to be entering our country anyhow

While we mourn all the dead and fervently pray for the repose of their souls, I hope authorities in Nigeria would re examine our security system critically with a view of preventing future occurrence of similar events.